Contributor
Abhay Raj Singh

Command palette, Command Stack and Macros


Mentors
Thomas Holder, jabiertxof, Patrick Storz
Organization
Inkscape

Inkscape comes with a plethora of features out of the box, and functionality can be extended even more by using various extensions. These features and extensibility have made Inkscape the wonderful software it is today. But, these features come with a cost, i.e. difficulty accessing these features. Currently, operations have to be searched through highly nested and huge drop-downs. Also, you have to remember where the option was. Keyboard shortcuts don't solve the problem due to their learning curve, system shortcuts, and the limit on the number of keys that can humanly be pressed. Command Palette(CP) is an interactive search bar that can search any operation (extensions, edits, filters, etc.) that Inkscape provides. CP is also a tool for the power users It speeds up the access times by using commands that help users to bypass the slow GUI and use mostly their speedy keyboards. Another problem is repetition. The ordered nature of most drawings calls for repetition. As we know Inkscape is a tool for creative people and nothing kills creativity faster than repetition. Macros are a way to record your actions and repeat them. Command Stack provides a GUI way to make macros.