Menu bar 'Tool Controls Bar' keeps changing from 'mm' to 'px'.

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

My name is Matt, I'm new to this forum - hello everyone.

Inkscape Version:  0.92.2
Mac OSX Version:  10.12.6

My problem with Inkscape is this:

The 'Tool Control Bar' has a drop-down menu to allow measurements in either pt, cm, inches, mm, pc, px or percentages.  I always work in millimetres so set it to "mm".  But Inkscape keeps changing it back to 'px'.  It changes constantly as I work, so I am always looking at a measurement and thinking "WTH!", realising it's on 'px', changing it to 'mm' and sometimes it instantly changes back to 'px' and sometimes it stays on 'mm' for a while.
I have tried changing it to 'mm' and immediately saving; sometimes it instantly changes back to 'px' and sometimes it stays on 'mm' for a while.  I have tried setting a new page up with all the settings as I want them and saving that over the file 'inkscape.app/Show Package Contents/Contents/Resources/share/inkscape/templates/default.svg'.  It didn't make any difference.

I'm not sure if this will help; I was using an older version of Inkscape but downloaded the latest version after a major computer freeze.  I don't know what version that was as it has now gone (along with all my software - managed to keep my docs though!) but that previous version did not have this problem.

Not the end of the world for me but it would be nice to not have this problem.  Thanks if you can help.

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

Good news for you -- this is a simple fix  

Edit menu > Inkscape Preferences > Page tab > Display Units

It's at the very top of the page.  There's another place about halfway down the page, where you can change units, but that's for the page size.  You might want to change that one too.  But the one at the top is  probably the most important.

And you're right.  You can set up a custom default document, with the page units that you want.  But you should save it in a different directory.  Look in Inkscape Preference > System > System Info > User Config

After C:...../inkscape, put /templates    If you don't see a templates folder, you can make one.  And put the new default doc in it.  By putting it in this directory, it will remain available even after you upgrade to a new version.  If you leave it where you put it, then whenever you upgrade, you'll have to make a new default doc.

[Moini]

Or just use the default document - which is using mm since Inkscape 0.92, and thus uses mm as the default units in all tool bars and dialogs already.

Maybe at some point you have defined your own default document. Delete it and you'll be good (at least for the mm).

If you then need to make any special adjustments, just create a new personal default document from the standard default document, and save it as default.svg (or default.<your language's two-letter shortcut>.svg) in the /templates folder in your user configuration directory as indicated by Edit > Preferences > System.

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

Hi brynn, Hi Moini,
Thank you for your responses and help
I'll answer you first Moini - the default.svg doc would have been the one that I would have started with anyway I think.  Because of the problem, I already did exactly as you suggest; overwriting the default.svg doc with my own having set it up how I want it with mm etc.  So that doesn't seem to solve the problem.
Brynn - first, regarding where my default.svg doc goes; not being a coder at all I'm not sure where "/Users/matthewaharris/.config/inkscape" is.  I did a search for ".config" and even "config" and got nothing related to Inkscape.  It may be that my Apple Mac is hiding those docs from me.  But that's not a problem, if I update the Inkscape app, I can always create a new default.svg doc for me now I know about it.
But coming to the real problem and your instructions on setting the Inkscape Preferences:
Maybe my Mac version of Inkscape is different but I find those settings for 'Display Units' under 'Document Properties' not 'Inkscape Preferences'.  That aside, I have been changing the setting for 'Display Units' and 'Custom Size' Units to mm and it doesn't affect the problem - Inkscape still reverts to 'px'!  I can change the setting from 'px' to 'mm' on both the 'Tool Control Bar' and also in 'Document Preferences', Save the doc and it still keeps changing back to 'px'.
I guess what I'm trying to say in a nutshell - I've tried that and it made no difference.
Interesting problem huh?!

[Moini]

Uhm... could you:

- share an SVG file created with your setup? It can be empty, but needs to use the default template that you get without doing anything and that is problematic for you.

- post a screenshot of what you see at Edit > Preferences > System, please?

- post a screenshot of Help > About, please?

and then

- post a screenshot of the directory that is indicated at the line labelled 'User config:'
- and one of the directory 'templates' in that directory, please?

If you cannot find the user config directory (on a Mac), that isn't surprising, Apple loves to 'keep things simple', so they hide things from users. Find out how to unhide directories and files in your file browser, please, before giving up (Brynn's directory instructions won't work with a Mac, though, they're for Windows).

[brynn]

Maybe my Mac version of Inkscape is different but I find those settings for 'Display Units' under 'Document Properties' not 'Inkscape Preferences'.

Oh no, that's my bad!  I apologize.  It is in Document Properties.

I would find it odd if Macs hide the user directory.  But I really have no idea how Mac's work.

Which instructions of mine won't work?  Do you mean that the default.svg file should not be in the user directory, for Macs?

[Moini]

"/Users/matthewaharris/.config/inkscape" doesn't exist on a Mac - but I realize now that Matt brought that up. He seemingly read instructions for Win somewhere and is confused by that. Hope he can get back on track by following my instructions.

[Moini]

Sorry, my bad. It could exist!

[Moini]

But it's probably hidden, because of the . in front of the directory name. Just figure out how to display hidden folders, Matt.

[Moini]

And reinstall Inkscape (i.e. uninstall, then install, to be sure) - you need the default SVG from the current version to work in mm by default (with new files).

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

Sorry for not getting back to you yet, it's been a Bank Holiday weekend here (UK) so I've been out with my family.  I'll give your instructions a go tomorrow.

[Moini]

No problem It's your issue, so it's also your timing.

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

I'm back and have been working my way through your requests/instructions and have some files to give you from that.  I've included the default svg file you asked for (test_drawing_using_default.svg - no changes, only created, some squares added, saved) but also the document I'm working on, the one giving problems (My_problem_document.svg).  The reason I've included mine is because the default doc didn't seem to be having the problem of reverting to pixels but seemed to be staying on mm.
I have also attached the screen grabs asked for but couldn't see the '.config' file having done some net searching on revealing files Apple are hiding.  I will carry on trying to get a screen grab of this file if you still need me to however . . .

Moini, you said "Or just use the default document - which is using mm since Inkscape 0.92, and thus uses mm as the default units in all tool bars and dialogs already." and that gave me an idea.  You see, the doc that is giving me problems was created in a previous version of Inkscape to the version I'm using now (my current version is 0.92.2).  I do not know what version of Inkscape my 'old' doc was made in (my computer had a major crash - took me 3 weeks to sort out - lost lots).  When I opened my old doc in the new version of IS, I had to go through some sort of Inkscape conversion process about the scale needing adjusting from 90 dpi to 96 dpi.

My thought is; is there a conflict between my old doc defaulting to px (even though I always used mm then too) and the new default being mm?  To see if that may be the case, I have created a new doc using the new mm default.svg and imported the content/layers from my old doc.  I'll now work on that version and see if it keeps reverting to px still and let you know what happens.

PS To save you confusion with my attachments, the order I took the app ones are:  Applications folder / Contextual Menu on Right Click / Top of Package Contents / Package scrolled down.

[brynn]

Since Moini had asked for all those things (and I'm still not sure if I said something wrong before) I won't comment much. 

But I did want to clarify, that it's My_problem_document.svg which is giving you the problem with the units not staying where you set (or in other words, switching from mm to px without input from you).  Right?

If you opened a file which was started in a different version of Inkscape, even if you are using version 0.92.x (when Inkscape changed from using px as default units, to mm) I think Inkscape should have picked up the units which were set in the original file.  If it didn't, I think it should have.

But maybe there is a bug with Macs, regarding units and files which were originally created in older versions??  I don't know, and Moini is certainly more qualified than me, about bugs.

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

Yes Brynn, you are right; it's My_problem_document.svg which keeps switching from mm to px even though I've just set it to mm.
I have to say, as a problem, I do get the occasional strange quirk when apps written for Windows are ported over to Mac so that may be the spanner in the works.  It doesn't happen so often that I remembered until you pointed it out.
If I have to live with it, I can cope and maybe it will be fixed one day.  Or maybe Moini can think of a way forward.  Thanks for your help and effort up to here

[Moini]

You're lucky - someone in the German Inkscape forum just reminded me of a workaround for auto-reverting display units for older Inkscape documents - I had forgotten about it, but wrote it myself... lol.

So, the way to get to mm would be to:

• for a new document, use the default template
• for an old document, where the display unit auto-reverts after you changed it in the document properties, use this workaround:
  
  • Open File > Document properties
  • Open the 'viewbox' section in the first tab
  • Trigger the creation of a viewbox by adding 1 (or any other number) to one of the values, hit Enter
  • Fix it to its correct value by subtracting 1 (or any other number) from the value you modified previously, hit Enter.
  • Change the unit in the top right corner ('Display units')
  • Save
  • Close and open document

Hope this will fix the issue for you now. It's not Mac-specific.

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

Hi Moini,

I wikied 'viewbox' and it made me realise why I'm happy to be designing HiFi and not coding for a living!  I'm glad someone understands what all that means, all I got was the sound of a very high aircraft passing overhead.

But I tried your advice about setting the viewbox et al and it seems to have worked - yay!  I have been working on my doc for a couple of hours now and not had one revert back to px.  So I believe you have solved the problem - many thanks for that, it will make my work so much easier.

I have another anomaly to work out (why occasionally, the selection box of an object is bigger than the object and gives dimensions as such) but I'll save that for another time.

All the best,

Matt

[Moini]

Definitely, it's a weird concept with the nested coordinate systems, a bit like how the warp drive compresses space ;-) Long articles have been written about it.

Glad it worked! (for the objects selection boxes, check for filters on the object, that's the most frequent cause (e.g. blur). The second frequent is clips, I think. Path effects can also be a cause, in some cases, as far as I remember. Could also be that you have a transparent stroke, maybe.)

[Lazur]

semi-related

for the objects selection boxes, check for filters on the object, that's the most frequent cause (e.g. blur)

Other, a more likely "accidental" filter factor:
you had an object on a layer with a multiply blending mode which you than copy-pasted to another layer.
(Layers are groups. Multiply blending mode is a filter applied on the group. Once the object is out of the group, it has to inherit the group's filter to have the same appearance. Yet, applied on a single object the same filter alters the bounding box.
Unlike the blur slider adjusted filter -which adjusts the filtered area&bounding box to the object by some magic-, default filters use a 1,2 times larger filtered area than the unfiltered object's bounding box, resulting in a 1,2 times larger visual bounding box.)

[brynn]

Hope this will fix the issue for you now. It's not Mac-specific.

But Moini, what's causing the units to switch on their own?  That doesn't seem like something acceptable, that shouldn't be called a bug.

[Moini]

It's a known bug which is triggered by a missing viewbox. There are multiple reports for it (e.g. https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1671691).

[brynn]

Awesome, thanks for that info!

[Liquiphonics HiFi]

Regarding selection boxes - thanks Moini, Lazur:  I only use IS for technical drawings so don't use blend modes, blurs or filters.  That said, I do use an Apple Magic Mouse which has a track pad built into its top.  Sometimes, especially when using an app not built by Apple, the view can swing around wildly and slide settings wander up and down, if my finger comes within a couple of feet of the top of the mouse - I have to be very careful how I hold the thing as I can't turn that function off.
So I'll keep an eye on those things to make sure my mouse's world domination intentions aren't the underlying problem.  If I don't see that as the reason, I'll start another thread to see if it can be worked out of the system.
Thanks to everyone for the support.