hi
i have this strange effect when using the tool, where it wont stop making this error of deleting the overlap when in use.
like the element below

have tried the FAQ and search, but not knowing the name of my problem makes that kind of hard.
How can i make the tool work as a "pen" again?

in advance thanks for helping

This is an option on how to display paths, you can find it in Fill and Stroke dialogue and choose whether the overlap should be empty or full.

Thanks.

Just after writing the post, i saw that panda looking icon.
Problem solved, But had already submitted.

Lol, I guess I can see how it could look like a panda. I usually describe them as "roughly heart shaped, one with a hole in it". It's called the Fill Rule -- one is Even-Odd, the other is Non-Zero. I always have to look up the names though, because they're not very intuitive for me.

Glad you worked it out

+1 for panda icon

I would really like to see the Panda icon explained in the Inkscape: Advanced tutorial under the section about combining overlapping paths. It took me quite a while to figure out too when I first tried to make a shape with a hole in it with that technique. I had the opposite problem, I had it set to nonzero, which meant I didn't get the hole that I really wanted.

Is there anywhere I can make a formal suggestion about it, or someone I can talk to? I'm sure it would be a good addition for many people new to Inkscape.

Hhhhm....I'm not sure. Since those tutorials ship with Inkscape, I would guess contacting the developers would be the best idea. You could do that via the developers' mailing list (address on this page: http://inkscape.org/mailing_lists.php?lang=en. Bugs in the program are usually reported at the website called Launchpad, here: https://launchpad.net/inkscape. I'm not sure if it would be proper to make this suggestion on Launchpad though? I surely do not see any sort of contact info on the tutorials themselves.

Maybe someone else will know with more certainty than me?