Hello there,

I'm having a problem with Inkscape that is kind of annoying. When I add a rectangle, text or anything else and want to change its position I can't change the text in
the box. I also cannot type anything when trying to save the file. I can select a different file and overwrite it though.

If I close Inkscape and open it again the problem is gone. I haven't had this problem with Inkscape (this and earlier versions) before but lately it keeps coming back more often. Maybe I accidentally pushed a key or a stroke of keys that do this.

Did I run into a bug and should I report it? Or is there a shortcut that does this?

I'm using Inkscape 0.48.2 r9819 on Fedora 17 x68_64 with KDE.

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

When you say "change the text in the box" do you mean a number value in the X and Y fields (with Selector tool engaged)? I'm a little confused because the title mentions changing position with keyboard, which to me sounds like using the arrow keys to move something.

I have more questions for each scenario, but I'm going to wait until I understand more clearly, to ask them. It might confuse the issue if I throw them all out at once, lol. It's possible that there is a bug, but I would hold off on reporting it until we've gathered some more info, understand the issue, and possibly test it.

Thanks for your reply and time.

Yes, the X, Y, W and H boxes.
The reason why I want to edit the X and Y values with the keyboard is because I want them to be at a precise position (so everything is aligned).
I realize I could use a guide for that instead too. Nevertheless, the problem remains, and it can be quite annoying.

Perhaps my explanation earlier is a bit confusing. Whenever I run into this problem (not being able to edit the X, Y, W and H boxes, I also cannot type anything when trying to save a file (can't type a filename in the save dialog)).

Hhmmm.....well, I was going to say that those fields get grayed out when nothing is selected. But that wouldn't explain the Save As dialog.

Do the X, Y, W and H fields look grayed out, at the time when you can't type? Or does it look like the same as usual? Do the fields display the correct values for the selected object? Can you show us a screenshot?

Have you seen any fields on the control bar that behave the same way, when other tools are engaged? The next time it happens, try drawing a quick Rectangle, Ellipse, or path, then look at the control bar. Can you change those values? Or is it only for the Selection tool that this happens?

For the Save As dialog, when I open it, the File name field is blank. I'm not sure what to expect for your os, since I'm not familiar with it. But if it's normally expected to be blank, then I don't think a screenshot would be helpful.

It's sounding like it might be a bug to me. I'm not the one to ask about bugs though. I could search Launchpad, but I think we might need to narrow down the problem a bit before we know exactly what to search for. Hopefully ~suv will comment.

roelj wrote:If I close Inkscape and open it again the problem is gone. I haven't had this problem with Inkscape (this and earlier versions) before but lately it keeps coming back more often. Maybe I accidentally pushed a key or a stroke of keys that do this.

Have you been able to narrow down what triggers it (or the time frame when this started)? Is it related / limited to certain files (if so, please attach one which consistently breaks Inkscape's keyboard entry whenever adding new objects), or to external factors (system settings, other applications running at the same time, how you start Inkscape, any extended input devices plugged in or not, any input method modules loaded or not, etc.)

If you suspect that one of Inkscape's settings is the cause for it: you can reset Inkscape's preferences to default values on the command line (quit all running Inkscape processes first): This will rename the preferences folder '~/.config/inkscape' to '~/.config/inkscape-bkp', and Inkscape will create a new one with default settings next time you launch it. Now test Inkscape with default settings whether the problem still occurs. Keeping the old version around might be useful for further investigations if indeed the problem seems to be related to an obscure combination of Inkscape's settings, and does allow to revert to your custom settings if needed.

roelj wrote:I'm using Inkscape 0.48.2 r9819 on Fedora 17 x68_64 with KDE.

TBH: after having triaged several UI-related reports for Inkscape which actually turned out to be caused by one of the KDE components, this problem doesn't look like a specific Inkscape bug to me (nor do I recall similar bug reports from other users of different desktops / platforms). It could well be yet another conflict with one the gtk theme engines used under KDE (for non-Qt apps) - usually gtk-oxygen - or possibly with your window manager interfering somehow. Or with an input method module. Or even with a recent regression in GTK+ 2.24.11 (GTK+ bug tracker: 680346) - if Fedora 17 indeed installs the latest updates for GTK2.

Maybe you could test with a different desktop (gnome-based), or a different window manager, or without any special input methods activated, or at least with the stock GTK+ theme (Raleigh) for gtk applications?

Thanks for your reply. Sorry for such a late reply on my part. I haven't been able to narrow down what triggers it.
I moved ~/.config/inkscape, but that didn't stop the "bug".

I'm going to try without gtk-oxygen and see if I run into the "bug" again.

EDIT: I think the problem is oxygen-gtk. I have found a way to trigger the problem. Open an image > Go to File > Document Properties, then select CM (centimeters), and then the width and height boxes can't be adjusted with the keyboard.

I then disabled oxygen-gtk and I used raleigh theme instead. I followed the steps again and I could still edit the width and height with the keyboard.

So, now I hope I won't run into the problem anyone.