Is there any way to adjust the sensitivity of the nodes when I am trying to select them?

This is by far the biggest and most aggravating issue I face with using Inkscape.
When I am using the "edit paths by nodes" tool I CONSTANTLY have the wrong thing get selected. If I miss clicking the actual box displayed for the node by the tiniest degree, then the program thinks I'm not trying to select the node, but instead the path segment. And then the path segment just wildly gets thrown into the craziest position because the gently motions I might make with my mouse are wildly magnified.
Or if I click a node and then try to drag it, I will wind up dragging two nodes because Inkscape has selected the path segment.

This is EXTREMELY frustrating. I have no desire to EVER manipulate a line by dragging a line around, much less through some manner that flies the line across the screen with five times the force I put into my mouse movement. When I try to reshape a curve I do so by grabbing the handle, and when I do so I aim at the little circle at the end of the handle. When I want to move a whole line segment just as it is, I will select multiple node by actually selecting multiple nodes, not by clicking on a line.

Is there any way I can adjust the sensitivity of node selection? Some way to increase how large of an area around a node is considered clicking on the node instead of uselessly clicking on the line?

In 0.91 and later you can change the size of the handles, but the option isn't in the most obvious place IMO (I ended up having to check the release notes in order to track it down!). Open the Inkscape preferences (Ctrl-Shift-P), then go to Input/Output > Input Devices. You might also want to try tweaking the first two options on that screen as well, to see if you can find a combination that suits you better.


Just to prove that there's no single set of options that's perfect for everyone, I often manipulate paths by dragging the lines directly, and frequently click on a line in order to select its two end nodes, and would hate to have to select them individually. One trick I often use when selecting an individual node is to drag a rectangle over it (assuming that doing so won't move anything underneath) rather than clicking - you can start your drag well away from the line to reduce any chance of accidentally moving it, and the extra time it takes is negligible once you get the hang of it.

Thanks Xav. I'll give that a try too. I, like you also sometimes directly manipulate the curve. But I have the impression something has changed and it's harder to pick the right things in more recent versions. Making you need to concentrate more in these situations, otherwise you hit the curve which goes flying off. And you need an undo.
But I do suspect changing the handle size might have cons as well as pros.

>Just to prove that there's no single set of options that's perfect for everyone, There may be a way to make it better for everyone. I have been involved with other software projects that weight the selection pick in a predictable way. User soon goet the feel for it and hit it every time.

With Inkscape, instead of just simply changing the node size, the pick priority could be tuned, when a node lays on top of, or very close to, a curve. With a different weighting when is is at a certain distance. Making it better for more users.

Xav wrote:... I often manipulate paths by dragging the lines directly, and frequently click on a line in order to select its two end nodes, and would hate to have to select them individually.

I work this way as well... it makes tracing outlines very efficient, as two bezier handles on each end are manipulated simultaneously.

I also find that key shortcuts Z and N (to quickly switch between Zoom and Node tools) are a fast way to isolate and select. Like in CAD, one hand on the keys, one on the mouse...

So many ways to zoom too: mouse wheel/clicks, +/- keys, mag tool, status bar, view-buttons (selected/drawing/page). Navigation in Inkscape is faster than many other apps I use.

tylerdurden wrote: I work this way as well... it makes tracing outlines very efficient, as two bezier handles on each end are manipulated simultaneously.

Where I find pushing the line super useful, is when drawing a new outline, I'll create straight segments. It's very fast, but initially deviates from a curved shape. Then I'll go back straight away, and use the node tool to bend each straight segment roughly to the right shape. Just by pushing on the middle of the line. 2 Bezier handles will automatically appear. The 3rd stage is to use the Node too again to CTRL-click each node that should be tangent. Finally, any local tweaks can be done to finish off the shape.

I can't help but notice in your example gif you drag these line segments FROM THE MIDDLE of the line, and not, say, a couple pixels away from the node. Maybe it's because if you grab a segment near the nodes that subtle manipulation will send the line flying out into the stratosphere, or maybe it's just because that's a normal human response: to grab an item at a spot convenient to grab it from, instead of some distant edge that might be confused for grabbing something else.

I'll be honest, there has been a time or two when I have tried to select a whole line segment so that I can manipulate it. (Usually so I can add some nodes, but still.) But even then, I actually click somewhere resembling the middle of the middle.

But even so, I get that other people work in different manners, and I'm not interested in screwing over their design process; I only ask to be able to change the settings on my computer so they work for me.

I tried changing the size of the handles, but that's not quite right. Yes it increases the size of the target I have to click on, so it IS a little better, (thank you,) but since it increases the display size of the nodes, those start to obstruct my view unless I'm zoomed in close. And if I'm zoomed in close, the lines get bigger, making it more possible to click the line itself. Plus they have a limit to how big they can actually get, which makes sense since it's making them get displayed bigger, but still limits the actual increase in space I am able to click to only a few more pixels.
There is a "grab sensitivity" in the same menu, but it doesn't seem to change what I need. I guess it refers to grabbing something when you actually click where there is nothing, so it doesn't help me grab the node instead of the line.

If I could increase the range of what counts as clicking the node or handle without increasing its actual display size, that would be great. Although I think what I really want is to simply count clicking a line as clicking a node, given within some reasonable tolerances that I could tweak. Maybe a raw pixel size limited by a percentage of the line, but that's just an idea right off the top of my head.

Dragging to select a node instead of clicking it technically does work, but that literally doubles the time it takes me to perform the same task. I know it doesn't sound like much when you think of just one node, but I spend half or more of my design process manipulating nodes. A project that takes two hours now takes three. The work I can complete in three days now takes a week.

If I could increase the range of what counts as clicking

As Xav mentioned,

You might also want to try tweaking the first two options on that screen as well, to see if you can find a combination that suits you better.

One of them is called Grab sensitivity. It's what you want, I suppose.

I apologize if this is too obvious. But there's always zooming. Also, I wonder if you're doing something which is causing too many nodes to be created. Some tools or features tend to do that, and it can often be avoided. Would need more details from y ou to say for sure.

I agree. This is one of the things that slows me down the most, using Inkscape. I brought up a discussion on the mailing list, it's been some months ago, maybe a year. I had asked if it would be possible to make the mouse snap to a node, then you would just have to click to select it.

Some developers took notice, and they came up with a feature using a key shortcut. So that when you would get within some distance of a node, if you press a key, it selects the node. The only problem is that there aren't any good available keys left, so the only key they could find was on the right side of the keyboard. So for most people (right-handers), it ends up taking just as long as the traditional way of selecting.

But I surely would like to see a faster way to select individual nodes. Btw, many people in that discussion said that they routinely drag a selection box, rather than holding Shift, and clicking one at a time.

Regarding node sensitivity, the Grab Sensitivity sounds like what you want (as Moini said). But instead of increasing the distance, I would guess you probably want to decrease it. Because if you increase the distance, you'll have the opportunity to select more wrong nodes. If you decrease it (mine's on 1) you select only what's right under the mouse. But you can experiment to find what works the best.

Marscaleb wrote:I can't help but notice in your example gif you drag these line segments FROM THE MIDDLE of the line, and not, say, a couple pixels away from the node.

Yes that just a demo of when it makes sense to drag on the actual line. Then the middle is convenient.
Your problem is when you want the handle and NOT the line. And as I said, I have this problem sometimes too.
I'd be interested to know exactly what the other settings actually do? My experiments were inconclusive so far. Does one make clicking the node easier than the line? Or do they apply to both?