I like Auto-Layout. And I don’t like Auto-Layout. I know it’s the first implementation, and it’s working, but like others have stated here it will happen that you run through a phase of confusion when your whole layout seems to collapse because of one control being moved.
Like written, you get used to it and learn to control yourself, immediately checking the layout settings for each control you drop on a view. But it hinders the RAD workflow. It’s nice that it tries to calculate its relations but it happens quite often that my idea is a different one.
As a first step, it would be great to have the “Done” button react on Enter/Return, in other words make it a default button.
I wonder if this could be enhanced even more by something like this:
Open placing a control, do not add any Auto-Layout settings per default, or rather only the position related to the view so it will not snap to left side of the view.
When the new control is clicked while holding a system key not used before (in other words: not Alt or Shift), display lock handles for its sides.
You can then drag a handle to a side of another control or the view itself where it snaps in when you release the mouse button.
The auto-layout properties should then switch to that constraint so you can easily set the gap with no need to clock “Done” only the properties like all the others in Inspector view.
I guess we could complete our constraints by clicking & dragging handles much faster than now where we have to correct the calculated properties.
Could this be a way? Did I describe it clear enough or should I create a visual mockup? Or is this idea nonsense?