HOME & END keys do not behave as expected, Illustrator

[JoeUser00]

Using Illustrator 27.5 on Windows 11 (same issue also applies to any previous version of Illustrator/Windows).

Whether using a text boxes or a point text object, I often double click (w/ black or white arrow) on a line of text to begin editing & then use the Home or End keys in an attempt to move the cursor to the home or end of the line the cursor rarely moves to the expected location.  I have to hit Home/end 2-3 times to get the actual desired effect of moving the cursor to the actual home or end of a line.

It's highly variable where the cursor will actually end up after only a single key-press.  Maybe at the end, or beginning, of the current word, maybe in the middle of another word on the same line.

Never, on a single key-press of Home or End, does the cursor actually move to the Home (beginning) or End of a given line of text.

This behavior is inconsistent, counterintuitive & contrary to EVERY other text editing software out there.

Is there a setting I can toggle?  Is there some logic to this non-standard behavior?  Do Adobe developers ever actually read these posts?

For clarity, I'm using a standard 104-key USB/PS/2 keyboard. Not on a laptop or mac and not doing anything unusual.  

[sishamIAGD]

Have you tried using a different keyboard..? Just checking that it's not the keyboard that is the issue? I am on Windows 11 and the latest version 28.0 and all working just fine. Sometimes where keys get stuck or there is something else wrong with the keyboard these kinds of things can happen. Would be good to eliminate this so someone can look into further.

[JoeUser00]

We can safely eliminate the keyboard as a possible culprit.   I've had the same issue on every version of illustrator dating back to 6.0 in 1996 & on every computer / keyboard combo I've operated since that time.  It's definitely not isolated to this system, or this keyboard specifically.

It's odd behavior, and does not occur outside of Illustrator.   Something with the way I am selecting text (outlined above), where the cursor is in the middle of the line, hit end or home and the cursor doesnt move to the actual home or end, & there is no aparent pattern. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If I find time I will upload a screen capture to better illustrate. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JoeUser00,

Thanks for reaching out. I have tried replicating this behavior on my end and have seen similar behavior on both Microsoft Word and Illustrator. Would you mind checking the shared screen recording and confirming if it is the same on your end?

Also, try running Illustrator under Safe Mode (Windows / macOS) and share your observations.

If the problem persists, kindly share a screen recording of the same (https://adobe.ly/4aSKcHZ) so we can investigate this further.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[JoeUser00]

Hey Anubhav, 

Thanks for the reply & glad that someone at Adobe has taken notice...  

The behavior is not consistent across apps and Illustrator is the outlier.. 

Uploading a video here... I realize that Cursor Caputre wasnt turned on.. you should still be able to see whats happening along with my play-by-play.   Let me know if you need another video & thanks for having a closer look.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JoeUser00,

Thank you for sharing the information and the comprehensive video. Based on my observations, it appears that the Selection tool transitions to the Text tool upon the initial double-click on any Text Box. Subsequently, throughout the video, double-clicking on any text box occurs while the Text Tool is consistently selected, leading to word highlighting. When a word is highlighted, pressing the Home/End button for the first time deselects the highlighted word, requiring a second press of the Home/End key to execute the cursor action of moving to the beginning/end of the line.

In contrast, when using the Selection tool, the initial click is interpreted as the user selecting the text box. Only with the second click does the tool switch to the Text Tool, placing the cursor at the pointer location. This differs from the Text Tool's behavior, where a single click is sufficient to position the cursor precisely, and a second click results in word highlighting.

I acknowledge your viewpoint regarding this inconsistency compared to Word/Notepad. However, it's important to note that varied tools exhibit distinct behaviors in Illustrator.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks,
Anubhav

[JoeUser00]

Ok, thanks again Anubhav... I appreciate the additonal feeback.

I do see now that a single click with the black arrow on a text object (point based or box based) does not place a cursor and simply selects the object as a whole.   Double clicking with the black arrow does switch to the Text tool.. When using the text tool itself, a single click places the cursor, & a double click highlights the word that was double clicked.  Thats all fine and explains the differences between the different tools.

The fact reamains that once the double click occurs, text becomes highlighted & home or end are pressed only once, the highlighted word is de-highlighted, & the cursor does not move until a subsiquent/follow-up keypress of home or end.

So, thats the non-standard / non-intuitive behavior, e.g. When text is highlited, home or end only de-hightlight & they do not move the cursor on the first keypress..  additional keypresses are required to actually move the cursor to the end or home of the line. 

I doubt seriously this observed behavior is the "intended" behavior, and rather an artifact of the way Illustrator handles things, which simply has not been closely examined until now.  The behavior is counterintuitive and different compared to all other text editors... This could easily be fixed.   

Feature request:  When text is highlighted and a single keypress of Home or end occurs, de-highlight the highlighted word AND move the cursor to the respective home or end locations without the need for followup keystrokes.

Over the years i've smashed the home & end buttons way more times than should be necessary & I'd just like some consistency across apps that essentially do some of the same things.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JoeUser00,

Thanks for sharing your insights. I understand that having to go through additional key presses for a workflow can be rather cumbersome.
Would you mind creating a UserVoice for this feature request (https://adobe.ly/3NZfROa) and adding your comments there? Doing this will help us prioritize this request, and you will be notified of any updates.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks,

Anubhav