Tag nodes and way at same time

Here I go, putting in the power poles one by one. Now the next step is to draw the power line along
them, connecting it to each of the nodes that I just made.

Or:
There I go, drawing the power line. Then the next step is to put nodes along it where the power poles are.

Why can’t I do both in one step? Automatically have the nodes that I create for the power line be tagged as wooden power poles.

Anyway, there must be some more smart way. Think of a sewing machine, with each stitch the thread comes out automatically.

Anyway, in iD or Vespucci one still needs two steps: making the poles and then connecting the line. Or making the line and then planting the poles.

One should perhaps think that poles should always come first, because that’s how the electric company does it. But let’s say you make a lot of poles and then you forgot which way you want to stretch the line. So it’d be much more interesting if one could make the line while making the poles at the same time! I wonder which editor can do something like that?

Yes, each individual pole has different numbers on it that eventually need to be put in the tags. But let’s just say we’re working from air photos at this stage so we just have wooden poles and minor electric wire. Same tags for all.

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IIRR josm has a function to select the nodes of a way, so you could add the line by clicking all the nodes one by one, then add the line tags then select all its nodes and add the node tags at once

https://forum.openstreetmap.org/viewtopic.php?pid=121440#p121440

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Indeed Vespucci also has a “select way nodes” function in the menu, where we can tag all the nodes with the same tag, all in one step.
So a 35 node power line plus poles only needs 36 steps, not 70.

The old iD v3 branch had a feature like this. In that branch, you select a feature type first, rather than an element type. Since iD already knows you’re mapping a power line, you can click a contextual toolbar button that automatically adds a High-Voltage Tower (power=tower) at each vertex along the line you’re drawing.

Unfortunately, the v3 prototype has not been actively developed in some time, but hopefully some of the innovations in there can be incorporated into the mainline iD over time.

If you’re OK with constructing something in the opposite order as the power company, then you can cut down the steps just as in Vespucci: select the way, then hold down Ctrl (Command on a Mac) and press the down arrow key to select all the nodes that are connected to the way. Finally, change the feature type in the sidebar from Point to High-Voltage Tower.

Indeed that v3 thing would have been cool!
OK, yup, like you said, CTRL+down arrow.