I, too, am used to panning. It's on my list of macros to write, just haven't gotten there yet. Honestly I don't understand how folks edit source code without panning (see example below). But, there are two kinds of panning. I don't know of widely accepted terms for them, so I'll call them both "panning" here:
Style 1: Shift the file up/down, always adjusting the cursor line as well. Example, first line in viewing area is 200, cursor line is 201: pan down once shifts first line to be 201, shifts cursor line to be 202; pan down again shifts first line to be 202, shifts cursor line to be 203. Pan-up is a no-op when the first line is 1, and pan-down is a no-op when the last line of the file is in the viewing area.
Style 2: Shift the view up/down, but keep the cursor on the same line of the file (cursor line shifts up/down with the view). Variations when cursor line reaches the top/bottom of the viewing area:
(2a) Cursor line shifts out of the viewing area (this is the same as using a scrollbar, you're just doing it with keys instead of with the mouse).
(2b) What I'm used to: When cursor line reaches the top/bottom of the viewing area, the file can still shift up/down but the cursor line also moves up/down so that it stays in the viewing area. Example, first line in viewing area is 200, cursor line is 201: pan down once shifts first line to be 201, cursor line is still in view so cursor line stays 201; pan down again shifts first line to be 202, cursor line would move out of view so it is also shifted to 202 as well.
(2c) Can't pan if doing so would move the cursor line out of view (have seen this before, but seems less useful to me).
Answering ScottW's questions:
- Panning is more precise and predictable than using a scrollbar, plus it is done without your hands leaving the keyboard (see example scenario below).
- I am used to both scrolling and panning extensively.
- Some editing programs also make the cursor up/down/left/right keys either scroll or pan while ScrollLock is active (though for me, having to press multiple buttons defeats the simplicity of (2b) above; I prefer to be able to hold one keystroke for a moment and be done, rather than pressing a series of keystrokes in succession).
An example of when I pan:
I am editing near the top of the window, and I want to nudge the scroll position to see more lines above. My fingers never leave the keyboard, and I press and hold the pan-up key for a quarter second and release when what I wanted to see scrolls into view. The cursor is still on the same line and column where it was, so if I've overshot by a line or two it doesn't matter. I continue typing.
Here's the same thing with scrolling:
I am editing near the top of the window, and I want to nudge the scroll position to see more lines above. I move my hand and put it on the mouse and move the mouse over to the scrollbar. I can't click above the scroll thumb bar to go up a page, that would scroll the cursor line out of view. So I click on the scroll thumb bar and drag it a few pixels. Maybe it's a small file and I need to drag it a hundred pixels. Or maybe it's a big file and dragging a few pixels already overshot by a hundred lines. Now I drag back. Oh forget it, this isn't working. Hm, should I click on the up/down scroll buttons and try to find where I was and then scroll up? Don't have time for this, so I'll...
Do the same thing with cursor movement:
Press a cursor movement key to snap the cursor line back into view. Hold the Up arrow key for a quarter second and release when what I wanted to see scrolls into view. Hold the Down arrow key until the cursor is back to the starting line. Oops, released a moment early/late, press Up/Down until the cursor is back on the right line.
