Comment 5 for bug 457749

What is your goal?

A - change the X *or* Y coordinates of *multiple* (selected) nodes:

1) click into one of the coordinate fields (X or Y) you want to be the same value for all selected nodes
2) if needed, enter new value
3) press <Enter> or click anywhere on the canvas or near the selected nodes to trigger the alignment (selecting another tool cancels the nodes alignment).

… works for me. Otherwise add a comment to above mentioned bug report (if you already read it you will notice that I initially had the same reaction as you, until I figured out that it works as intended and fixes all requested features of bug #170116). But I agree that this UI at first is confusing and hard to comprehend, but once you realize how it works it is a quick and lean way to align nodes to precise coordinate values.

B - change X *and* Y of *one* node:

1) reduce your selection set to one node before entering coordinates
2) use <Tab> to proceed from the X entry field to the Y entry field or <Enter> to end.