Working with focused item

Valery_Kondakoff · Post by **Valery_Kondakoff** » 2005 Mar 22, 09:01

Hi!

I'm a keyboard-hotkey oriented user, so I'm controlling the X2 from my keybard, without touching the mouse. Thus, the 'Sticky selection' mode is almost always set to 'On', and I think there is something strange with working with the focused item.

For example, when the item is focused (not selected) and there are no other selected items the user can view/edit it (F3/F4), open/execute it (ENTER), but can not move/copy/delete it (F5/F6/DELETE). So, I'm forced to explicitely select the single item every time I want to perform some important action.

Don't you think the selection of the single file is unnecessary and it will be more convenient to allow user to perform all the item actions on a single focused item when there are no other selected items? (Maybe another one 'registry' tweak)?

Please, comment this request. I think it is rather important.

Thank you.

Post by **nikos** » 2005 Mar 22, 09:42

this is kind of how i thought about it: simple actions can use the focus and "important" like copy etc require selection. But selection is easy with the keyboard, just hit space

narayan · Post by **narayan** » 2005 Mar 22, 11:50

[quote]simple actions can use the focus and "important" like copy etc require selection.[/quote]Nikos I agree with valery: you assume that "important" functions (almost) always work with [i]multiple[/i] items (which requires a selection).

But this is not correct: many a times we use a command on a single item. Then pressing spacebar becomes an extra keystroke. (And you know I hate extra keystrokes.)

So, making a selection should not be a precondition: let all commands work on a single focused item also.

Specifically, as valery has suggested, when there are no slection in the pane, the focused item [i]itself[/i] should be treated as "selection" for any command.

Valery_Kondakoff · Post by **Valery_Kondakoff** » 2005 Mar 23, 14:40

2 narayan: Thank you a lot for supporting this request! I'm pretty sure it is pretty clear and logical: there is absolutely no reasons to force user to perform two keystrokes every time he wants to make the file ready for some command.

2 nikos: I'm really interested: have we convinced you to implement an option (or registry tweak) to let all commands work on a single focused item if there are no other selected items?

I hope your answer on this question will not give an advantage to your shareware competitors!

(If you don't think so, please, answer me privately).

Thank you!

Post by **nikos** » 2005 Mar 23, 15:07

a lot of code will have to be changed to fix such a seemingly simple thing, so... it won't be happening anytime soon

Valery_Kondakoff · Post by **Valery_Kondakoff** » 2005 Mar 23, 15:22

OK. Thank you for the info. I still hope to see such an option oneday.