Measurements/coordinates plugin

I’ve already posted this some time ago: Show node coordinates while editing

I would find it extremely useful, if we could see what the measurement tool shows and be able to edit nodes at the same time. I know there are plugins by Jens Kutilek and Guido Ferreyra, but they don’t show the distance between nodes. Ferreyra’s plugin shows handle length, which is great, but both are rather crudely styled, the font is too big and I don’t know to change it. The styling of the measurement tool is pretty much perfect, except the values could use a light background when they happen to sit on top of a path. Sooo, if there’s anything like this already, please point me in the right direction :slight_smile:

Why not? There are tutorials on Python and plug-in making, and you can fork the repository and make your own changes. It is not difficult. If you need help with coding, you can ask questions on the forum.

With all due respect, I commend your effort to spark my interest in programming, but I neither have the time, nor the talent :slight_smile:

I am not sure if I exactly get what you are actually searching for. But have you tried Show Stems?

Hey Mark, I’ll try to explain: when I hit L, I see node coordinates and distances between every two on-curve nodes. But I can’t move nodes.

The ShowCoordinates plugin gives me node coordinates and handle lengths (actually not the length, rather the protrusion from the nodes in x and y direction), but not distances between every two on-curve nodes. But I can move nodes around, and coordinates update in real time. Sometimes the coordinates are hard to read though, because the numbers are too big and overlap quickly, I also find the color of the numbers rather distracting.

So what I need is

  • Node coordinates
  • Distance between adjacent on-curve nodes
  • Handle lenghts (actually the X and Y protrusion)
  • Numbers styled like the ones in the measurement tool
  • Maybe with a light background for better readability when overlapping contours
  • All this while editing nodes :slight_smile:

Edit: clarified handle length stuff

You know that you can press and hold cmd+opt+ctrl to get the measurement tool. That way you can quickly switch between moving nodes and seeing the coordinates.

Yeah, I know, but it’s still an interruption of the workflow. :confused:

I was about to post a new topic but then found this thread. The cmd+opt+ctrl shortcut is probably the best solution for what I’m looking for so far. However, I think I’m looking for the exact same solution as @babmo was. I’d like a way to move nodes while also displaying the geometry you see when using the Measurement tool. The Show Coordinates plugin is indeed close, but it doesn’t display the distance between nodes, and that’s specifically the info I want to be able to see while moving nodes.

See the screenshot for what I mean—is this possible?

@mekkablue I don’t know Python, but I’m happy to start messing around and working toward what I want if it’s actually possible. It just seems like someone would have already built that into a plugin by now if it was. What do you guys think?

When you have that segment selected, you can see (and edit) this information in the grey info box (Cmd-Shift-I).

However, if you want to pursue the idea of a plug-in displaying this all the time, take this one as a basis:

There are Python tutorials that get you started, should you have no experience. And there are tutorials about writing plug-ins. Head on over to the Tutorials List.