New user, following https://wiki.synfig.org/Doc:Getting_Started.
I’ve drawn some shapes, selected them, and am trying to click/drag/move them with the scale and rotate tools by clicking on the boxes, on the shapes, on the dots. Nothing happens with the tools at all.
Please help, and also update the tutorial to be clearer.
Hi and welcome here 
Could you please give more information about the version and OS you use (version, bitness, OS…)
It seems very specific to your install as no one complained about clarity.
Please use instead groups which contain Transformation property with all the needed stuff
Latest version of Synfig. Windows 10 64.
I tried drawing two circles now and adding them to a group layer. Then select the group, then clicking and dragging the rotate tool on it on the canvas. Still does nothing
I just did the test with 1.2.2 Portable Win64:
Test with handles
Maybe you could try the Portable version for a double check 
I’m not talking about the handles. I’m talking about the tools in the toolbox - rotate, scale, etc.
Please follow the ‘first steps’ tutorial in the link I provided. It says to select the circles then use the rotate and scale tools on them.
I think these tools are not used anymore.
Synfig has changed a lot and now transformation operations are mostly done with Groups and specific layers.
Handle are way easier.
The wiki is quite out of date also, most of it was valid in the 0.64.x version but the philosophy satys the same.
For a quick beginner overview you can still find videos on Youtube or use the Official Training Course that you can find on the website’s main page.
Thanks for your help. I’ve logged an issue on github for them to fix this
hi @faranta the tools work just fine here. If you want to move, scale and rotate groups they have their own controls. With just shapes on canvas you use the tools that you are talking about.
The rotate and scale tools work much like the Transform Tool, except in the case where you have multiple handles selected. It is much easier just to try, than read about it. Select a few circles, select all of their handles, and try using the rotate and scale tools.
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@BobSynfig what?! “I think these tools are not used anymore.” I really think that this tools work fine I use them all the time for drawing, we have shortcuts in the transform tool for them but I still used them when I have to change their parameters like smooth radius, allow scale when rotate, etc.
Please will you explain how you use one. I’ve tried dragging the rotate tool on just layer and that doesn’t do anything either
Give me a moment and I’ll do a little video.
Whaaaat. Your circles have all these handles!
Mine have only two dots - origin and radius. I have all my ‘toggle vertex handles’ on in the top toolbar too.
Oh! it is in the creation properties, you have only selected circle layer before you draw the circle, you have different options, I have that one deactivated and region and outline activated. You use this types depending if you want just a circle or a modifiable element like a primitive to start a particular shape.
Ah, thank you. Now it all works. That info is definitely not in the tutorial
Not in that particular one, but it’s in the documentation I’m pretty sure. 
Maybe in the Artwork Construction section. I read the documentation along time ago, and never back again. 
Thanks again @ebarranko, I use only transform tool (and rarely)
I should have read better the manual
No worries @BobSynfig . I love that now we can just see gif, images and video links in the forum with easy.