DEL to delete a layer

[mmmaarten]

While deleting layers is a frequently used action I'm used to hit the DEL key on a selected layer(s) to delete layers. In Moho this surprisingly doesn't work and DEL isn't possible to use as a keyboard shortcut either. So the only options available seem to be to rightclick on the layer and scroll to delete layer, or to set some completely different double-key keyboard shortcut to do this, making Moho behave differently to other software doing the same thing with just DEL.

Please make the DEL key remove the selected layer(s) when the layer panel and layers are selected!

[Daxel]

You have a bin icon on the top of the layer panel.

I understand what you mean, I have also tried to press del on layers sometimes, but it could be a safety thing, as you can also delete points, shapes and other elements in Moho so you may end up trying to delete the selected points but deleting a group of layers instead. I don't know.

[mmmaarten]

You have a bin icon on the top of the layer panel.

Thanks. That's one click less and nice for the times working whith Wacom, but lots of time I'm working with mouse and keyboard and than I do prefer the DEL key (if only because I'm so used to do that in other software)!

it could be a safety thing, as you can also delete points, shapes and other elements in Moho so you may end up trying to delete the selected points but deleting a group of layers instead. I don't know.

Safety shouldn't be an issue because there's normaly always just a single UI element in focus. When you click to select (a) layer(s) either these layer list items, the layer list itself (parent of the layer list items) and/or the layer panel (parent of the layers list) is having the focus for keyboard input. At least that's how software normally works (also websites btw). So in most software applications keys are only captured by the focussed element and/or their parent(s) elements in the UI making it possible to have the same key behave differently to the element in focus (call it content-aware).
Blender does this a little different tho, but also there it works fine; they have the place where the pointer/cursor currently is to decide what panel is active for keyboard input.

So as a user you always intuitively know that after selecting layers, the DEL key is there to delete the layers. But when selecting a shape in the viewport you intuitively know that the DEL key deletes that shape. (Or at least that's how most graphical interfaces for creative work)

BTW I think it's even less 'safe' if a keyboard shortcut is always removing layers (focus independend), because than you get things like when you hit DEL to a shape it suddenly removes a layer etc.

[Daxel]

I understand, but Moho sometimes have focus problems so maybe that's why they avoided that so far. I'm just guessing here.

[mmmaarten]

I understand, but Moho sometimes have focus problems so maybe that's why they avoided that so far. I'm just guessing here.

No worries, I got you!

[SimplSam]

You could of course have a Del Layer tool script which is invoked by a configured shortcut key.

[Greenlaw]

If the Delete key deleted selected layers for me, I imagine seeing a lot of unhappy accidents.

For deleting layers, I usually use the Trash icon at the top of the layers window since I'm already there selecting the layers, but sometimes I'll use the r-click command Delete Layer instead. This also works for multiple selected layers and it can be used immediately after selecting a layer. The r-click command is a deliberate action that's easy to access but not too easy like the Delete key.

@MohoDevelopers, while we're on the subject, I still wish to see Copy Layer and Paste Layer commands added to the Layers window's r-click menu. When using a mouse, this would be so much easier than mousing back and forth between the Layers window and the Edit menu, especially when working on a large display screen. It's one of the reasons I added these buttons to MQC and why I tend to keep MQC near the Layers window: to minimize long mouse travel. We already have Delete Layer, Duplicate Layer, and Reference Layer under r-click, so why not complete the set?

If it's a matter of keeping the list reasonably short, I'd prefer having Copy Layer and Paste Layer under r-click over Duplicate and Reference because these commands already exist in the Layers window as buttons.

Thanks for listening guys.

[Daxel]

@MohoDevelopers, while we're on the subject, I still wish to see Copy Layer and Paste Layer commands added to the Layers window's r-click menu.

+1, for us old users it's a matter of usability, but for begginers it's also a discoverability issue.