XYplorer Beta Club

This is a huge step backwards in usability, in my humble opinion.
Suppose you have to edit the last part of a filename: you have to press F2, then the right arrow to place the caret at the end first, and then the left arrow to go precisely where you want.
Before, you only had to press F2 and the left arrow.
I know that the way it is described depicts a minor situation, but the truth is that the current behaviour makes no sense, at least to me. If you're used to edit contents like this frequently during the day then you sure have noticed this.

Sure I have.
Especially because previously I could press HOME to achieve current behavior but now I don't have an option to resource to other than using touchpad to place the caret under a certain position, which is hateful.

11 times in 10 I have to edit file names at the second half portion. Tremendous negative impact here too.

The request for this change and discussion about was in this thread: http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?t=12334

Unfortunately, it's kind of buried throughout since the original post in the thread was asking about a number of items.

mwb1100 wrote:Unfortunately, it's kind of buried throughout

So we make a new thread only dedicated to this point.

Marco wrote:This is a huge step backwards in usability, in my humble opinion.

+1

SkyFrontier wrote:which is hateful. ... Tremendous negative impact here too.

+1

I think F2-rename should work exactly as in Windows explorer (besides actual extensions of functionality like pressing F2 more than once or jumping to the next neighboring file up and down) because it is one of those quick standard functionalities that should always be and remain a no-brainer, being used to how it works without having to think about it.

Of course, over time, one could - maybe - get used to the way XY handles it differently provided only, however, that one would 100% never use Windows explorer or a file dialog(!) for renaming anymore at all ever. Nobody can guarantee this though. Even if you manage to only rename in XY on your PC it could (and often enough will) easily happen that you want to rename some files on another machine or under different circumstances. IMHO XY forces me to think too much (and also press more than necessary buttons) when using F2-renaming. Using XY with this change it has stopped being a no-brainer. This is tremendously negative.

Sorry to say: I love the "new way"

With the old way:
- how do you position to the 1st characters? Isn't it bad to move from Right/Left keys to Home, then maybe Right again?
(Right/Left are below 2 fingers - for Home I have to move the whole hand...)
- how do you edit at the very last position(s) of the base name? E.g. insert " 40.30.0400" here? Or delete 2 characters in front of the dot? (Now: Right/Back/Back)

So for how I'm working the new method is *much* better than before.
(Though I must say: I needed some time before I've learned it - before I used the mouse to select Edit and then position in front of the dot, especially to insert there.)

PeterH wrote:With the old way:
- how do you position to the 1st characters? Isn't it bad to move from Right/Left keys to Home, then maybe Right again?

I agree, I thought the earlier behavior was symmetric. Could be improved. Generally speaking, I have this idea in mind: when you press F2 and the whole line is editable and selected, if you press (e.g.) the Left key it's because you want to move to the left possibly more than one position, so why placing the caret at the leftmost position? I would have pressed the Right key instead.

PeterH wrote:- how do you edit at the very last position(s) of the base name? E.g. insert " 40.30.0400" here? Or delete 2 characters in front of the dot? (Now: Right/Back/Back)

F2 twice. You don't even have to move your hand.

I was not aware of the details involved. Just happened to notice along the way that rename operations have become easier. So yes, I also find the new way more in line with other software and better suited to my most common renaming tasks.

PeterH wrote:Sorry to say: I love the "new way"

I agree. I think this is an improvement over Explorer's behavior that makes sense to me. And as mentioned in the other thread, this behavior matches how many other software products behave (though they aren't necessarily file managers).

Sure, it doesn't match Explorer, but I think this is one of those areas where it's better not to.

Maybe this is deserving of an option or tweek setting? Not sure how DonL would feel about that.

Heh, I'm a member of the "we like the new behavior" camp.

.

alrighty, maybe this helps some of us who do not like the new way:
http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic. ... 28#p112904

SammaySarkar wrote:Heh, I'm a member of the "we like the new behavior" camp.

I have to join too. I asked specifically for this about 2-3 years ago.