I'd love to see a S(wish)-list for 2.x...3.0

[daveg2]

Maybe there's already a S(wish) list? It's not that I want to rush the team to 2.1, but rather that I want to have a place to record ideas before I get used to things and I forget them.

If I'm being presumptuous or premature, well, don't hold back... oh, wait, you wouldn't anyway...

I have one VERY MINOR annoyance and a couple features that I'd like.

I wish Swish would:
1. Respond to CTRL+S or ALT, F, S from any panel, regardless of what's open, so that I can continue my habit of saving anything a split second after change some detail (without reaching for the mouse) because this is Windows, after all. (I realize this may not be possible because of focus issues).

2. Have a right-click in the outline panel that pops up with HIDE ALL or VIEW ALL -- equivalent to poking every eye on the list. Maybe also EXPAND ALL and CLOSE ALL, equivalent to clicking on all the + signs.

3. Automatically pop up the Export panel when I ask Swish to Export.

4. Have a "Comment" text box in the Shape, Text, Group, Sprite and Scene tab of the Object Panel, so I have an option to remember my reasons for building this particular thing. Maybe also for actions / events.

5. Have some preset zoom keystrokes (e.g, CTRL +1 for 100%, CTRL + 2 for 200%, CTRL +5 for 50%...) in addition to CTRL + = and CTRL + -

6. Have the ability to use the Tab key to move the focuse from one Panel to another Panel, really useful from going from any other Panel to the Layout Panel, to use the arrow keys to move an object.

[VacMan]

Originally posted by daveg2
6. Have the ability to use the Tab key to move the focuse from one Panel to another Panel, really useful from going from any other Panel to the Layout Panel, to use the arrow keys to move an object. [/B]

How about a tab+arrow to move updown/leftright panel-panel?

Also how about letting not just importation of visual effects - maybe create a sdk so we can build plug-ins for Swish? And while we are talking about visual plug-ins, why not allow us to build audio plug-ins as well?

[monty p]

on tell-target/goto frame

you have the frame number option, next fram, prev frame etc. etc

what about a "x" number of frames forward and backwards
just think this would be usefull in controlling sprites

AC

[Jerry T]

Goto specific frame already exists. There is a circle that can be highlighted that says number then a text box where you change the number.

~Jer~

[roger_onslow]

Originally posted by daveg2
1. Respond to CTRL+S or ALT, F, S from any panel

I thought it did? I know it didn't in some of the betas, but we thought we'd fixed that one.

2. Have a right-click in the outline panel that pops up with HIDE ALL or VIEW ALL -- equivalent to poking every eye on the list.

You can do a Ctrl+A (select all) or multiple select and then Hide or Show

Maybe also EXPAND ALL and CLOSE ALL, equivalent to clicking on all the + signs.

Use the '*' key to expand all the plus signs .. standard windows stuff. Note that sprites will only expand one at a time by design (because the currently expanded sprite is what shows in hte timeline .. cannot have more than one)

3. Automatically pop up the Export panel when I ask Swish to Export.

That is certainly a thought. But how would it work? If you do a File->Export and then the panel pops up .. you wouldn't have a change to fiddle with it before you werre prompted for the filename to export to. SWISH wouldn't know when you'd finished with the export options. The only way possible is if a dialog that was similar to the export panel, but with OK/Cancel buttons popped up. That could become annoying. How about a File->Export->Options command that makes the panel appear. That way at least the novice user would know there are export options to be looked at.

4. Have a "Comment" text box in the Shape, Text, Group, Sprite and Scene tab of the Object Panel, so I have an option to remember my reasons for building this particular thing. Maybe also for actions / events.

That's an interesting idea. Although the 'name' can be used for this to some extent.

I'd like to add Comment and Trace actions to the action list .. these will be particularly necessary once we introduce variables into the scripting.

5. Have some preset zoom keystrokes (e.g, CTRL +1 for 100%, CTRL + 2 for 200%, CTRL +5 for 50%...) in addition to CTRL + = and CTRL + -

Hmmm .. I'll look into that one .. I could define a View->Zoom->xxx% sub-menu on the main menu. Once its there you could define your own shortcuts for the preset zoom factors.

6. Have the ability to use the Tab key to move the focuse from one Panel to another Panel, really useful from going from any other Panel to the Layout Panel, to use the arrow keys to move an object.

But the TAB key moves you from control to control. And Ctrl+Up/Down move you between tabs in a tabbed panel. We'd need a different key to move between panels. Have to think on that one.

[wcoleman]

1. Super- and subscript options. It is great that we can now convert text to letters and then modify each one (bold, italic, move it, resize, etc.), but it would be nice if there was a super/subscript choice so that you didn't have to resize and move up or down - on the other hand I make far more use of such text than most users so this is probably not a high general priority, but then this is a wish list and not a complaint/bug thread.

2. An action that was "play to frame number" so that you could tell target to play to frame number and stop - I know how to do it in two steps but this would simplify things.

For everyone's sake let's hope that version 3 is far in the future.

Cheers,

Flick

[Jerry T]

Like tell target to goto same frame. I have thought up reasons for this to be used and shouldnt be hard to add. I would like to have the ability to scroll a window with the wheel on my mouse. I still dont know why in my tell target list there sometimes appears double instances of the same sprite. Some with the /syntax and then duplicats without it. Seems confusing to me.

I emailed David about all my files in my directory no longer looking like the swish logo and now look like a windows text file. Hope this will be fixed. Ok, I'll make the big wish list around Christmas.

~Jer~

[monty p]

on the mouse wheel thought, how about zoom on the mouse wheel, zoom in one way, zoom out the other, i find the very usefull in paint shop pro..

also an option to switch it between scrolling/zooming

[daveg2]

Originally posted by roger_onslow

Originally posted by daveg2
1. Respond to CTRL+S or ALT, F, S from any panel

I thought it did? I know it didn't in some of the betas, but we thought we'd fixed that one.

Shows up for me with the first tutorial -- Step 3, Select Scene 1, Press Text... Step 4, Change from "Text" to "THIS" -- change font to 48 [I used the drop-down list]... no CTRL + S or ALT, F, S. Maybe I should hit return after using the drop-down list?

Use the '*' key to expand all the plus signs .. standard windows stuff.

Didn't know that...

3. Automatically pop up the Export panel when I ask Swish to Export.

That is certainly a thought. But how would it work?

One pattern for this kind of thing I find is the one for JPEG or GIF exports in some graphics programs -- Select Export. Save Dialog asks for folder & file name, hit RETURN. JPEG options dialog appears, with defaults set generally to the last you used, or if first time, to reasonable set (66% compression, non interleaved, etc.), check or change then hit RETURN, followed by the file processing & save. You need only hit RETURN to get past the second, JPEG, options dialog if you don't want to muddle with them.

6. Have the ability to use the Tab key to move the focuse from one Panel to another Panel, really useful from going from any other Panel to the Layout Panel, to use the arrow keys to move an object.

But the TAB key moves you from control to control. And Ctrl+Up/Down move you between tabs in a tabbed panel. We'd need a different key to move between panels. Have to think on that one.

Indeed that's a puzzle.

And now for something quite different:
Just thought of another wish: SPACE to toggle PLAY MOVIE, SPACE again to STOP play.

[thegee]

What I was hoping to see in v2 was the ability to select multiple objects (ctrl + select) and align them either by center, top, bottom, left or right. I know it has the snap to grid feature but I like to just select and align. Anyway, if it's just me that uses that then no biggy.

[gjkillam]

ALT+Drag to clone a object like Fireworks!

[flashopper]

Originally posted by thegee
What I was hoping to see in v2 was the ability to select multiple objects (ctrl + select) and align them either by center, top, bottom, left or right. I know it has the snap to grid feature but I like to just select and align. Anyway, if it's just me that uses that then no biggy.

thegee, there is a fantastic alignment tool in Swish, "Snap to Object Handles". Turn this control on, and you can align things by their midpoints, edges to edges, edges to mids, corners to corners, corners to centers, centers to edges...you get the idea, you can do a lot. Try it, I think you'll like it, and it's easy to use. One of my favorite new features!

Best, Will

[thegee]

thegee, there is a fantastic alignment tool in Swish, "Snap to Object Handles". Turn this control on, and you can align things by their midpoints, edges to edges, edges to mids, corners to corners, corners to centers, centers to edges...you get the idea, you can do a lot. Try it, I think you'll like it, and it's easy to use. One of my favorite new features!

Best, Will

Excuse my ignorance but where do i find it? I looked and can't find this control. Thanks.

Greg

OK, I found it.
[Edited by thegee on 08-05-2001 at 03:46 AM]

[David Knoebel]

Originally posted by thegee
... the ability to select multiple objects (ctrl + select) and align them either by center, top, bottom, left or right.

Yes. I'd like to see this, too.

[medsoft]

Support form forms would be great.

[roger_onslow]

Originally posted by gjkillam
ALT+Drag to clone a object like Fireworks!

Yuck .. Fireworks is very non-standard. Bad design by MM on that one !!

SWiSH uses the windows standard of ctrl+drag to create a copy. Don't want to add bad features from Fireworks etc into SWiSH .. just the good ones.

[David Knoebel]

Originally posted by flashopper
thegee, there is a fantastic alignment tool in Swish, "Snap to Object Handles". Turn this control on, and you can align things by their midpoints, edges to edges, edges to mids, corners to corners, corners to centers, centers to edges...you get the idea, you can do a lot. Try it, I think you'll like it, and it's easy to use. One of my favorite new features!

Best, Will

This is handy, but I'm looking for something more.

If I have, say, four buttons running along the bottom of the screen, I'd like to select all four and then click once to space them equidistantly and centered between the right and left margins. Or equidistant and centered between the top and bottom margins.

It'd also be nice to be able to align the buttons all at once top to top, center to center, etc just by selecting them all and clicking the appropriate icon.

[catzblu999]

Synchronized sound using a similar feature like flash does where is shows you the full sound in all the frames and then you can sync the effects with the music.

Um, better processor, Swish 2.0 on a comp with 1.0Ghz and 256 RAM is pretty slow..like swift3d slow.

[gjkillam]

Originally posted by roger_onslow

Originally posted by gjkillam
ALT+Drag to clone a object like Fireworks!

Yuck .. Fireworks is very non-standard. Bad design by MM on that one !!

SWiSH uses the windows standard of ctrl+drag to create a copy. Don't want to add bad features from Fireworks etc into SWiSH .. just the good ones.

Well slap me silly! It was there the whole time!
Great! Thanx...ziggy

[wcoleman]

A pop-up directory box for the load movie command so that I don't have to have Windows Explorer open all of the time.

Cheers,

Flick