OK. So this is super confusing.

My aim is to be able to interactively move/rotate/resize a pattern within its containing object.

The way to do this is to check Transform Pattern Tiles and use the tilde key while dragging with the specific tool. This actually works.

This actually works also without Transform Pattern Tiles selected.

At this point the options in the Transform panel seem redundant for my purposes. Indeed by selecting Transform Pattern Tiles they will become unselected anyway.

However, if I toggle Transform Pattern Tiles off and then, in the Panel select . . .

Object: The object moves independently of the pattern

Pattern: The Object and the Pattern move together

Both: Object and Pattern move together AND Transform Pattern Tiles is toggled back to on.

None of which are what I want.

Anyway, after using the tilde method on 3 documents for 5 minutes it suddenly stopped working on one object. The pattern began to move and then the object outline moved instead and then snapped back with the pattern moved inside it. The other two still work. I then tried the same documents on our other machine and the tilde method only worked on one of the three documents.

So apart from a confusing interface with too many approaches for what is a simple requirement, the one technique that seems to work does so only intermittently.

Maybe it would be a good idea to put ALL pattern controls in one place or panel with clear descriptions.?

Egor, thanks for the attention you've provided so far, but I have spent over 6 hrs on this over the last two days. Let me know when Adobe gets this fixed.

Cheers, Matt

The GIF

Well, software feelings should be checked, and I did not do that thoroughly enough. Sorry.

So I did. I run the same test in Ai 10, CS4, CS6, and the previous release. If you drag an object with a pattern with any selection tool, without the ~ key held (¬ in your case) — the whole object gets moved — whichever option is chosen in the Transform panel’s menu.

Here is the GIF for the Ai 10 attached. It works the same in all 4 versions I tested.

If the key is held, it always moves only the pattern inside — again, with any combination of options.

The one in the Preferences applies to the transformation tools. If it is not checked, Rotate / Scale / Shear / Free Transform / etc. tools won’t transform patterns. When checked — they do.

The options in the Transform panel directly control how fields work.
Values you enter there get applied to object / pattern / both, based on the picked option.

...but these options are merely another way of toggling the one in the Preferences,
Choosing Transform Object Only disables Transform Pattern Tiles option in Preferences.
Choosing Transform Both enables Transform Pattern Tiles option in Preferences.
This is similar to the way checking Scale Strokes and Effects in Preferences toggles the similar option in the panel and all the dialogs, and vice versa.
But choosing Transform Pattern Only does no change it, and does not force the ~/¬ to be 'pressed' all the time — never did. It only changes the way values get applied.

I rarely use it, and this what made me confused in the first place. Again, sorry for the rushed reply.

But I confirm that the key does not work reliably if you enable Transform Pattern Tiles / Transform Both and use Selection tool with ~/¬!

With Real-Time Drawing and Editing enabled, in the GPU View mode, Ai renders the whole object with its pattern being dragged — until you release the mouse. Then the object jumps back, but the pattern stays in the planned destination. If you disable the option — it does not happen. Also it does not happen if you use the Direct Selection tool, with any state of the option. But his is not new, the 2022 version also had this problem.

Can you test this? Please record a video or a GIF.

P. S. And there is a popular problem when ~ and its alternatives just refuse to work :(
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/41072941

That’s why I somewhat like the idea of having a permanent way to activate the 'pattern transform' mode without holding a key... But I imagine how many users will enable it and close the panel and miss the warning, and then asking 'why I can’t move anything?!'... So I’d rather not :) But I’d like to have a way to reassign it, to support any keyboard layout.

Hi Egor, both of us here definitely feel this has changed. Before, if Edit/Preferences/General/Transform Pattern Tiles was selected and transform pattern only was selected in the Transform Palette options it worked just fine without any need for a ~ while dragging. BTW I'm using a UK keyboard and the ~ key is in a different location to the US keyboard and doesn't work for your solution. In my case the ¬ key (top left next to the 1 key) works fine. But only if Transform Pattern Tiles is deselected in Preferences.
So that is the workround we've now adopted.
As I said, it is important that we can see the orientation/position of the pattern changing within the object interactively as we drag. For our work typing in numbers is just way too cumbersome, unintuitive, slow and fiddly. We are creatives, not engineers after all..

Matt, on the other hand — I suspect it never worked the way you say it was. I rechecked this in older versions, and this option does not enable the '~ + dragging mode'... it makes the values you enter in the panel (coordinates and dimensions) to apply only to the pattern, and not the selected object... and it does work just fine.

Are you sure it used to work the other way for you? Can you recheck it?

I confirm that. The team is now aware of it.
Meanwhile, please check if the workaround to disable 'Transform Objects' option in the Move dialog still works (as the 'hold tilde key' mode) — work for me.