CRASHES WITH "CTRL K"

[jorjeen]

I am in the beginning stages:
One, add text -- CHECK
Two, Select text & click Path dropdown menu, "object to path" -- CHECK
Three, Select first line of created text & click "Ctrl K" (Have tried the command through the "Path" dropdown menu with "Combine," too -- Inkscape crashes

What's the problem?

Using Windows 10, 64 bit
Inkscape .92.1

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I haven't heard of this particular problem before.  I briefly searched the bug tracker and didn't find anything.  But that doesn't mean there isn't a bug.

If there was a ton of text, that would probably explain the crash.  Text tends to be heavy with nodes, and a large number of nodes can cause this kind of crash.  But if what you showed is the amount of text that you have, that shouldn't crashing, and should be investigated.  Unfortuantely, I don't have time right now.

But meanwhile, try if this routine would avoid the crash.  After you type the text, do Path menu > Union.  It's just one step, and it does the same thing as object to path/ungroup/combine.  Hopefully that will avoid the crash.  But again, if it's a lot of text, like 3 paragraphes or more, it could still crash.

If it is a lot of text,  you can try just doing a small portion.  You might need to give it a moment to finish working.  Then after it finishes, select another small portion.

It looks like you're on Windows?  Which Inkscape version are you using?

If no one else has investigated, by the time I get back tomorrow, I'll search more thoroughly then.  Maybe can find some more info about it.

[jorjeen]

I am not sure how "union" will get me to where I want to go. I typed three short lines, 10 words. I am trying to combine/group each line, so I can move each line separately, & put them where I need them to be in the end.
I am running Windows 10, Inscape .92.1
Thanks for your help!

[jorjeen]

i ALSO NOTICE WHEN i TRY TO CLICK ON THE "PATH" DROPDOWN MENU, & CLICK ON "OBJECT TO PATH," NOTHING HAPPENS. NOTHING CHANGES. I THOUGHT EACH LETTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ITS OWN PATH AFTER CLICKING ON THAT, BUT THE FULL TEXT REMAINS AS ONE. (WHEN I CLICK ON EACH LETTER, IT DOES NOT HAVE THE ARROWED CURSORS AROUND THE LETTERS, LIKE ON THE TUTORIAL. COULD THIS BE THE PROBLEM -- NOT THE "CONTROL K" BUT "OBJECT TO PATH" NOT WORKING.  SO WHEN I TRY THE NEXT STEP IS WHEN INKSCAPE FREEZES.

[Lazur]

Not seen such behave, so here goes nothing:
converting text to path results in the characters grouped together -so not sure how could you select only the first line -either by entering the group or you did an actual ungrouping.

Just to clarify: Ctrl+Shift+C, then Ctrl+Shift+G and
after selected a line of characters pressed Ctrl+K?

The difference between union and combine shouldn't be noticeable in your case, and as far as I understand combining should work much "stabile".

[brynn]

Ok, so if you do this:

 -- type text
 -- Path menu > Object to Path
 -- ungroup
 -- Path menu > Combine

It's the same thing as this

 -- type text
 -- Path menu > Union

Yes, it's true that when you click on Path menu > Object to Path, nothing appears to have happened.  But something has indeed happened.  Try this, and you'll see what happens.

 -- type text
 -- switch to the Node tool ( )
 -- notice how the text looks
 -- Path menu > Object to path
 -- notice how the text looks now

Those tiny gray diamonds and squares are the nodes.

When you first type the text, it's not a path.  Object to path makes it into a path.  However, Object to path makes each letter a path, and they are all in a Group.  That's why you have to Ungroup and Combine, to make the whole word into a single path.  However, as I mentioned, Path menu > Union is a shortcut to all that.  So if Path menu > Combine is causing a crash for some reason, using Union will avoid using Combine.

Note that Union and Combine are not the same thing.  But they often achieve the same results.

You didn't mention in your original message which tutorial you were following.  You also didn't mention what your final goal is.

If all you want to do it move the text, you don't need to do anything more.  Just type it, switch to the Selection tool (), and move it.  But I'm guessing you have another goal, or else you wouldn't be converting it to a path.