Window Navigation of SlieckEdit V14

[David_tellabs]

I setup new version V14.0.0.7. I found the window navigation is differ from the V13.0.0.0.

In the V13 the Window menu there displays the Windows in the order last viewed. Whenever a new Window becomes active it moves to the top of the list in the Window menu and the others all move down one. I loved that feature, used it constantly. But in the V14 this feature was gone.

I found someone else also has this issue. But his issue is almost 3 years ago.  According to the solution of that issue, I set the "next window style" to " recorder window". But this feature doesn't work jet.

http://community.slickedit.com/index.php?topic=563.0

[pvonkaenel]

Do you mean the "Smart next window" option?  You can set it on Editing -> Editor Windows option.  I think you can use ctrl-tab and ctrl-shift-tab to get what you want.

Peter

[ScottW, VP of Dev]

We still display a list of windows accessible by selecting "Window" from the main menu. The order of that list is controlled by the setting for "Smart next window style" as previously suggested. By default, newly opened files or existing files that are "activated" or moved to the top of that list.

It is important to note that cycling through the buffers using Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab does NOT reorder the buffers. Clicking on a file tab or otherwise directly activating an existing buffer will reorder the windows if "Smart next window style" is set to "Reorder windows" or "Smart next window".

The reason we don't reorder the buffers when you cycle through them with Ctrl+Tab is that this would constantly permute the order of the buffers. Let's say you have 5 buffers open: A, B, C, D, E. You're in A but you want E, so you hit Ctrl+Tab 4 times to get to E. Now your order is E, D, C, B, A. What you would really want it to be is E, A, B, C, D. But we can't tell the difference between a buffer you briefly pass through on to the way to the one you really want.

[David_tellabs]

Thanks for your reply!

"Let's say you have 5 buffers open: A, B, C, D, E. You're in A but you want E, so you hit Ctrl+Tab 4 times to get to E. Now your order is E, D, C, B, A. What you would really want it to be is E, A, B, C, D. "
Yes. That is what I really want.  I had set the "Smart next window style"  to "Recorder window". But the "activated" file dose not move the top of that list.

[chrisant]

I think what Scott said was:
"Reorder window" does not affect Ctrl+Tab.
"Reorder window" affects when clicking on file tabs or windows.

It sounds like Ctrl+Tab is working as it is intended to work, and it is not (yet?) able to reorder windows.
Maybe in a future version.

[ScottW, VP of Dev]

Yes, this is working as designed. I have suggested that we add another option that will reorder the windows when you use Ctrl+Tab, but so far it hasn't gotten a warm reception.

If you're reading this thread and you'd like that option, I need to hear from you so we can gauge the level of interest.

[thefrogger]

Hi Scott,

Ctrl-Tab isn't really the trigger you want to use for reordering windows, as per the example you cited. The trigger that would make myself and probably others happy, is when there is any activity in a newly-selected window. This avoids the problem of "we can't tell the difference between a buffer you briefly pass through", by waiting until the user does something with that buffer.

In other words, you hit Ctrl-Tab four times to get to buffer E, but nothing has been reordered yet. As soon as the user does any action with buffer E however, SE moves it to the top of the window list, and you get the desired E,A,B,C,D order.

In essence, the test in SE would be when there is any activity in a buffer that is not currently at the top of the list, then move that buffer to the top.

--
John

[David_tellabs]

I re-setup my SE and set the "smart next window style" to any of three value. But it seems that SE V14 can not move the current file to the top of that list. I consider  I can go back to SE V13 to get this feature.

Thank you very much!

[shadowbane]

The OP was saying that the behavior is different than V13, which doesn't seem to be what you all are describing.

As a side note, Visual Studio uses the release of the control key to signify that you are not just passing through a buffer but intend to stay.  I would recommend the same behavior:  Don't rearrange the windows on Ctrl-Tab.  Instead, rearrange them when Ctrl is released after a Ctrl-Tab.

[ScottW, VP of Dev]

To the best of my knowledge and based on my testing, this hasn't changed from v13. In every release I tested going back to v11, Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab do not rearrange the window order. The problem reported in the link in the original post was fixed, but that had nothing to do with Ctrl+Tab.

@David_tellabs: please let me know if you can get Ctrl+Tab to reorder the windows in v13. Then we can figure out what you're doing differently.

[David_tellabs]

Hi

I don't use the "ctrl+tab" in daily work. I usually click window menu to chose the files used recently. I just want the activate file to move to the top of list in the window menu. If that, I can chose it by click the window menu. In slickedit2008 (V13) the "activate" file can move to the top of list. But in V14, it can't.

[ScottW, VP of Dev]

Ah, thanks. That was the missing information. Yes, I have been able to confirm that change, now. In v13.0.1 that was changed to the current behavior. I'm not sure why, so I'll have to look into that. It seems like activating a file using that list should be no different than activating it using the file tabs or the Files tool window.

[David_tellabs]

Thanks.
I hope the SlickEdit give me a patch so as to we can have this feature in V14.

[ScottW, VP of Dev]

That fix is included in our v14.0.2 release, which is coming out very soon. Keep watching the forums for an announcement.