Highlight color picker now text only?

KRomig · October 13, 2022, 5:04pm

Why is the highlight color picker from an annotation now text only? (Unless there is a user switch to flip it back - which I can’t find).

It used to be that when you tapped/clicked on a highlight in edit mode, that you could select the color option and the available highlight colors would be displayed, now only the name of the color, such as “green” is displayed. Why?

I fully understand that you can’t please everyone, and maybe a good number of users like this method. But showing the color allows me (at least) to make my selection quickly. Needing to parse words for what is a COLOR based selection is 1) odd and 2) inefficient.

DTTG 3.5.7

Thanks, Ken

BLUEFROG · October 13, 2022, 5:41pm

A screen capture would be helpful.

KRomig · October 13, 2022, 5:51pm

Sure

I found a blurry picture of the prior method, but you can see the color circles on the left. If one selected that, the various colors appeared as selectable options.

New version is words. I mean, I can read and all, but I don’t quickly know light red, from light blue without parsing the text.

BLUEFROG · October 13, 2022, 6:44pm

I have no idea why you’re seeing that but that is not the current display in DEVONthink To Go 3.5.7.

This is what I’m seeing.

Anyone else seeing an errant display?

eboehnisch · October 14, 2022, 8:28am

Yes, that is correct. i(Pad)OS 16 no longer supports editing menus with icons. Sorry.

KRomig · October 14, 2022, 5:48pm

Huh?
Too bad
Every other PDF annotator I have on that same iPad still provides color circles/icons when editing an annotation. Most freemium, some paid for.

PDF Expert
Highlights
Acrobat
LiquidText
Xodo
Apple’s bult-in Files based viewer.
All of them - each must use different methods

But I much prefer to use the annotator in DTTG, it has always worked best for me.
Too bad.

BLUEFROG · October 14, 2022, 10:58pm

Have you tried the PDF Viewer application from PSPDFKit?

MsLogica · October 16, 2022, 10:45am

Huh, I hadn’t noticed this. My iPad is on iPadOS 15.7 so has a nice “normal” colour menu for highlights in DTTG, but my iPhone is on 16.0.3 is now just text menus.

I’m guessing Apple have made this change to standardise more functions across the iOS ecosystem (instead of letting each app do its own thing), to enable even more automation in the iOS ecosystem, but it’s a bit cheeky when humans still have to use the menus too.

@KRomig it’s not clear if you’re asking about iOS or iPadOS, but if your other apps are currently fine and you’re on 16, it’s likely because they haven’t released their update for the new OS yet? (It could also be that some of your apps are ignoring the new Apple guidelines. I note that Kindle has released an update for example, but is still offering icon edit menus).

KRomig · October 16, 2022, 8:39pm

Maybe, but that doesn’t make much sense in relation to how APPLE is supporting this feature.

If one uses the built-in annotator in the Files App (iPadOS (16.1)), you get this:

Apple seems to like colors in its editing menu.

eboehnisch · October 17, 2022, 8:04am

Apple has rewritten the way the so-called editing menu is put together. E.g., it’s horizontally scrollable now and also adjusts to dark mode. The way the PDF editor put images in there was kind of a hack (or hijacking) but nothing official. Maybe their developers will bring it back and we’ll be able to make use of their research then too.

Apple sometimes introduces functionality but keeps it to their own first. Or they introduce new features and don’t document them, so in the first months after an OS release developers have to use trial-and-error to find out how it’s all meant to be used and implemented.