Every time you make a new group or component, the next logical thing to do is to rename it. Can’t have all your groups called ‘Group’ now can you. It really disturbs the workflow to have to right click on the new group in Outliner, then rename it. Just add this function into the list available in Preferences>Shortcuts to be available to control with a keystroke. Seems simple enough?
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If you get in the habit of keeping the Entity Info window open you can type the name straight in there.
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Yes that works but is more screen clutter. I’d just like to type ctrl-r rename and move on. For now though your suggestion is a good one. Thanks!
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Install the plugin “Make Named Group” and assign a shortcut for it.
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Yes! I was about to post this feature request.
I name & rename objects/groups constantly – sometimes in the Entity Info window, and sometimes in Outliner – and it is rather tedious to click around. It would be nice to have an assignable keyboard shortcut for this – perhaps which also works in other contexts such as Layers & Scenes.
Four years later, we still don’t have the rename function available as a keyboard shortcut without installing (another) plugin. Any drawing software has a keyboard shortcut for that. It’s essential when working with layers. What a waste of time.
SketchUp has no layers. It has Tags.
Layers, Tags, whatever you want to call it 
Still same issue
That worked, thanks
You can easily rename Tags [Layers] in the palette for them - select the one to change, click twice and type in its new name [that’s called a Tray on a PC, but the MAC will have something similar…
How would a shortcut key press help you here ?
You would still need to specify which Tag you want to rename, so a dialog of some sort is required to choose it…
The selection in the palette gives you that…
Without SketchUp introducing a new mind-reading tool, then a shortcut key press seems wholly impractical ??
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In addition to Tags [Layers] to rename other things - like Groups and Component-Instances you can select them individually, then use Entity Info to change things there - having Entity Info open all of the time is a highly recommended way of working…
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I hear you. It’s more when you select an unnamed object in your drawing. The keyboard shortcut will save a trip to the Entity info. When I start building something, I have plenty of unnamed groups. I’m coming from 2D design (think Illustrator, Sketch, Figma), and they have layers (tags), and you can rename any of them on the fly by selecting them and hitting cmd+r without going to another part of your screen. Time is expensive nowadays
It is. Modifying your workflow to avoid having to rename groups and components at all would go a long way to saving you time and making your models more efficient. Sloppy work on the front end costs you time later in the process…
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When I get creative on a new piece of furniture, I won’t name all the parts I create as I delete half of them along the way. I will waste more time by naming all the objects I create. I’m not an architect. Just an enthusiastic amateur woodworker. Thanks for your advice, though. Do you name as you go all the objects or components you create?
Yep. I name all of my components as I’m modeling. I don’t use groups at all. (That’s sure to get someone’s knickers in a twist. It usually does. 
)
Every component has a name. That makes the cutlist useful and helps to identify the parts in the plan.
I’m sure you’ve come across the phrase, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”
Failure to name groups and components makes Outliner practically useless, too.
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I’m impressed. I do like the idea of working straight with components. I use the Cutlist extension often, and it works only from components, so I convert a lot of my group to components, which is a massive waste of time. Thanks for the advice.
Thank you.
The CutList extension I use does work with groups but if they are all called “Group” the cutlist is rather worthless.
Indeed it is.
You’re welcome.
I have followed your wise advice, and I’m now creating Components on the fly. Where I would like the keyboard shortcut to work will be, as an example, when selecting all my components to group them together (as I have a lot of elements on one page as it’s a shop fitting, I do cmd+g and then at that point a cmd+r to rename that new group would be great, instead of going to the outliner window and rename it there.
I’m not ready for another debate about names and ways of working. I’m just following that thread about the possibility for Sketchup to add the option to create the keyboard shortcut “rename” (whatever is highlighted in your outline).
Thanks
So you probably aren’t interested in the following but since I’d typed it before you edited your previous post, I’ll leave it. Why don’t you make nested components instead of groups? Or use ThomThom’s Make Named Group and assign a keyboard shortcut for it so you can give the groups names when you create them rather than going through extra steps to name the group later.
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