why has the ctrl Z functionality become so counter intuitive??

Question

On literally every app I ever used, ctrl Z undos the last action. And then the second last. And so on.
I just got the new PS ( worked only on PS elements before) and spent already half a hour pulling my hair as to why ctrl Z only works once. WTH?? Ok found forums, need to change stuff in the prefs etc etc. First of all, WHY?? Second, it still doesn't work as it should.
When in text mode, I can't undo anything unless I quit text mode. Then, the undo undos EVERYTHING I did while in text mode, instead of just letting me correct my last typo or whatever deletion error, backwards in history, one after the other. This is basic text functionality. This doesn't make any sense.
Why would anyone change something so internationally and historically functional as ctrl Z??

BrettN · Answer

Unfotunately, this is a limitation of the Type tool and always has been.

When you have a type layer active, you are in what is referred to as a "modal state." This is where you are locked into the current task, you can't interact with anything else until you've finished. That's why clicking outside of the text box either doesn't work or applies and closes your current edit. Basically, editing text is like being inside a dialog box.

You may notice in the History panel that new history states are not added as you edit your text, it only updates once you apply your current edits. So Ctrl+Z is undoing all of the edits that are currently on the stack and going back to the last save state of the layer. Just like clicking Cancel in a dialog box, it is clearing out all of the most recent, unsaved changes since the dialog was opened.

If you are typing out something complicated that requires undo instead of simpler editing, like backspace or delete, it may be best to type it out in an application which better specializes in word processing. You can then copy and paste into your text layer. Illustrator and InDesign have more robust tools for managing type.

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