Move selected anchors by coordinates
In InDesign when you select some specific anchor points on a path with the direct selection tool, and want to move them x- or y-wise, you can enter the value and hit return to make the selected points move accordingly. Or you can move them by dragging them.
Here is what it looks like:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gk9qk6eqvdvn41p/indesign_points_moved.mov?dl=0
If ypu try to do the same in Illustrator, it works as long as you drag the anchor points by hand, but if yo try to do it by entering x- or y-values the whole object moves, not only the anchor points selected.
Here is what that looks like:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a6r8hjymitm22u0/illustrator_pionts_moved.mov?dl=0
This is inconsistent, and the behaviour of InDesign is in my wiew the way to go. If I would like to move the object I would use the selection tool instead of the direct selection tool.
Maybe there is already a way of doing this, if so I would be glad if someone told me how!
Samuel
shared this idea
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And we have a beautiful script to do this in Illustrator, SetPointsCoordinates: https://github.com/creold/illustrator-scripts/blob/master/md/Path.md#setpointscoordinates
It allows to set absolute coordinates for a selection of points (and set relative distances as well), using both global and artboard coordinates. The script is free.The other solution — powerful PathScribe panel, that had this function for many years, along with dozens and dozens and dozens more. The plugin is paid, but worth it.
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I can’t say I am extremely happy with the way InDesign does it, but yes, I’d rather much prefer to treat the common center of a partial selection when changing coordinates.
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Dan
commented
Normally, the selection tool is used for selecting and transforming entire objects, whereas the direct selection tool is used for selecting and transforming individual anchors and handles. For whatever reason, it is not possible to select one or more anchors, and then transform them by entering a new X or Y coordinate. This defies the expected behavior of direct selection and makes Illustrator less useful. In InDesign, it is possible to move individual anchors using X and Y coordinates, so maybe the engineers forgot once again to make sure that the same tools behave the same way in different programs?
video of behavior:
https://capture.dropbox.com/POqhvYLQ8DaOb20P
