Fair enough Alexis, I totally agree with you but my question remains the same: In the scenario of this video, How do you access the handle without moving the node or using a plug-in?
None of the above recommendations actually work including tab key select or Fit Curve. I understand zero handles are mostly errors, which is why a simple solution is important for these quick one-off fixes that shouldn’t demand a dedicated plug-in.
I’m bizarrely dedicated to this question. Every answer so far has either not worked or has been to download a plug-in. I’m guessing at this point the answer is it’s not possible.
The Tab key works. I show that in my video above. Moving along nodes using the Tab key is a very useful feature applicable in many situations.
The plugin works. It’s not a big deal to install a plugin. Glyphs is build around being extendable so that users can install the features they need without having menus and sidebars cluttered with features they don’t need.
The tab works provided the handles are already present. Hitting tab in my case jumps way over to the next node, not a handle.
My issue is that Option drag will reveal the handle at the expense of moving the node, I’m looking for just the opposite to happen: Would want the handle to be dragged out while the node stays stationary, a really common expected behavior in just about all vector base apps.
I’m open to being wrong but I’m not seeing a way to do this and there is no way it should require a plug-in, that’s just bad UX.
You can hold Option and move the point with Shift + arrow and then release Option and move it back with Shift + the opposite arrow. Moving nodes from keyboard lets you have control over exact distances.
Another solution: after selecting the node, you can hold Shift and drag-to-select with a rectangle over the same nodes to reverse selection. Then the handle will be selected and movable.
To make Fit Curve work you need to select at least one handle of the segment.
Many of these points where already discussed above.
If you click and drag on a location where there are multiple points, Glyphs cannot guess which one of these points you want. If it’s the wrong one, press the Tab key and move the point with the arrow keys.
And I still don’t get the distaste for the plugin solution. In Glyphs, everything is a plugin. The Draw tool is a plugin, the Text tool is a plugin, the Layers panel on the right is a plugin, etc. Some plugins are included when you download Glyphs, and you can then install further plugins that fit your needs. I don’t need the Fix Zero Handles plugin, so I don’t have it installed. But you appear to need such a feature and this plugin gives you a one-click solution.
I totally understand the Tab function but in this case Tab jumps to that node but at no point activates any handles associated with it, the node will always only be what you can grab. You can Option drag the node to access the handle but that moves the node out of place.
I love plug-ins, I use them, just shouldn’t be required for super basic scenarios like this.
Use the Tab key to select the handle. Then move it using the arrow keys out from underneath the node. Then grab it with the mouse.
There are lots of different users with different workflows. All of these workflows have different basic needs. This is why the extensibility of Glyphs is great.
Plugins also allow different approaches for the same feature. Extracting handles can be done in different ways. The Fix Zero Handles plugin offers one solution. The RMX Tools plugin offers a different solution that some users might prefer.
Option drag moves the node but leaves the handle (or hidden handle) in the same spot. Can we get a key command option where the reverse is true so hidden handles are quickly and easily accessible without the need for Tabs, arrow, and plug-ins?
Seasoned Glyphs user here. As much as I find the repetitive questions and the refusal to accept any of the offered answers annoying, I must also say that I understand why such a functionality appears to be a basic necessity in a vector-editing programme like Glyphs. Zero handles do occur, in unprofessionally badly drawn outlines, but they do occur.
Illustrator makes us believe that zero handles occur all the time and require a straightforward, easy way to extract them.
In reality, in Glyphs, zero handles occur so rarely that I find it sensible not to “waste” a simple, thus coveted, key combination on such a task. A very simply plugin is a sensible solution and can even be much faster, as a simple keystroke can be assigned to it to fix the entire curve in one go, without having to manually drag out the handle.
So, long story short, I understand the concern and desire for such a functionality, but I’d still like to side with the logic currently implemented in Glyphs. You will find zero handles to occur exceedingly rarely the more you work with Glyphs and properly drawn outlines. For those cases, a plugin (which I have personally never used, that’s how rarely this case occurs) will do just fine.
That was annoying!, that’s my bad. I did end up successfully using the Tab + arrow to extract the hidden handle I was having issues with. I appreciate this tip, support, and patience from the forum.
Not knowing that method, I don’t think I would have ever intuitively figured that out casually on my own. I was in a real dark place then and felt like there was no way out. I just kinda snapped and lashed out. Thank you team Glyph and community for your support and I look forward to learning and growing more on this 2023 journey.