Hi peeps. New to Inkscape and I'm trying to figure out how to create a knock out. Nothing special.

I have a type character converted to outlines (`Path > Object to Path`) which sits above some lines drawn with the line tool (~30-50 line objects). I want the type outline to knock out all of the paths.

Its been years since I've used Adobe Illustrator, but I think in that software you needed to create a 'compound path' before you could use the path tools (`Path > Difference` and `Path > Cut path`).

Is it something similar for Inkscape?

I tried `Path > Combine`, but that had unintended results. What's the concept from Inkscape I need?

Two options that come to mind: 

1) as you have described, make all the lines unstroked path objects via stroke to path (if they are simple stroked lines), then combine them into a compound path, then difference the number through.

2) there is a multi-bool extension that will cut through many paths with the number, but the stroked lines will still need to be converted with stroke to path before multi-bool.

https://inkscape.org/~Moini/%E2%98%85multiple-boolean-operations-with-inx-pathops

There´s an extension called "Pen Plotter Tools" which is like Path->Cut on steroids as it will cut away paths inside or outside the shape:

I believe it´s hosted on GitHub but can´t find it though it´s just created 2 or 3 months back.

Here you are, milord 😋

https://inkscape.org/nl/~jgk/%E2%98%85cut-and-remove-by-shape-extension

Hey peeps. Thanks for the recommendations. 

Just so I understand this correctly, all of the recommendations are third-party extensions I should add to Inkscape? Is that how things get done--with extensions?

More complex operations are usually extensions. There are core extensions installed with Inkscape and thousands more on the net and Inkscape.org. 

There's still something I'm not understanding about Inkscape.

I get an error, "Please select two objects."

I typed the letters. I created the multiple lines

1. Select the word.
2. use the command `Object > Object to Path` to convert the type into outline.
3. Ungroup letters of word group
4. used the arrow pointer ("Select and transform objects") tool to select multiple lines and one letter form.
5. Select the extensionlinked above (jkrumbiegel/Cut-and-remove-by-shape) `Extensions > Pen Plotter Tools`
6. Select the option, Outside of the shape (assuming the shape in this context is the letterform?)
7. This produces an error: "Inkscape has received additional data from the script executed: Please select two objects"

Indeed I selected more than two objects; maybe not two _inkscape objects_?

I've tried converting the lines to shapes with  `Object > Object to Path`

I tried selecting only one line (impossible for my project, but worth testing) and the result was another error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "cut_and_remove_by_shape.py", line 278, in <module>
    CutAndRemoveByShapeExtension().run()
  File "C:\Program Files\Inkscape\share\inkscape\extensions\inkex\base.py", line 140, in run
    self.save_raw(self.effect())
  File "cut_and_remove_by_shape.py", line 78, in effect
    selected_ids.append(node.get('id'))
AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'get'

I'm determined to learn why this is not working for me. I appreciate all of the excellent encouragement that it is indeed possible and by the examples, easy to do.

What am I missing about Inkscape? Something about objects or typography or selection?

There`s no need to convert text object. Make sure it´s above the line structure which needs to be a compound path.