Hotkey for current tool reset

3dcad

The idea is to have a hotkey to de-select current tool and then select it again - I would call it tool Reset. 

For example line tool in sketch, this hotkey would do the same as currently hitting L twice (or Esc + L) ie. stop current line but keep tool active and ready for next one.
When doing ordinate dimension in drawings, this same key would end current group but keep tool selected for immediate start of new group (same as clicking the icon twice).

So it would be the same one key all over Onshape always affecting on currently selected tool.

This would make the need for having (to remember) separate key for each feature less important as you only need to select tool once and then hit this key to end & begin new.

I'm too lazy to memorize all minor feature hotkeys, but I feel this would be the one I would put a sticker into keyboard to save mouse mileage.

What do you guys&gals think? 

ps. In sketch double LMB click does this with line tool but very often I find myself trimming that little extra piece because moved mouse a bit while trying to dblclick on some exact position. And this hotkey should also rescue you when creating a rectangle and notice that you selected wrong start point etc. 

3dcad

Could it be Space bar? Or is there situations where it would interfere with current 'de-select all' function.

lougallo

@3dcad We will be looking at custom keyboard shortcuts and that is where it will be left.  Adding hard-coded shortcuts for a very niche need like this is probably not going to happen but when you can set them to do what you want, then everyone can make the ones they want.

3dcad

I don't see how custom keyboard setting would help unless you create a 'Reset' function that is available for all tools around Onshape. I would go with Space bar as it's what one could expect to happen from day one.

I think it would be small but signifigant improvement into UI as it's a lot of mouse mileage driving back and forth to reset tools for another go..

MBartlett21

@3dcad
What about an improvement to shift+enter

3dcad

@mbartlett21
I would not expect shift+enter to reset say dimension tool or line tool. It is good as it's now since you're already prepared to hit enter and you only need to add shift.

NeilCooke

What about: press Esc to cancel a command, press Esc again to restart? 

3dcad

That would be good enough, what's wrong with space bar? That's already built-in muscle memory to end measurement in ps and assy view and requires only single tap..

NeilCooke

I’m sure there would be some conflict somewhere with deselect. 

3dcad

Then I'll just accept double Esc, can you code it in by the weekend?

john_mcclary

nooo not double esc... all these years of hitting esc twice to fully cancel a command. Like the clear button on the calculator

Typically enter key restarts last command (autocad, solidworks, draftsight for example)

owen_sparks

Double enter feels natural over here. Press once to accept current action, press again to start another of the same type.

lemon1324

Yeah, I'd like to hit double-esc on the toggling double-esc proposal as well, same reason as @john_mcclary: flailing on the esc shouldn't do any thing other than keep canceling things until there's nothing left to cancel.

What might actually work is double esc set up differently: the first esc would cancel the current line but keep the line tool active, while the second esc would cancel the line tool, bringing you back to the top level.  This allows you to cancel a tool in progress and try again, while keeping the "flail on esc" behavior as expected.  It does add an extra keypress to quit most tools though, but I have a feeling many of us hit double-esc reflexively anyway.

john_mcclary

Well, I was saying I tend to mash esc a bunch to gain a "clean slate" in the stack, in other CAD it would also deselect all geometry. Which took a while to get used to in Onshape as we have to use space bar AND esc to get that clean slate, which sucks.

NeilCooke

I just suggested double Esc because I never use any keys on the right side of the keyboard - too far for left hand to travel. Would be better if we had customisable hotkeys

john_mcclary

Pretty much

3dcad

In addition to customizable hotkeys we also need Reset -command.

The main idea is not what key does the trick but the command that always resets current tool whatever it might be in ps, assy, drawing, etc. and some way to run the command.