SlickEdit Community

SlickEdit Product Discussion => SlickEdit® => Topic started by: mitch212 on March 11, 2014, 09:59:17 PM

Title: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: mitch212 on March 11, 2014, 09:59:17 PM
There are 2 main things I would like to change about the file Open tab:

1. When I left click on a directory in the directory tree (not expand it, but select it), I would like that to become the current working directory.  That is, I would like the files list to reflect the files in the directory I selected.  Currently, the problem I find is that to change the current working directory (from the directory tree), I have to double click the directory; but that also expands or collapses the directory tree, which I don't want.
2. When I want to open a file, I do the following (in order): select the type of file, select the folder, then select the file.  So, logically to me, I would put the file filter at the top, then the directory tree below that, and then the file list at the bottom.

Can these type of changes be done by changing the Slick-C macros?  If so, where would I get started?
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: bengle on March 24, 2014, 02:15:37 PM
I completely agree with point #1.   I have always found that behavior to be annoying.  Changing the selection on a single click would be the expected behavior, like the Windows Explorer.  Single click should change the selection, and double click should expand or collapse, Just like the Windows Explorer.   
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: chrisant on March 24, 2014, 04:16:40 PM
I've worked the way the File Open dialog is arranged for much longer than I've used SlickEdit.  I've no need to filter by type (except maybe once every other year).  I almost never use the directory tree, because I'm almost always opening files that are part of the workspace.  I type a few characters from the file name, the list gets filtered to show the file plus a few more, I tap Up or Down a couple times and then Enter.

That makes me wonder, are you opening a lot of files that aren't part of a workspace?  Maybe there are two significantly different scenarios, and maybe the two scenarios want separate different UIs?  I think it would severely interfere with the workspace user scenario if the File Open tab were rearranged as suggested.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Matthew on March 24, 2014, 04:23:35 PM
We are looking into adding this behavior, but it would most likely be a selectable behavior in the Options dialog, and would probably not be the default setting.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: hs2 on March 24, 2014, 05:16:05 PM
I completely agree with chrisant.
Just my 2ct, HS2
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: bengle on March 25, 2014, 01:16:16 PM
Yes, I also agree that the File Open tab should not be rearranged.  The only part that I believe should be changed is the behavior of the single click vs. double click inside the directory tree.  I believe it ought to work like the Windows Explorer (now the File Explorer in Windows 8) directory tree.  Single click selects the directory, and double click expands or collapses the tree folder.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on January 17, 2016, 05:02:08 PM
Is there an option to keep the "Open" tab from hiding folders?

When I browse to a folder to open a file, there may be multiple subfolders in view. If I then open a file and get to work VSlick hides those other folders and the only one remaining visible is the one I'm currently in. Subsequently, when I need to open the next file, I have to close the parent folder and then re-open it to see the rest of the subfolders again.

Is there an option to say, just leave it all as it actually is and stop hiding things from me? If there is, I can't find it for all the hours I've wasted trying.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Dennis on January 18, 2016, 04:19:33 PM
Right click menu > Options > Show Folders in File List
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on February 04, 2016, 02:16:52 PM
I did that and let it sit for a while. No change.
Every time I change focus to another window/tab/frame the folder tree in the open tab hides all the folders except the one I'm currently in. The only way to see other folders, to open a new file, is to collapse the highest level folder and then expand it again.
Very annoying.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 08:37:24 PM
Right click menu > Options > Show Folders in File List
I did that and there was no change.
The directory pane of the Open tool window consistently hides directories from view and is quite the PITA.
Bump.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Dennis on April 05, 2016, 08:59:18 PM
Sorry, I may not have read closely enough.  I did not realize you were talking about the directory pane of the Open tool window.

Tools > Options > File Options > Open > "Sync current directory" > Off

FWIW, I have this option turned on, and I do not see the problem you are seeing.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 09:08:00 PM
Bummer, I really like this feature.
Quote
When set to On, then changes made to the current directory outside of the Open Tool Window arereflected in the tool window. Changing the current directory in the Open Tool Window also changes the current directory of the entire application.
Seems strange these concepts are linked.
If I'm editing a file I very much like that the Open tool window changes to that dir. Why should it then also hide all other directories? They still exist and should be visible, they just aren't the active current working directory. Currently, they aren't just collapsed. They're gone. They no longer exist. I have to collapse a higher level directory and then reopen it for parallel directories to show again. This doesn't change the current working directory, just what's shown.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 09:13:22 PM
Should look like this:
(http://ShouldLookLikeThis.png)
But instead looks like this:
(http://ButIsHidden.png)
...
See attachments.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 09:16:22 PM
or this
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 09:17:50 PM
so, all of my parallel directories are missing: core, lib, MCS_AUX, etc. are hidden and I have to repeatedly, many times a day, close MCS, then reopen it, to see my working area.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 05, 2016, 09:19:52 PM
Oh, and those snaps were taken with Sync turned off, so that's not it.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: JeffB on April 06, 2016, 01:55:14 PM
I agree with the request to change the directories shown when the the Open dialog is first opened.  I have to double click the parent directory (to get the collapsed parent), then double click again to get the parent to uncollapse...just to see any parallel directories to the one of the file I'm editing.  Very annoying and I don't see the logic for it.

Jeff
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Dennis on April 06, 2016, 03:25:20 PM
Would it be satisfactory to add an option to expand the sibling directories of the current directory, or would you prefer to see sibling directories at all levels?
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 06, 2016, 03:35:49 PM
Would it be satisfactory to add an option to expand the sibling directories of the current directory, or would you prefer to see sibling directories at all levels?
See sibling directories, with plus sign expansion, at all levels.
Or to put it another way, it should always looks like the first attached image on this thread.
I would prefer it act like Windows Explorer (or every "open/save" dialog in windows).

Principle of least surprise on this one. Act like most other tools in this respect.
Doing something novel here is not a good thing. Act like I would expect a directory explorer to act.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: jorick on April 06, 2016, 06:46:17 PM
I fully agree with dholshou.  It's irritating to want to go to a parallel folder but have to close and reopen the folder above.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Dennis on April 06, 2016, 09:56:44 PM
I believe the directory panel of the Open tool window was designed to emulate a commonly accepted standard, but it was implemented a long time ago, and Windows Explorer has changed also over time.  The basic idea was to focus in on the directory tree such that you could see the whole path in one glance from top-down, and then be able to see where you could go from there with the children directories.

I'm working on adding the option to show all sibling folders, but I do have a question about what you specifically want it to do.  Suppose you start in "/usr/include/c++/4.2.1" as in image 1 below.  Then you cd to "/usr/include/libkern".  Which result do you want to see?  The first approach (shown in the second image) focuses in on "include/libkern" (and collapses include/c++), or the second approach (show in the third image) where "include/c++" is left expanded?  (I manually resized the dialog for illustration only).

The second approach leaves more breadcrumbs around, but also can cause the directory panel to get uncontrollably large as you gradually visit everything in the galaxy, which will lead you to having the opposite problem as what you have now, needing to manually click to collapse directories you are no longer interested in.  It also invites more trouble with stale directories and requires more bookkeeping.

I have the first approach implemented and ready to go into the next release.  The other would take more work
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: dholshou on April 06, 2016, 10:10:11 PM
Actually, either of those is fine. That isn't the problem and I can live with either choice of the things you described. I've worked under both.

I think we may be missing each other. The actual problem isn't upon changing dir. This isn't a behavior I'm looking to change. It feels more like a bug than the behavioral choice you're describing.

When I move into /usr/include/c++ and use my editor to get to work, a few minutes later I'll look back and all of the siblings are missing: bank, bsm, CommonCrypt, corpses, cups, curl, etc...., and libkern are missing. They weren't missing when I opened my file and started editing. They were all just like your Image 1 and then they went away while I was editing.

I CAN'T change into libkern because it's no longer there. It isn't visible at all. Only c++ is visible under /usr/include. In order to change dir, I have to collapse /usr/include and then re-expand it. That is the problem I'm after.
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: Dennis on April 06, 2016, 10:33:11 PM
The bug you describe happens because it's trying to refresh the current directory and wiping out the sibling directories in the process.  By making it intentionally show the sibling directories, the problem you originally pointed out simply goes away (or at least, becomes intentional, for people who have the option turned off).
Title: Re: Change the behavior of the file Open tab
Post by: JeffB on April 07, 2016, 12:15:45 AM
Thanks, Dennis.
Just fixing the peer directories is a big step.  I would say option 2 is better.  It's also more like Windows and Linux (Dolphin).  In fact, in both Windows File Explorer and Dolphin, collapsing/expanding a directory remembers any already expanded subdirectories under that directory.  With option 1, I could see this coming up as a question/request in the future once the "new" behavior becomes the "normal" behavior (or for new users).  But either is better than the current behaviour.

Jeff