Align and Distribute Spacing move a selected compound path or group as
one object, and they found the key object only when its own id was
among the objects they move. When the key was inside a compound path
or a selected group, aligning to the key moved that compound path or
group like any other object, and the key moved with it. In that case,
Distribute Spacing with a spacing held the first object still instead
of the key.
The key object can end up inside a selected group or a compound path.
Dragging its row into a group in the Layers panel (layer.move) keeps
the selection and the key. A Selection-tool Shift-click on that group,
when it is unselected and directly in a layer, then adds it to the
selection (select.toggle) and keeps the key. Other ways of adding the
group keep the key as well: a Shift-click in the Layers panel's
selection column or on the group's target circle, a Group Selection
click that hits the key itself, select.add, and select.anchors or
select.anchorsMany in add or toggle mode. In isolation mode, a
Selection-tool click on one of several selected objects in the
isolated group makes that object the key. In an isolated compound
path, the same click on the outline of a selected member makes that
member the key.
Align to the key object and Distribute Spacing with a spacing now keep
in place the selected object that is the key or contains it. Both
commands look for that object among the key and its ancestors, so a
group around the key's group also stays in place. Aligning to the key
still lines the others up with the key's own bounds.
Docs: docs/target-app-parity.md.
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