P: Pressing the Esc key to exit 'text mode' negates all the changes in the text box

OK, we will work with the suite to make sure the other suite applications adopt more consistent usage similar to that already in Photoshop.

Even if it is not a modal dialog, it is a modal state, and needs both concepts of commit and cancel.

Then why "M" doesn't type M instead of activating the Marquee tool? ;)

We can go back to Jef Raskin, "The Humane Interface" and theories of modal vs modeless interfaces, but I guess that's not the point. We aren't talking universals, even if it was possible. We are talking at a specific, contextual interactions and it's associated hotkeys where Photoshop differs in behaviour from the own choices by Adobe's own apps. From any other choice out there.

I notice you are quite strongly opposed to this tiny change, as first you hid my thread inside this one and second you are responding in this way. Chris, is there any chance that you can move this thread to someone willing to take care of it properly?

It is a fundamental rule of computer UI: escape == cancel

There's a reason why people keep bringing this issue up: consistency. People that use other applications than Photoshop only are getting frustrated constantly by this behaviour.

Photoshop is the only app between the whole CS suite, Apple apps and 3rd party apps that has this behaviour. ESC there means "go out this modal way" and the usual undo is there to handle errors. It's not a modal dialog, and shouldn't be treated a such.

See my comment below for more details.

ESC means clearly escape, and that's absolutely correct. But it should be defined "escape from what". We are not talking in general terms, but we are talking specifically for this interaction, and in this interaction ESC is intended as "escape from the current mode", not "escape from the current mode AND ignore changes". It's not a modal dialog, clearly, and it shouldn't be treated as such (see Point 5 above). It's a fundamental rule when you design interactions.

You seem implying that Photoshop is the only app from Adobe, Apple and any other developer that uses ESC correctly (see Point 2, 3 and 7 above). There's no "consistency" in breaking the a behaviour that's solidly there for years in both Adobe, Apple and 3rd party apps.
To be consistent you have to be consistent with something: what are all the other things Photoshop is consistent with then?

If Photoshop is the only one with a different behaviour, isn't maybe the one that should change? 🙂

Committing text in Photoshop can be accomplished with the ENTER key (bottom right of your numeric keypad), CMD/CNTL-RETURN, or the button on the text tool options bar.

ESC means escape. In computer interfaces it means to cancel, or back out of what you are currently doing (the opposite of commit). Using ESC to mean commit would be highly inconsistent.

Entering or editing text is a semi-modal state, and does need the opposing concepts of commit and escape. This is very similar to a modal dialog that has enter and cancel buttons -- you could undo after modal dialogs as well, but it is much more obvious and convenient to have both ways to exit that state.

I'm sorry that other products have misused the ESC key, but that is not a reason for Photoshop to break UI consistency and change to a UI that defies common sense. If we changed to requiring UNDO, I'm sure we would get many complaints about adding steps to a common workflow.

This is a follow up of:
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

The reason for that behaviour is inconsistent. There are many reasons to remove that behaviour from Photoshop, and it doesn't seem that they are going to be weighted properly. I took the freedom to collect them from the numerous topics on the web and here:

1. Illustrator uses ESC to commit changes.

2. InDesign uses ESC to commit changes.

3. Basically: all the other apps in the CS suite use ESC as commit for that kind of interaction.

4. Cmd+Enter isn't a viable alternative, because it's WAY SLOWER, forcing users to use both hands or move them from the mouse/pen.

5. Photoshop is inheriting that from the time when that thing was modal: at the beginning of time it was a modal box. Now it isn't anymore, there's no reason to be inconsistent by providing a WYSIWYG visual experience paired with the keyboard commands of something that doesn't exist anymore.
http://0.tqn.com/d/graphicssoft/1/0/m...

6. There's already a standard behaviour for that, and it's called Undo.

7. Every other app existing on Mac uses "esc" as "get me out of edit mode" for that specific kind of interaction (i.e. Pixelmator, Acorn, Omnigraffle), not "erase changes" (either that, or nothing at all like Keynote). Photoshop is the *only* exception.

Text editing mode needs to be modal to some degree. It would be silly if typing letters or using the space bar didn't type letters or create spaces. Per the official response, use one of the keyboard shortcuts to exit text editing mode. If you need to pan around the image while in text edit mode, use the document scroll bars or the Navigator panel which are both available in text edit mode.

Dear Adobe Gripes
#5756, #3027 & #8338

"Please make an keyboard shortcut to deselect the type tool, when typing in
the type tool. Right now you have to click on another tool in the palette
to get out of the type tool. Try doing this when the tool palette is
hidden, you must hit esc, the lose all your changes, then bring back the
palette, then select another tool."

"why can't you escape out of the text tool without negating everything you just did? You figured this out in your other apps."

"I need some sort of shortcut to select a new tool when a text box is active. Also, spacebar for Hand Selection tool doesn't work. Beat."