Welcome to the Onshape forum! Ask questions and join in the discussions about everything Onshape.
First time visiting? Here are some places to start:- Looking for a certain topic? Check out the categories filter or use Search (upper right).
- Need support? Ask a question to our Community Support category.
- Please submit support tickets for bugs but you can request improvements in the Product Feedback category.
- Be respectful, on topic and if you see a problem, Flag it.
If you would like to contact our Community Manager personally, feel free to send a private message or an email.
Selection: We need your feedback
scott_harris
Moderator, Onshape Employees, csevp Posts: 66 
Hi Onshapers,
We need your feedback on selection with respect to the feature list.
Currently:
* Selection is cumulative so each selected item is added to the selection list. If you select an item again, it is removed from the list.
* Shift select - selects everything between a selected item and the shift selected item
* There is no Ctrl select because the browser hijiacks the Ctrl key.
The benefits are that this is simple & consistent with the graphics selection
The cons are that it is not what people are used to and that loads of UX tests have shown many people tripping over failed functions because they had unintentionally selected items.
A solution is to make our "feature & assembly list" selection more conventional.
* Select an item and any previously selected item deselects (it is not cumulative).
* Shift select would work the same as it does today
* Since we can not add a Ctrl select, we would add "option/alt" select instead which would work as the conventional Ctrl select works in other application...ie Alt/Option select would add the item to the selection list (or remove it if it was already selected).
My question: Do you like the current list selection?
Thanks,
/Scott
We need your feedback on selection with respect to the feature list.
Currently:
* Selection is cumulative so each selected item is added to the selection list. If you select an item again, it is removed from the list.
* Shift select - selects everything between a selected item and the shift selected item
* There is no Ctrl select because the browser hijiacks the Ctrl key.
The benefits are that this is simple & consistent with the graphics selection
The cons are that it is not what people are used to and that loads of UX tests have shown many people tripping over failed functions because they had unintentionally selected items.
A solution is to make our "feature & assembly list" selection more conventional.
* Select an item and any previously selected item deselects (it is not cumulative).
* Shift select would work the same as it does today
* Since we can not add a Ctrl select, we would add "option/alt" select instead which would work as the conventional Ctrl select works in other application...ie Alt/Option select would add the item to the selection list (or remove it if it was already selected).
My question: Do you like the current list selection?
Thanks,
/Scott
Scott Harris / Onshape, Inc.
0
Comments
The other thing that I've noticed is that the shift-select is not cumulative. I think it should be. To clarify: If you select and Item "A", then select "C" and Shift-Select "E" your selection will consist of only C,D,E and not A.
LearnOnshape facebook group
I'm not so wild about cumulative selection in lists though. It is especially annoying when browsing through the part history.
I like your ideas for list selections.
I think it would be OK to have different selection behaviors in the graphics area vs. lists.
Dries
Dries
Would using the "Alt" key instead of the "Ctrl" key bother you?
No, but What exactly does the key do in the browser when using OS? (I'm in Chrome) - it seems to do nothing while in the modeling space?
Are we talking about lists (like in the Feature tree) or everything, like selecting faces in the viewport?
I think a successful way to mitigate whatever your method will be is to have good Pre-selection and selection feedback to the user. This way there is nothing left to doubt, and soon the behavior becomes predictive.
The biggest selection issue I have in OS currently is applying sketch relations. It is really hit or miss right now because there doesn't seem to be modeless when using it. i.e. select entities and then apply relation. Same seems to be true for applying mates. I don't think this is the case because I think I've seen it work both ways, but what I can say is the the feedback (highlighting, glowing etc.) has been very poor in indicating what is actually selected - especially in sketch environment.
Also, another avenue would be to make your Selection Set feature much more prominent and persistent and put some more effort into making that tool more useful.
M
I worry about assigning the Alt key multi-select in the feature/assy list and then Alt key window-select in the graphics area. 2 different behaviors for the Alt key.
My vote, leave it alone and get window-select working in the graphics area.
I think clearing the selection is not a good way to go. as someone else suggested is better if it's available in the browser.
When I am doing sustained cad work, I map ESC(Cancel) and Enter(OK) to mouse buttons so I don't have to move my left hand to hit those keys. A common idiom for the space key is 'last tool' or 'toggle tool vs selection'. When I'm working with a program that uses this idiom, I use it constantly. Using space to clear the selection does not feel intuitive.
I get bitten by the "loads of UX tests have shown many people tripping over failed functions because they had unintentionally selected items." issue constantly. I am slowly learning to paw the space bar habitually like a rat on morphine. It's obvious that this selection approach is prep for touch interaction, and hopefully improvements to the feature tree and UI will help reduce the condition of thinking you are starting a new selection when actually you are building on an old one.
I'd really like to see a selection list panel available (with a clear and undo button). That way, if I find myself tripping up too much I can just show the panel and understand exactly what is selected and deterministically unselect when the geometry makes picking off the screen difficult. After making a bad selection on my iPad, I can just swipe to the selection panel minimized on the right side and fix it.
Linked[in]
Overall I am Happy with the way it works, really like the count up of selections. Looking forward the the mobile release which will highlight the need for this kind of selection.
My biggest problem is selection of mates in assemblies, showing the mate when click on the mate works by highlighting the position and part but what i really want to know is what mate attaches to what part by clicking on the part, ie click on a part and highlight related mates in the tree. Clicking the part highlights mate connectors but a bit ambiguous as to what the mates are.
Twitter: @onshapetricks & @babart1977
My opinion is that if you forecast a good portion of the users to use OS on tablets, phones, touch screens...cumulative selection AS IS works fantastic. Yes, IT IS a change in how we do things. But after all, OS as a whole is a NEW way right? My vote: WE LEAVE AS IT.
Ctrl click, shift click - those are part of a UI standard that is responsible for Windowed application growth in the first place. It is critical to maintain the same primitives from application to application. If the browser wants to hijack ctrl-click, move on to the next browser company, I am sure they would be more interested in helping you out. Isnt Chrome all open source anyhow? Or is that just smoke? Fork it (literally).
Update: heh, see I got a reaction. That was more the purpose than anything :P Like I said, that is how I would handle it. If I was Onshape, I'd leave it the heck alone
http://www.spiked3.com
I've gotten use it and I like the accumulating selection without holding anything down.
You do have to get use to it though. Remember the space bar is your friend and clears the selection list. You have get good at hitting the space bar or double clicking in white space. I prefer the space bar.
My vote leave it alone.
I'm jumping several times a day between AutoCAD, Inventor, Draftsight and (now) Onshape so head and fingers just have to learn to cope.
Maybe:
1) deselect last selection
2) remove all selection
3) cancel out of current tool
When sketching I have learned to keep my free hand on keyboard so that I have space, n and d always available. I don't need esc since double click 'd' does the job (1st click activate dimension, 2nd click deactivate = same as esc). For 3dconnexion we need some control over quick buttons since I'm running out of hands when 3d mouse becomes available.
When I use just mouse, I'm always looking for dimension tool in RMB menu.
Actually, in sketch mode I would like to:
- activate/deactivate dimension tool with double click RMB
- deselect all with double click LMB on free area when no tools are selected (this could be global behavior)
- View normal to sketch plane with click LMB+RMB simultaneously.
What do you think?
Edit:
I would really prefer escape clearing selection. This is what I am used to, escape once clears the selection, hitting it twice exits the current function.
For example, I too would love to be able to hit "ESC" to end a command or clear a selection. However, I run Onshape full screen in Safari because I need as much screen space as possible (the browser tabs, address bar, shortcuts bar, etc. all get in the way -- another browser-based problem). Hitting "ESC" will exit full screen view.
I would like to use double-esc to escape function and select the same function again. For example end current line but select line tool again.
I know this can be done with dblclick on last point, but that is another thing I find difficult to remember before I have already clicked the final point in position.