Lasso select tool

[rakunavi]

Hello all,

I wish PDF-XChange Editor had Lasso select tool like Drawboard PDF.

Please imagine a situation where there are multiple oval comments inside an L-shaped polyline comment as shown in the figure below (case 1).

figure1.png

When you drag-select the oval comments with the comment select tool, the outer polyline comment is selected together because the oval comments are completely inside the outer frame of the polyline comment. To select only the oval comments, you need to do one of the following:

• Select oval comments one by one with Ctrl+Click
• After selecting all comments, Ctrl+click to deselect only the outer polyline comment.

However, if a polyline comment is converted to multiple line comments (case 2) or a polyline comment is flattened (case 3), you can select only the oval comments by simply dragging them with the Comment Select Tool. Even though they look the same at first glance and are indistinguishable, the user needs to change the operation method. This situation is the same in Acrobat, and the same in Drawboard PDF with the rectangle selection tool, so we can say that the current behavior of PDF-XChange Editor is on par with other PDF software.

figure2.png

The example above shows the difficulty in distinguishing between polylines and multilines, but users who use PDF-XChange Editor and Drawboard PDF together should know the difference for the pencil tool as well. PDF-XChange Editor recognizes a series of strokes as a single comment if the time interval between strokes is short, while Drawboard PDF always recognizes each stroke as a single comment, regardless of stroke speed.

For example, the PDF-XChange Editor recognizes the X-axis and Y-axis as separate comments if they are drawn with a time interval between strokes (Refer to the right figure in the attached file Sample2.pdf), whereas it recognizes them as a single comment if drawn quickly (Refer to the left figure in the attached file Sample2.pdf). This behavior can create a situation where, as before, the user must change the operation method, even though they look exactly the same at first glance and are indistinguishable.

figure3.png

When using PDF software for note-taking purposes, users do not want to be interrupted in the process of interrupting their thinking. No one wants to think about the procedure for selecting only the oval comments while taking notes of what the other person is saying. If you do that, you will miss what the other person is saying. On that note, Drawboard PDF's Lasso select tool solves all of the above problems. With the stylus, all you have to do is press and hold the upper button on the barrel button on the side of the stylus to make your selection, which is extremely intuitive.

A brief verification video is attached. In the first half of the video, the comment select tool of the PDF-XChange Editor tries to select oval comments for three cases mentioned in the above. In the second half of the video, Drawboard PDF's Lasso select tool is used to select only the blue oval comments.

• CapturedVideoWithSampleFiles.zip

I am aware that this is a request with a long-term view, but the usability of the select tool feature greatly affects the overall usability of the PDF application, so I would highly appreciate its future implementation. I could not find an appropriate topic in this forum, but I believe similar requests have already been made to Tracker through other channels, so I will vote in favor of it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Best regards,
rakunavi

- PDF-XChange Editor Plus Version: 9.5 build 366.0
- OS Version: Windows 11 Home 22H2 Build 22621.963
- PC Model: Lenovo IdeaPad C340-15IWL, HP All-in-One 22-c0xx

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The following was added on 3/21/2023

The issue I pointed out in the middle of above post about consecutive strokes being grouped together can be resolved by changing the registry settings.

• Disable pencil drawings grouping
  viewtopic.php?p=148833#p148833

I learned about it from Stefan in this post(viewtopic.php?p=168181#p168181).

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello rakunavi,

Thanks for the detailed description. I will pass this for discussion to our devs, but will wait for their initial assessment before making a FR ticket.

update: This has been turned down as too niche/ not very useful for PDF files.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[rakunavi]

Hi Stefan, thank you for replying and updating your comment.
I appreciate you taking your time for the initial assessment.
I hope PDF-XChange Editor to become the best PDF software in the world.

Best regards,
rakunavi

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

[MedBooster]

+1 I want this too!

Just because a feature is not requested by many doesn't mean that many wouldn't find it useful.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

Thanks for adding your vote here. For now this is still a low demand/too niche request, but if we get a few more enquiries - we might review our earlier decision.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

Hello MedBooster,

Thanks for adding your vote here. For now this is still a low demand/too niche request, but if we get a few more enquiries - we might review our earlier decision.

Kind regards,
Stefan

there are already some "lasso" features if I am not mistaken?
Like enabling text you draw around with the pen tool to be imported into a pop-up comment of the element

So if you ever get to it, maybe consider allowing to switch between rectangle and lasso select by right clicking on select comments/edit comments'-function button for example. Instead of having to make a whole new separate tool

[MedBooster]

Hello MedBooster,

Thanks for adding your vote here. For now this is still a low demand/too niche request, but if we get a few more enquiries - we might review our earlier decision.

Kind regards,
Stefan

there are already some "lasso" features if I am not mistaken?
Like enabling text you draw around with the pen tool to be imported into a pop-up comment of the element

So if you ever get to it, maybe consider allowing to switch between rectangle and lasso select by right clicking on select comments/edit comments'-function button for example. Instead of having to make a whole new separate tool

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

Got it MedBooster,

ultimately this is at the discretion of the development team leader, we will just have to wait and see how he feels about this. Time will tell, but I do not see anything happening right now in this regards, there are many many other tasks that take priority at the moment.

cheers

[PetrKrysl]

Yes, this selection tool is absolutely crucial. I am baffled the sw does not have it yet.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello PetrKrysl,

Thanks for adding your vote to this feature request.
As you have noticed - for now it is not yet available, however our devs do have it in their ToDO list. I do not have a time frame for this feature yet though!

Kind regards,
Stefan

[Elastik]

+1

A must-have for any serious PDF editing toolkit.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Elastik

Thank you for the support, I have added your voice to this. Sadly I cannot promise a change in the Dev teams stance at this time, but with more support, their stance should eventually change.

Kind regards,

[mb-tracker]

+1

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mb-tracker

in a somewhat hilarious turn of events, one of the Devs reached out to me and asked that I create them a ticket for lasso sleection, only an hour or so before you posted your +1 here.

At the time, it was in relation to an unrelated discussion, but here is the new ticket number!

RT#7478: FR: Lasso Selection tool

Kind regards,

[rakunavi]

Hello Daniel, thank you for creating the ticket.
I would also like to thank all those who have voted so far.

I am glad to see that some of the developers understand the usefulness of the Lasso Select tool.
I believe that there are two major usefulnesses of the Lasso Select tool.

Usefulness #1

• First, as I pointed out at the beginning of this topic, when selecting multiple objects inside an object, the Lasso Select tool allows you to select objects without being aware of the placement of surrounding objects at all. As shown in the video below, you will not know whether the outer rectangle is a single rectangle (Type A) or is composed of four independent lines (Type B) until you select it. If it is the former Type A, the rectangle will also be selected unintentionally by Select Comments tool, and must be excluded from the selection by Ctrl+clicking separately.
  
  
  • Animation1.gif
  • sample.pdf

Usefulness #2

• Second, when selecting objects, you do not have to consider whether or not there is an object at the location where you click. For example, if you want to select multiple comments with the Select Comments tool, you need to carefully select a place where there are no objects and then start dragging. However, you never know if there are any objects in the area you are clicking on until you click on it. In the Hand tool, the shape of the mouse cursor changes to determine what is there, but in the Select Comments tool, the shape of the mouse cursor is constant in a situation where no comment is selected, so it is impossible to determine what is there.
  
  If you are unlucky and there is an object where you clicked, moving the mouse will of course move the object. In that case, you have to deselect the object and start the operation over again, looking for another empty area. In other words, the Select Comments tool is inevitably doomed to trial and error.
  
  In contrast, with the Lasso Select tool, the objects caught in the lasso are simply selected. Unlike the Select Comments tool, the behavior does not change depending on whether or not the object is at the first clicked position.
  
  In the video below, the drag select is intentionally started on the number 1. The Select Comments tool in PDF-XChange Editor would treat it as moving an object, whereas the Lasso Select tool in Drawboard PDF treats it as selecting objects.
  
  
  • Animation2.gif
  For example, if you click on the red circled area in the figure below, thinking it is an area with no objects, but it is actually inside the blue border of the number 1, the number will be unintentionally selected, and if you drag it as is, it will be treated as a comment move. To select multiple objects, you must click on the yellow-green circled area to initiate a drag select. Note, however, that the blue border of the text will not appear if no comments have been selected yet. Also, the object border of the text varies depending on line spacing and other factors, so it is impossible to predict at first glance how far away from the text you are in general.
  
  
  • figure.png

At this point, a ticket has just been issued, and I expect a long road ahead. However, I’m looking forward to seeing the feature implemented.

Best regards,
rakunavi

- PDF-XChange Editor PRO Version: 10.6.0 build 396
- Drawboard PDF 2020 Version: 5.41.0.0
- OS Version: Windows 11 Pro / Home 24H2 Build 26100.4061
- PC Model: GMKtec Nucbox M7 Pro with HUION Kamvas Pro 19 / Lenovo IdeaPad C340-15IWL

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, rakunavi

Thank you for the detailed breakdown, I have made sure to add notes about these items to the ticket for Dev team review while they are working on it.

Kind regards,

[Mathew]

+1 from me. This would be super useful.

Even fixing the regular selection rectangle to not grab polylines/leaders nearby would be a big step forward (as @rakunavi pointed out in their first post.)

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]