Panning with spacebar not working

[Helen Palmer]

Until recently I could press the space bar while in another tool like selection and it would allow me to pan without having to manually change to the pan tool. This is one of the most useful functions for moving around a drawing. But it no longer works - was suddenly a problem in 2023 and is still a problem in 24.  If I press the spacebar the tool momentarily changes to pan but then returns to selection before I can use it.  

 

Any ideas?

 

thanks

 

Helen

 

 

Vwx landmark 2024

[Pat Stanford]

This is probably the Smart Options Display (heads up display). As soon as you move the mouse it should (and does for me) switches to the Pan (Hand tool).

 

If you don't use the Smart Options Display you can turn it off (or turn off just the Space Bar activation) in Vectorworks Preferences:Smart Options Display Pane.

 

But even when I do that I still need to move the mouse to get the cursor to turn into the Pan/Hand tool.

 

HTH

[zoomer]

26 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

But even when I do that I still need to move the mouse to get the cursor to turn into the Pan/Hand tool.

 

 

Yes the behavior changed since Smart Options Display overall.

 

SPACEBAR PAN should still work eben if Smart Options Display is activated in default settings.

A SPACEBAR tap will activate Smart Options Display, while holding the SPACEBAR still allows

to PAN.

AFAIR I always had to hold SPACEBAR as long as I want to PAN.

Can't remember to just activate it with a single click and it stays in PAN mode.

 

But what changed since the release of Smart Options Display is, as @Pat Stanford mentioned,

that it needs to drag the curser a bit before the temporary PAN even starts.

And AFAIK this is needed even when Smart Options Display is completely deactivated.

 

 

For me this means to PAN,

holding SPACEBAR, left mouse click and holding, dragging a bit and then I can PAN.

Edited September 29, 2023 by zoomer

[Pat Stanford]

7 minutes ago, zoomer said:

For me this means to PAN,

holding SPACEBAR, left mouse click and holding, dragging a bit and then I can PAN.

I don't think you need the click.  Just move the mouse and the cursor will change then you can click and drag.

 

With the Basic Tool Palette closely and you will see that the tool changes when you hold space, but the cursor does not.

 

I just filed a bug on this.

[zoomer]

Yes I think I am wrong with the left mouse click

(does not make much sense ...)

 

Have to try again when in front of VW.

[Pat Stanford]

I think you CAN click before the cursor changes (because the tool has already changed), but you don't have to.

[ashot]

I helped my partner with this issue while I spent few days in search of this problem.

 

It is related only to Mac OSX settings for Keyboard Under Accessibility option.

Just turn off all keys including Full Keyboard Access key, and you will be back to normal. (When it is on, it overtakes Space bar to activate keyboard access)

If you are using any of the Accessibility/Keyboard Access options try them one by one to figure our which one is causing any other problem for you.

[Helen Palmer]

Unfortunately none of the above suggestions works.  I am on Mac Ventura and none of the keyboard settings as shown above have ever been on and are not on now - it makes no difference.  I've turned off smart display options and it makes no difference.  I've tried left mouse click while holding the space bar and nothing happens.  I think it must be a bug, but I seem to be the only one experiencing it.  It's extremely frustrating!  

[Helen Palmer]

Update - I have restarted my Mac (the good old turn it off and back on again) and the problem seems to have resolved.  As I've had the problem for several months and have turned off the computer in that time I don't think it's that straight forward but think it might be a Mac Ventura issue and as I played around with system settings for the keyboard as suggested  it may have reset itself with a restart.  I'll probably never know, but at least it now works correctly. 

 

However, now the smart options display is not working even though it is turned on - none of the little boxes with the tools show at all at any time - previously they did show and I was using them. 

 

Solve one problem and another one appears. 

 

 

[Diletante]

With Vectorworks 2024 update 3 under macOS 14.3 the pan icon flickers very briefly in the drawing area when holding down the spacebar but never allows panning.

The pan icon in the basic palette is never selected with the spacebar.

Smart options display is off.

Accessibility > full keyboard access is off.

 

This is a real productivity killer.

[Pat Stanford]

It sounds like you have something else installed that is also trying to use the space bar.

 

I recommend that you restart in "safe" mode (no other applications or accessories loaded) and see if VW works properly then. If it does then you need to figure out what the conflicting app/accessory is and decide if you truly need it or if you can set it to not be active when VW is the frontmost app.

 

When you figure it out, please post the answer back here for others.

[Diletante]

Hello Pat,

 

I'll try that but this is the first release of VW I have used since the MiniCad era where this has been a problem. Previous releases of VW on the same machine are OK.

 

Will report back…

[Diletante]

Booting in Safe Mode:

 

Spacebar control is restored but the Hand only appears when a pan input is provided. i.e. The hand icon does not appear when the spacebar is down, only when the pointer moves and the document is dragged.

 

Other applications that also use the spacebar to pan do change the cursor on spacebar-down, as VW used to do.

 

After a normal reboot, it’s still working as above.

 

Clearly there is no immediate incompatibility so what will be interesting is how the system behaves over time. Consequently, I am keeping VW running in the background and monitoring its behaviour as I launch apps and resume normal operations.

 

[Pat Stanford]

I think there was a conflict between MacOS 14.1 and VW that was causing the pan icon to not show until the mouse was moved.

 

I have not notices this since upgrading the Mac OS 14.2.1 and VW 2024 Update 3.1

 

 

[Diletante]

I am running macOS 14.3 and VW 2024 Update 3 (Build 737434) and I'm still seeing it.

[Pat Stanford]

Actually I am seeing it also.  I guess I have just gotten used to having to move the mouse to get the cursor to change.  🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[Diletante]

I mainly use the Wacom, so it hardly matters but with a trackpad it's odd. Never mind.

[JuanP]

@Diletante and @Pat Stanford, Could you send us the System Report file from your Macs? I want to check for any other applications that may be conflicting. 

[Pat Stanford]

Sent via Direct Message.

[Diletante]

Also sent by DM for my MacBook Pro.

[Andrew Pollock]

On 2/5/2024 at 2:14 PM, JuanP said:

@Diletante and @Pat Stanford, Could you send us the System Report file from your Macs? I want to check for any other applications that may be conflicting. 

Please share when you have answers. I have had this problem before as well.

[tekbench]

Hello!

I just saw this happen on my machine as well.

I have been working along using the spacebar 'boomerang' tool for years.

This morning, I went to grab my drawing and spacebar to pan while in the flyover tool.

Did not work. I have never seen this tool fail.

I have also always use the flyover tool in active layer plane origin mode.

Today I started using rotate around selected objects, and that 'seems' to have broke the spacebar/pan function.

At least that was the last change/thing I did before the spacebar to pan stopped working.

I opened a Chrome tab, logged in here, did a search or two, found this thread.

Went back to Vectorworks and stepped through re-pro'ing the issue.

Issue disappeared. Can't repro, working fine.

 

I've not done much of anything to this machine other than keep VW current with service packs. 

 

VW 2023 SP8

MacBook Pro M1 Max, 14" 2021

Monterey 12.5

23 gig Ram

 

 

[MikeRB]

I am having this problem with the space bar / pan tool as well. When I press the space bar and move my mouse, the pan tool flickers on for a moment and then disappears. I believe that this started when I updated vw2024 to 4.1.  I am not having the problem with two other machines on update 2.1. I am also have a similar problem with activating the x-ray tool with the B key. I have turned off smart option display and do not have key board accessibility feature on. I am running OS14.2.1 on a MacBook pro w/ M3 Max. 

[Andy Broomell]

I've been losing the ability to use 'boomerang' tools 2-3 times a week lately. This includes panning and suspending snapping. I have to restart Vectorworks in order for it to work again.

[Andy Broomell]

So I just got a point where I noticed space bar panning wasn't working, and for troubleshooting purposes I opened Photoshopped and noticed spacebar ALSO doesn't work there.

So this is perhaps a Mac thing more than a Vectorworks thing?

[E|FA]

10 minutes ago, Andy Broomell said:

So this is perhaps a Mac thing more than a Vectorworks thing?

I just had an issue with Illustrator not accepting spaces in text fields.  Unfortunately I don't remember what I did to resolve it.  Possibly a reboot and/or rogue Keyboard or Accessibility->Keyboard settings.