Add alternative functions for various tools

[veracioux]

Circle tool
With Alt: fill the circle.

Selection tool
With Alt: Get a behavior that is identical to the Rectangle tool (fill it and give it rounded corners). In fact, my thinking is to remove the existing Rectangle tool altogether and rename the Selection tool to Rectangle.

Pencil tool
With Alt: Fill the region encompassed by the drawing. Not sure how easy it is to implement, but I suspect it's not too hard.

Circle count
With Alt: Just place the number, without the circle around it.

The above tools should have a "Fill" checkbox in the side panel.

Arrow tool
Edit: I'm having second thoughts about this. (see #1960 (comment))

With Alt: Make the arrow look like this:

Or make this the default style and use Alt to switch to the existing one. This would be more in line with the concept of "filled".

Text tool
Since Alt is stealing the show, I'll throw in another feature.

With Alt pressed before the text is placed: Make the text centered vertically around the point of the cursor. Or vice versa depending on how #1976 is received.

Invert tool
Another feature thrown in.

Currently, when you invert a region that is already inverted, the result will be the original image. With an odd number of inversions applied the resulting image is inverted, with an even number of inversions the result is not inverted.

With Alt: If the current inversion overlaps with an existing one, the resulting image will be inverted. No matter how many overlap.

The reason I'm going with Alt is because it's unused (as far as I'm aware) and it has good mnemonics: Alt = alternative

This could very well require multiple PRs to address the various aspects.

[mmahmoudian]

The text below is just my opinion and it doesn't mean that it should be done this way or even this is the correct way. Merely a suggestion:

In my opinion this is a bad move to removed the buttons and features and hide them behind alt. This would a big change and will cause lots of confusion and ultimately disappointment.

What I suggest is that the alt toggles the filled and hollow shapes (circle and rectangle).

For arrow we discussed it in #1960.

Alternatively the alt can create invert of anything. This would be less intuitive as filling the shapes, but when user holds alt and draw a shape of place some text, the texture of that thing become inverted (increases the visibility in any background color unless it is too messy).

I personally would go with some simple and uniform approach rather than one functionality per tool.

[veracioux]

@mmahmoudian

In my opinion this is a bad move to removed the buttons and features and hide them behind alt. This would a big change and will cause lots of confusion and ultimately disappointment.

You are right. We should not remove the buttons.

What I suggest is that the alt toggles the filled and hollow shapes (circle and rectangle).

I agree. But I think it would be very useful if we also enabled that for Pencil and Line. That way you could draw custom filled shapes and filled polygons, and it should be pretty easy to implement:

The circle count too (see relevant section in #1977 (comment)). Sometimes the circle around the number can be a bit obnoxious IMO.

The best way to do all of the above is IMO using the Alt key. Adding extra button would make the UI bloated.

Alternatively the alt can create invert of anything. This would be less intuitive as filling the shapes, but when user > holds alt and draw a shape of place some text, the texture of that thing become inverted (increases the visibility in any background color unless it is too messy).

I do not find this feature very useful. You can always change the color so it contrasts with the background.

I personally would go with some simple and uniform approach rather than one functionality per tool.

I disagree that uniformity should be considered a benchmark in this case. I think it's better to implement a more useful feature in a not completely consistent way than a less useful feature in a consistent way. In any case, the inversion feature could be implemented as a side panel button.

I made a mistake by putting the focus on the word "fill" in the title. It was originally just about filling but as I was writing it more ideas came to mind 😄

[mmahmoudian]

I think it would be very useful if we also enabled that for Pencil and Line. That way you could draw custom filled shapes and filled polygons, and it should be pretty easy to implement

This sounds like a cool idea

Sometimes the circle around the number can be a bit obnoxious IMO.

I cannot think of any new function for the counter tool, so go for it.

I think it's better to implement a more useful feature in a not completely consistent way than a less useful feature in a consistent way.

I partially agree. The part that I don't agree stems from the fact that users don't read manuals and documentations. There for many of these cool features would go unnoticed and unused. Perhaps we should start a making short video tutorials.

[veracioux]

@mmahmoudian As for your last comment, I am toying with an idea to provide a popup-based tutorial inside flameshot. This will require a lot of work. An easier task would to add F1 as a key that activates a "what's this" popup while you are hovered over a widget. This popup would also provide a link to the relevant section in the manual.

[mmahmoudian]

I had an idea (#887) to create a welcome page that tell users about the features and how to use Flameshot. Perhaps that can be merged with your idea somehow.

But I was more thinking of creating a your I channel dedicated to Flameshot (similar to what Arco Linux does) and demo the features. We also have Mastodon account with 128 followers in which such content can be shared.

[veracioux]

@mmahmoudian #887 actually inspired me to do this, but forgot to mention it. A channel is definitely a good idea.

[kevit]

Hi all, could we generally have an opportunity to have own tool? f.e I love points with numbers, but I would like to create point + box with text inside. Currently I need many steps to do so, but why to not combine them? Maybe plugin system or programmed instruments may help.