Eraser doesn't work correctly

Hi Patty,

the eraser tool has two modes: One that deletes the whole object that it touches, and one that will delete the parts of the object that are covered by the trace it leaves. It will only work on vector objects, not on imported raster images (look at the status line, it will tell you what kind of object you have selected!).

If your strokes are grouped (find out in the status line), you may need to ungroup them to delete individual strokes in the 'delete whole object' mode.

If they are all in a single path, you can remove them with the eraser in the 'delete parts of objects' mode.

You can switch between those modes in the tool bar at the top when in eraser mode.

That said, it's known to the devs that the eraser often does not work as expected. There are many bugs reported already that relate to that tool.

Also, the eraser is using raster graphics concepts on vector graphics, so it's a tool that needs to be used with care.

If it doesn't work for you, even after switching modes and / or ungrouping, you can always switch to node tool, drag a selection box around the nodes you want to remove and press Del to delete them (or backspace, or Ctrl+X, or right-click on one of the selected nodes and choose 'Delete').

You can also use the pencil tool to draw a shape that covers the parts you do not need, and do 'Path -> Difference' with both the shape and the drawing selected. This is essentially how the eraser works.

If you want to erase parts of a raster image, please see https://inkscapetutorials.org/2014/04/22/inkscape-faq-how-do-i-crop-in-inkscape/ for help about clipping.

Kind regard,
 Maren

I went to the tutorials, watched almost all, with emphasis on the eraser. I
cannot get it to work properly in either mode now. In fact, Inkscape
stutters, freezes, and crashes, and shuts down, from "internal errors" on a
regular basis. I have uninstalled, and reinstalled several times now. No
issue has been repaired by do this. I just learned this program and am
loathe to start over with something new. But, as an artist, I must have a
more reliable program. I'm sorry, I like Inkscape a lot, but, at this time,
for me at least, it is unusable. Thank you so much for your time and help.
Have a wonderful week. Patty. (:
On Apr 16, 2016 7:02 AM, "Hachmann" <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Your question #291170 on Inkscape changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/291170
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Hachmann proposed the following answer:
> Hi Patty,
>
> the eraser tool has two modes: One that deletes the whole object that it
> touches, and one that will delete the parts of the object that are
> covered by the trace it leaves. It will only work on vector objects, not
> on imported raster images (look at the status line, it will tell you
> what kind of object you have selected!).
>
> If your strokes are grouped (find out in the status line), you may need
> to ungroup them to delete individual strokes in the 'delete whole
> object' mode.
>
> If they are all in a single path, you can remove them with the eraser in
> the 'delete parts of objects' mode.
>
> You can switch between those modes in the tool bar at the top when in
> eraser mode.
>
> That said, it's known to the devs that the eraser often does not work as
> expected. There are many bugs reported already that relate to that tool.
>
> Also, the eraser is using raster graphics concepts on vector graphics,
> so it's a tool that needs to be used with care.
>
> If it doesn't work for you, even after switching modes and / or
> ungrouping, you can always switch to node tool, drag a selection box
> around the nodes you want to remove and press Del to delete them (or
> backspace, or Ctrl+X, or right-click on one of the selected nodes and
> choose 'Delete').
>
> You can also use the pencil tool to draw a shape that covers the parts
> you do not need, and do 'Path -> Difference' with both the shape and the
> drawing selected. This is essentially how the eraser works.
>
> If you want to erase parts of a raster image, please see
> https://inkscapetutorials.org/2014/04/22/inkscape-faq-how-do-i-crop-in-
> inkscape/ for help about clipping.
>
> Kind regard,
> Maren
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
>
> https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/291170/+confirm?answer_id=0
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/291170
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

Hi Patty,

yes, there are known problems concerning that tool. But there are other, more suitable options to do this task in Inkscape. The eraser is like applying a raster graphics concept on a vector graphic. It's a tool that is rarely used by most people (I never use it, as there are so much better options), for that reason, so the pressure for fixing those bugs isn't very huge.

When all you need to do is to just delete some nodes, then use the node tool for this. It will give you a lot more control over the result than the eraser. You can also draw a shape with the pencil tool over the parts you do not need, and use the Difference operation to remove the parts that it covers.

If you want to give it another try, you could also take a look at this beginner tutorial series:
http://vektorrascheln.de/posts/2015/Dec/inkscape-fuer-einsteiger-teil-i-grundlagen-en.html
http://vektorrascheln.de/posts/2015/Dec/inkscape-fuer-einsteiger-teil-ii-praxis-en.html

Kind regards,
 Maren