Author Topic: How to freely move windows around?  (Read 8611 times)

rowbearto

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How to freely move windows around?
« on: May 03, 2013, 01:41:17 AM »
Hi:

In all previous versions of slickedit, I was able to size windows to any size I wanted within the MDI area.  I would do this by clicking on the 'restore' button.  But it seems gone now.  Is it gone for good, or can I just not find it?

What I mean is that in SE17, we had the restore button available to make the window any size I want in the MDI window.  See the attached screenshot to know what I'm talking about.

Thanks!
Rob

PS. Sorry for posting in main forum.  I only noticed beta forum afterwards.

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2013, 11:51:05 AM »
With v18, there will not be support for overlapping or iconized window within the MDI frame like in previous versions. Here are some things to know about the new design:

* In a future beta, you will be able to drag an edit window outside the MDI frame. These floating edit windows will support maximize and restore. Obviously, you will be able to overlap the floating edit windows.

* Floating edit windows will allow for better multi-monitor support.

* You can maximize a window (Zoom toggle) so you don't see the tabs and the other windows are invisible. An option will be added for automatically maximizing the first window opened for customers (like me) who don't want to see the tabs when there is only one window.

rowbearto

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2013, 02:04:29 PM »
Hi Clark:

Thanks very much for the information.  I've been playing around with the new MDI and I think I understand more now.  So far I don't miss the overlapped window feature yet (maybe I never will).

Question about the upcoming feature to float windows outside of the main SE window.  Will it be possible that floating window can also be another MDI frame?  Such that it can have multiple buffers inside it and I can use the tabs to choose which buffer to show in that floating/MDI frame?

Or will the floating/MDI frame just be one buffer/file at a time?

Thanks,
Rob

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2013, 02:41:25 PM »
If you have one file per window off, you will be able to use next-buffer to switch buffers within a floating window.

The exact features for floating edit windows for v18 is not known.

Here's what we think we can get into the first version of floating windows:

* Ability to split windows inside a floating window with a similar document tab context menu as edit windows docked inside the MDI frame.
* Each floating window will have a command line and status line. We haven't decided what that status line will have but we expect it to at least have a line and column display. Hopefully a lot more.
* Ability to maximize and restore floating windows.

These won't make the first revision of floating windows:

* Ability to dock toolbars and any sort of ability to remember what toolbars were docked.
* Ability to dock tool windows and any sort of ability to remember what tool windows were docked.
* Fullscreen mode for floating windows. If we support docking tool windows, this could be handy.

There are some complexities having to do with handling duplicate tool bars and tool windows which make this difficult (but it's still doable). We might have to limit which tool bars/tool windows can be duplicated.

Note: There will only be one menu bar which is on the MDI frame. Floating windows will not have a menu bar. I don't think this will ever change but it might be nice to have.

Under Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu (with the Unity desktop), you will be able to invoke operations from the MDI menu which will operate on the active floating edit window. Unfortunately, there will be issues with Unix window managers (non-Ubuntu Unity platforms). With other Unix windows managers, clicking on the MDI menu bar will cause the MDI frame to come to the front and there is no work around for this. Unix window managers are very crude.

We expect the Windows version to support clicking on docked (and possibly floating) tool bar buttons and having them operate on the current floating edit window. I don't think we can make this work for other platforms though.

I hope everyone finds this new Document tab interface cool. I know I'm loving it!

kfank

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2013, 07:32:45 PM »
I don't get the love of the tabbed interface.  I know many people apparently like it, but I have always used the overlapping window mode since I usually need to view several files at once.  You have removed overlapping mode and replaced it with floating windows.  However, it removes them from the main tabbed list making navigation difficult.  Suppose I have 15 files open and actively viewing between 8 of them.  If I take the 8 and make them floating, then I can move and resize them as I wish.  But as the floated windows get covered by others I want a very quick method to find a covered file and bring it to the top.  In previous SE versions all I had to do was click its tab in the tab list.  I can't even bring a floating window to the top by going through the window selection menu.  Am I missing something obvious?  I am frustrated to the point of just staying on v17 with its bugs. 

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2013, 08:43:36 PM »
Your windows are listed on the window menu. If you have more than 9, use the "Windows..." menu item if it is not listed. The Alt+W menu drop down hot key works on windows (not sure about Unix or mac) when you are in a floating window as long as you've picked/configured an emulation which supports it. You can also bind one of the commands list_buffers or on_more_windows commands to a key to select a file/window.

One feature suggestion that has not been implemented is an option to open new edit windows floating inside the mdi area. It's an interesting option and would give the same look as the old interface with cascaded overlapping windows. With this option on, moving the main mdi window should/could also move the floating windows but this is very difficult to implement due to weird drivers and window managers.

kfank

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2013, 09:51:29 PM »
I noticed that if I selected (via the Windows... menu) a floating window that was covered by another floating window that it did not bring it to the top.  This was in beta 8.

Another issue is that the Select Window dialog lists the windows alphabetically by path, not by file name.  I currently have 24 files open so even if the above issue were fixed it would be cumbersome to having to open and search that list constantly to switch windows.  Perhaps the Files tool window would work better.

The option to open windows as floating should be a must have.

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2013, 10:29:23 PM »
The window should come to the foreground. What OS are you running?

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2013, 01:07:31 AM »
The window comes to the foreground unless the window is in the main MDI window. Floating MDI windows are always on top of the main MDI window.

Clark

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Re: How to freely move windows around?
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2013, 02:13:34 AM »
The "Windows..." menu item (on_more_windows command) definitely needs improvement. One possibility is for us to dump this dialog and enhance the Files Tool window "Buffers" tab to display a combination of files and windows. Right now, the Files tool window only displays files and not windows. Windows can have duplicates (i.e. file.cpp:1 and file.cpp:2) and if it also listed windows, users would be able to select the exact window.