Matt Birchler
I tried Freeform for the first time today and I was shook to learn there aren't keyboard shortcuts for creating anything. After years of using apps like this, the idea of working quickly without shortcuts just seems painful.
Jan 23, 2023 at 8:35pmWeb
Show threadMatt BirchlerJan 23, 2023

I think Figma is best in class here, but to avert the "web apps aren't real apps" retort, I'll use Sketch as an example, although most of these are found in many apps and are very similar between them.

I can add my own shortcuts for these in System Settings, but:

1. That's a hacky solution
2. Those require a modifier key, so they would be more complicated than this.

Show threadMario GuzmánJan 23, 2023
@birchtree Things that used to make an app Macintosh-y or even desktop-y are disappearing because Apple is putting devs who primarily did iOS dev into macOS or Mac app roles these days. That or they’re Catalyst apps and well, macOS isn’t as important as iOS/iPadOS since it’s inherently a mobile first app.
Show threadPaul SahnerJan 23, 2023
@birchtree Agree it would be nice to have those in there by default. But don’t forget, you can add your own keyboard shortcuts to any menu item for any app in System Settings.
Show threadTom HarringtonJan 23, 2023
@paulsahner @birchtree If you’re using the app on a Mac. It also runs on iPad where this isn’t an option.
Show threadMatt BirchlerJan 23, 2023
@atomicbird @paulsahner Yeah, sadly this, plus those shortcuts are way longer than than they are in any other app. Literally every other app lets me hit "T" to enter a text box, but the system shortcuts option requires at least 1 modifier key 😭
Show threadChris WeirupJan 25, 2023

@birchtree @atomicbird @paulsahner But iPad apps can have keyboard shortcuts. And if the app is built in Catalyst, those work in Mac as well. Here’s Apples own documentation. Really no excuse not to have them.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uikeycommand

Apple Developer Documentation

Show threadNumeric CitizenJan 23, 2023
@[email protected] weird because exactly today I tried Freeform for a project at work. Except for the keyboard shortcuts, I find the micro editing app experience well thought out (i.e. editing shape attributes)
Show threadSean FulmerJan 23, 2023
@birchtree the lack of useful shortcuts was the first thing I noticed in Freeform. What the hell, Apple, you used to love keyboard shortcuts!
Show threadLuca CampeloJan 24, 2023
@birchtree When I see these things, I painfully remember that high quality Mac software from Apple is a thing of the past.