Script for Always Calling the Direct Selection Tool?

Ok, so first forgive me if this isn't necessarily a scripting question, but I'm hoping it is...
Would it be possible to write a script that, while using the pen tool, would force Illustrator to always switch to the Direct Selection (white) arrow when holding down Ctrl (Cmd)? In my workflow, I never have use for accessing the regular Selection Tool while I'm using the pen tool (or very rarely). In essence, I would just love if Illy's pen tool behaved the same as InDesign's and Photoshop's! Anyone know if something like this is scriptable?
Thanks in advance!
Andy

Google "illustrator pen tool direct selection" , for example the following...
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/illustrators-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-gu ide/
Select the Direct Selection tool before selecting the Pen tool. Press and hold Command (Ctrl)
to give you access to the last tool selected (in this case the Direct Selection tool) for editing
of paths and handles without deselecting the path.
Is that what you mean?

Similar Messages

Please fix the direct selection tool that you broke

When you create a curved path with at least four anchor points that is not a complete circuit, clicking on that path with the direct selection tool only selects a portion of the path, whereas before, it would select the entire path. This odd new behavior, whether intentional or not, is a result of the new Path Segment Reshaping functionality.
The problem is, it is very annoying to have only a portion of the path selected because it makes it look like the path is non-contiguous. (Selecting with the regular selection tool isn’t necessarily a solution if your paths are grouped, since it will always select the entire group, and not just the one path you’re interested in.)
This does not happen with closed paths, and it does not impede the Path Segment Reshaping functionality at all. Therefore, there is no reason why open paths shouldn’t/couldn’t behave the same way — the way they previously did before this update.

Thanks for thoroughly explaining the problem. I can reproduce the issue. I blamed it on improper screen redraw. I've noticed other screen redraw issues in 17.1.

ID CS 3.0.1 (838) crashes every time I use the Direct Selection Tool

We have recently installed an upgrade to InDesign CS for being able to open documents generated by newer ID versions, thus turning the InDesign version into CS 3.0.1 (838).
Since then, every time we start to use the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) the program crashes.
As this is a relatively old upgrade (2005), I was hoping to find the solution on the Internet but had no success.
Does anyone know what should we do to solve this problem?

Yes, I did. Even though we're in Brazil, we prefer to use the softwares in their native language (english) in order to get eventual updates more quickly. This also applies to the operational environment (Windows XP Professional - SP3, with the most recent updates installed)

How do I constrain anchor angle when I tug on a path with the direct select tool?

How do I constrain anchor angle when I tug on a path with the direct select tool like it did in every version of Illustrator since 1988? New behavior is costing me time.

That solves it!
I was not able to find this in the online materials about the pen tool. In fact, Illustrator Help | Adjust path segments does not show the new functionality at all. They need to update that article.
Better way to implement the new functionality
It would have been nice if Adobe added to the chording controls for the direct select tool the ability to toggle this setting temporarily by holding down the space bar after mouse down to drag a segment.
Before mouse down this would give the user the hand tool.
If, after mouse down, I could hold space bar and have the behavior switch from the historical capability where dragging a segment cannot change adjacent segments to the new behavior where dragging the segment cannot move anchors but can rotate them, I am sure I would find times when the tool saved time. If, before mouse up, I release spacebar, turn the constraint back on with anchors pointing in their new directions and allow me to stretch the curve protecting the new shapes of adjacent curves.
Using space bar for this would be intuitive to me because holding down the space bar is something I already do to organically drag the page around with the hand tool. The new tool allows me to more organically stretch artwork around, something that is distantly analogous, but close enough to remember.
For long time Illustrator users, the chording features holding Ctrl/Alt/Shift/Space or Ctrl/Command/Shift/Space in different combinations while using the direct select tool and pen tool is the killer app part of Illustrator that keeps us using it. This what we did on Illustrator 88 on a Mac Plus in 1988 and is still the most productive way to produce vector art when precision is required.

Drag Select Inside Points With The Direct Selection Tool While Above An Object?

I'm trying to modify a path in InDesign CS5 (Fig. 2), as it is now I have to select each point individually. Becasue while you're zoomed in (Fig. 1), you can't drag and select the points. When you attempt to do that, you end up dragging the whole image.
Is there a way to drag select inside points with the direct selection tool while your directly above the image with the paths you want to select?
Fig. 1
Fig. 2

FAIL #1:
No. When you copy paste the Cliiping Path [NOT the frame] into Illustrator, then alter the path and paste back into Indesign, it pastes it back as a FRAME, NOT a CLIPPING PATH.
FAIL #2:
Why do people comment on this stuff without first testing what they are suggesting?
What you suggested doesn't work or even make sense.
Apprently in InDesign, you can't have a CLIPPING PATH without an IMAGE there to begin with. When a FRAME OBJECT contains an IMAGE the option to convert the object to an UNNASSIGNED OBJECT is greyed-out, as in UNSELECTABLE, as in NOT POSSIBLE, which is another way of saying IMPOSSIBLE, which in most circles pertains to MAJOR FAILAGE.
When you CUT [hold command then press X] the CLIPPING PATH, from the FRAME/OBJECT you can then unassign the object, but when you paste the CLIPPING PATH back in, it invariably pastes the IMAGE along with the CLIPPING PATH, and once again the UNASSIGNED OBJECT is simply an ordinary frame with an image, and thus NO LONGER AN UNASSIGNED FRAME.
People like you make life harder dude, seriously.
Again, like some of the folks above, you're confusing a FRAME PATH [that you can alter and create with the pen tool as well] with a CLIPPING PATH. They are NOT the same thing.
Know the difference between the two before you feel inclined to respond.
My kingdom for someone out there with some merit and sense of accountability.
It's like, where do you people work? Are you serious? SMH.

Gradients gets cropped with the Direct selection tool

I discovered another strange thing with gradients in InDesign.
I could see this problem in both CS6 and CC.
1. Make a gradient fill and apply it to a square object
2. Use the Direct selection tool and select two corners
3. Move the corners and you will see the gradient fill being cropped away
4. Change to the Selection tool and make the object wider. It does not reveal any more colors. They are cropped away for good now.
According to the color palettes this is still a gradient fill but it looks like one color now more or less. I couldn't find any way to release the cropping. I suppose it would have to be reveresed with the Direct selection tool.
The gradients in Illustrator stay inside the object when using the Direct selection so both selection tools works the same way. I also tried with vector objects in Photoshop and the gradient fill effect. Both selection tools in Photoshop works the same way as Illustrator. Gradient stays inside the object.
So is it a bug or feature?

Adobe has provided a very large tool box. Why not just do this in
Illustrator and place or copy/paste the frame. You obviously don't like
InDesign's way of doing things and you have at your disposal a tool that
does work the way you like.
I like InDesigns way of doing things very much. It's easily my all time favorite software after 25 years in this business.
And I can understand different behavior between the Adobe apps. This app can only do a little bit of what the other app can do.
But it don't like when three apps have the exact same tools, and one app is programmed to do something else with these tools, when it just as easily could have been programmed to do the same thing.

Direct Selection Tools Randomly Stops Functioning

Hello, I'm having some issues with Adobe Illustrator. For some reason, the direct selection tool will randomly stop allowing me to edit my anchor points. Instead of directly selecting a specific point on a path and giving me the option to move it/ adjust the curve, it just selects the entire path and simply moves it. This is very frustrating, because it forces my to make my paths perfect the first time I make them with the pen tool and doesn't allow me to edit them later. Before you ask, I am indeed using the plain white arrow (not the black one or the white arrow w/ the + sign) and I do not have any conflicting layers above the path or any strange groups that would cause this weird effect. The white arrow also makes the white box when I hover over an anchor point, but clicking doesn't do anything but select the entire path. Please help!

Christopher,
>This is very frustrating, because it forces my to make my paths perfect the first time I make them with the pen tool and doesn't allow me to edit them later.
Obviously, Illy is trying to help you get perfect.
If you want to cheat, you could try following the instructions in FAQ #2.

Direct selection tool won't show the handles when clicking the path.

When I draw a line, no matter if it's done with pen, pencil or brush tool, and try to select a point with the direct selection tool, it won't make a selection, I can't get the handles activated. They don't show at all. It only shows the line transform handle. This happens only in one certain file. When I open a different file or create a new one, the problem doesn't exist.

Acca,
Ctrl/Cmd+H.
It toggles View>Show/Hide Edges.
The key combination Ctrl/Cmd+H is the most vulnerable one, completely surrounded by other key combinations all only waiting to wreck things when you look the other way. Or you may have tried to use one of them, then just (thought you) repeated it when it (seemingly) failed to work the first time.

Problems with Direct Select tool

Maybe I'm just dumb or something but the Direct Select tool is just broken.
1. When trying to move points ( remember this is the direct select tool - it's only function!) It moves the entire object unless you perfectly hover and wait over the point.
2. When trying to select a point you grab the placed image inside the frame.
Shouldn't it work EXACTLY like it does in Illustrator? If I click on an object the entire thing selects then I can move it if I wish. But the cursor seems to snap to the point so much better in illustrator!
If I want to move the image inside the frame I wouldn't be using the Direct Select Tool. I'd by using the select tool. Moving the image shouldn't even be an option when using this tool.
This is probably the most frustrating part of Indesign. Please fix this.

Your frustration is understandable. Anchor point selection is unforgiving in InDesign, especially when compared to Illustrator with Smart Guides, although I wouldn't call it "broken."
I suspect most InDesign users don't do enough "path editing" on their InDesign pages for there to be an outcry over this.
Pablo28282 wrote:
It shouldn't be able to select and move an image. That is not the point of the tool.
That's always been a function of the Direct Select tool. Simply, if you're aiming for an anchor point and select the frame's content instead, you've missed the point. <rimshot>
There's nothing broken, and no advice to offer, other than zoom in further, slow down, and keep an eye on the pointer cues which change when the pointer is over an anchor point. I suppose it's also possible you could make adjustments to your mouse/input device settings that might help you move and click more precisely.

Arrow keys with direct select tool problem

Hi list,
I hope somebody can help me. I just switched from MX to CS3.
Now selecting an anchor with the direct select tool and
moving it with
the arrow keys moves it 30 Steps at once (Using normal select
tool works
as usual). Strangely enough I have to undo 30 Times for one
time hitting
the arrow key.
Does anyone know this problem or have a hint where to switch
this?
thanks in advance
oe

Your frustration is understandable. Anchor point selection is unforgiving in InDesign, especially when compared to Illustrator with Smart Guides, although I wouldn't call it "broken."
I suspect most InDesign users don't do enough "path editing" on their InDesign pages for there to be an outcry over this.
Pablo28282 wrote:
It shouldn't be able to select and move an image. That is not the point of the tool.
That's always been a function of the Direct Select tool. Simply, if you're aiming for an anchor point and select the frame's content instead, you've missed the point. <rimshot>
There's nothing broken, and no advice to offer, other than zoom in further, slow down, and keep an eye on the pointer cues which change when the pointer is over an anchor point. I suppose it's also possible you could make adjustments to your mouse/input device settings that might help you move and click more precisely.

Direct Selection Tool - Shape Layers in Photoshop CC Issue

I just upgraded to CC and the first major road block is the new way the direct selection tool works. In my CS6 work flow I would use the direct selection tool to jump between shape layers within the document layer. Then once the correct shape was selected I would click drag select the anchor points I want to adjust. This seems to be impossible now in CC. You can still jump between shape layers but you have to be in "All-Layers" which really hurts when I want to click drag to select specific anchor points because it selects all shapes below it. And with Active-layer selected you can't jump between shape layers with the tool but you can click drag select anchors with out selecting and shapes below the layer. The basically cut functionality right down the middle…
Below I made a very simple video showing the issue (CS6 = first PSD and CC = 2nd PSD)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pjlvwzmli9ihczd/CCProblemBroadband.m4v
As you can see in CS6 I could fly between layers and adjust everything with out ever changing to another tool or jumping to the layers window… I can no longer do that in CC with out having the dumb issue of also selecting the layers below it, which I don't find useful 99% of the time. Is there a setting to make this work like it did in CS4-CS6???? In my line of work, we work a lot with shape layers and this is causing more time to my work day.
Thanks

1000x this. My designs are 100% vector shapes, so if Adobe have changed this core behavior intentionally, they’ve just made my life a lot more difficult.
We should be able to use the Direct Selection Tool to select a shape layer (similar to how the Move Tool has done) by clicking on any visible pixel. But then we should be able to freely drag-select points on that shape (starting from any neutral area) without selecting other shape layers. This is how it’s worked since before I can remember.
Here’s why the two new selection modes don’t work:
Active Layers - I can no longer freely select any visible shape. Instead I’m forced to make a time-consuming roundabout to the layer palette, where I have to squint to find my shape layer, and activate it manually before continuing. (Hitting “V” to select a layer, then “A” to get back to the D.S. Tool is nearly as cumbersome. Plus, I leave off the Move Tool's auto-select mode.)
All Layers - Treats all my shapes as if they’re on one layer. Overlapping shapes are therefore impossible to work with -- mainly drag-selecting and deselecting points -- in situ.
We either need a “legacy” setting, or some way to constrain selection on drag, via a key modifier or something. This “all or nothing" thing doesn’t work for me... and apparently for others. Why would they change such a thing?
Or maybe there’s something I’m missing. Please let that be the case!

Selecting multiple objects with Direct Select tool

I'm working in InDesign CS4 on a pc and am having trouble with the Direct select tool. I go through my document selecting multiple objects, change the color of the selected boxes only to find that about half of my objects have "deselected" themselves. Has anyone else had this problem? Or does anyone have a fix I could try? Thanks!

I know, I was pretty vague.
Are you continuing to hold the shift key with each addition? Yes
Are you trying to selct things on more than one spread? No
Are you being careful to click inside each object other than an image and on the frame for an image? Yes

Difficulty using Direct Selection tool to select a single vertex

I'm using Illustrator (CS2) and am having some trouble with the Direct Section tool.
Is there a way to select a single vertex of an object, if all the vertices of that object are selected?
For example, let's say I want to distort a rectangle by stretching one corner. if I select a rectangle by clicking on it, all four corners are selected. If I move the cursor (the Direct Selection white arrow) over one vertex, a small square appears immediately below the white arrow, suggesting that only the one corner will be selected. However, when I click, nothing happens - all four corners remain selected, and if I drag, the rectangle moves rather than distorts.
I can select a single corner if I click onto blank space on my drawing (thereby deselecting the rectangle) and then use the Direct Selection tool to click directly on the one corner in question. Alternatively, I can coose Object>Selection Handles from the Select Menu, or use Shift+Click to deselect the other three corners (leaving only the corner I want to move selected). However, those are awkward solutions.
Is there any better way to select a single vertex of an object that is already selected?

Joe & Jacob,
Thanks for your responses.
I thought, based on what I read in the Illustrator help files, that the technique Joe describes would work. However, it doesn't seem to. If I have the object selected and then use the Direct Selection Tool (either by holding down CTRL or by selecting the white pointer tool from the palette) to click on a single vertex, all the vertices remain selected. I tried both click-and-release and click-and-hold but the behavior is the same either way.
But clicking on the path with the Direct Selection tool does seem to work (provided that the object hasn't already been selected). In this case all the vertices appear but are hollow (unselected) and I can then select one of them.
Thanks again for the information, and if you or anyone else has any additional hints about the first technique, I would be interested to learn them!
- Eric

CS2 - Can't select points with direct selection tool

Noramlly in CS5 and any other version of Photoshop or Illustrator that I know of, if you click a point in an object, it will show the handles for transforming the line. As I'm creating something today, it works for a while and then stops. Yesterday I had the same problem. I drew a few things and then suddenly, the Direct Select Tool is not showing any transform handles.
I can get them to show if I can click and drag a box over the point, but this is slow and doesn't work well for layered art. I already tried resetting my illustrator preferences. Any other ideas?
EDIT: Also, in CS5 there's a simple icon that you can click to convert the currently selected point from a curved point to an angled point. Is there not such a thing in CS2?
I ask because at work I only have access to CS2.

Gregor,
Sometimes Illy gets distracted an confused when others start intruding. The usual suspects are listen in Item 7 in Other options .
You did get rid of the preferences while Illy was alseep, no?

Direct Selection Tool don't works cause points dissapear in shapes

Good evening,
I'm using Photoshop CC under a Macbook Pro Retina Display (15 inches), I've noticed that since lasts updates, when I use the direct selection tool for chaning a shape trace the points that should appear for selecting each anchor dissapears, and there's no way to get them back (sometimes by closing the program and restarting fixes this issue).
The tool is working because when I clic somewhere over a shape it gets highlighted on layers panel, but I can't see the points and so, can't modify the shape.
Does this belongs to any option? (I know in Illustrator there's an option to see or hide the points, but don't know if in Photoshop goes the same way or not) or it's a bug from the last updates? (I would say that it didn't happen at the beggining). But as I use a lot shorcuts, sometimes I can make a misstake and press cmd + wrong key, so I think it could be the reason for this... but I'm not quite sure.
Thanks in advice!
EDIT:
I've seen that if I hide the "extras" (cmd + H) it hides the guides but also the points from shapes (that shouldn't be this way, right?) and even I can see them when I turn them on, I can't pick just one as I did in CS6 by using direct selection tool and pressing on just one point (at the beggining all of them are highlighted cause you've got selected the whole shape layer, but when you press one, it should get this highlighted and turn off the rest of them), and the only way to get just one point is to pan with the cursor and make a selection, passing over the points you want to highlight, but this is annoying cause if you've got any other shape below, it will select it as well.

1000x this. My designs are 100% vector shapes, so if Adobe have changed this core behavior intentionally, they’ve just made my life a lot more difficult.
We should be able to use the Direct Selection Tool to select a shape layer (similar to how the Move Tool has done) by clicking on any visible pixel. But then we should be able to freely drag-select points on that shape (starting from any neutral area) without selecting other shape layers. This is how it’s worked since before I can remember.
Here’s why the two new selection modes don’t work:
Active Layers - I can no longer freely select any visible shape. Instead I’m forced to make a time-consuming roundabout to the layer palette, where I have to squint to find my shape layer, and activate it manually before continuing. (Hitting “V” to select a layer, then “A” to get back to the D.S. Tool is nearly as cumbersome. Plus, I leave off the Move Tool's auto-select mode.)
All Layers - Treats all my shapes as if they’re on one layer. Overlapping shapes are therefore impossible to work with -- mainly drag-selecting and deselecting points -- in situ.
We either need a “legacy” setting, or some way to constrain selection on drag, via a key modifier or something. This “all or nothing" thing doesn’t work for me... and apparently for others. Why would they change such a thing?
Or maybe there’s something I’m missing. Please let that be the case!

Script for Always Calling the Direct Selection Tool?

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