CKS related bugs and questions

[lukescammell]

5.80.0032 - Backspace now takes you up a directory even when you are renaming a file and trying to delete letters. I tried resetting the CKY but it still does it.

[admin]

5.80.0032 - Backspace now takes you up a directory even when you are renaming a file and trying to delete letters. I tried resetting the CKY but it still does it.

This actually points to some general issue I have overlooked up to now. Another example of the same issue: define Ctrl+C for some function with global scope, say "pop up the list management submenu". Now open some edit box, e.g. by renaming a file and try to copy a selected bit of text... ... the list management submenu will pop up instead!

So, not only functions have scopes, but also certain keys! Namely all keys with some common Windows functionality that should not be overwritten in certain contexts. I'm not finished thinking this through but right now I see mainly *editing text* (i.e. focus in textboxes, addressbar and other dropdowns with edit field) as such a context, and the key combos that should keep their native Windows functionality in this context are:
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+V
Ctrl+X
Ctrl+A
Backspace
Ctrl+Backspace
Del
Shift+Del
Ins
Shift+Ins
Ctrl+Ins
and the navigation keys

Let me know if I forgot something here.


BTW: The implementation of this will force me to refine the code at some point with at least one nice side effect: not all navigation keys will be blocked in future. AFAIK Ctrl+Alt+Left etc. does not have any meaning in navigation so these keys will be available for other uses.

[jgpaiva]

Here's a bug that i think is very related to this latest post:

I selected 'h' for 'focus address bar'. It resulted in not being able to use h anywhere else, including in the address bar itself or renaming stuff.

(i know it's kind of a stupid key, and i really want to use F8, but as the window menu isn't complete yet, F8 is unnavailable)

[admin]

Here's a bug that i think is very related to this latest post:

I selected 'h' for 'focus address bar'. It resulted in not being able to use h anywhere else, including in the address bar itself or renaming stuff.

Oh yes, it is related! And I almost forgot the most simple editing keys themselves: the printable chars! Thanks for reminding me. Fix comes in a few minutes.

[jgpaiva]

Fix comes in a few minutes.

Yep, it's fixed and it works great! Thanks!

[lukescammell]

Really starting to take shape now Don - looking very, very good

[jacky]

Code: Select all

    + CKS: added a little navigation to the interface. I'm using labels 
      (that look like web links to stimulate a click impulse in the user) 
      instead of buttons to keep the focus where it is. Now it's very easy 
      to resolve an assignment conflict and jump back to where the 
      conflict surfaced. Works fine, but... hmm... it looks a bit "huh?". 

Well, AFAIC I don't think it looks "huh?"
But, if we try to assign a KS to an already assign KS to that same command, clicking "going to" obviously don't go nowhere, but it still turns to "going back" which will bring us to the previously active command. Shouldn't turn to "go back" in the first place I think

And, it seems buggy if the KS is assigned to another command, but that KS was actually assigned during this session (I mean on CKS window, not XY session). Looks like since it hasn't been saved yet, it knows the KS is already assigned to a command, but the jump to that command doesn't work...

[admin]

Well, AFAIC I don't think it looks "huh?"
But ...

Should be fixed next version.
Yes, one gets used to the looks.

[jacky]

There's a little problem with KS that popup a menu, when (one of) the key(s) used would trigger an accelerator in that menu.

For example, assign Shift+R to Rename Special. Instead in poping up that menu, it will also trigger "RegExp Rename" (since 'R' is its accelerator).

[admin]

There's a little problem with KS that popup a menu, when (one of) the key(s) used would trigger an accelerator in that menu.

Yes, I noted it too. Could not fix it. Wish there were a message to stop that accelerator business but none that I know of...

... pop them on KeyUp -- seems to work

[zridling]

Don, thanks for the all the Herculean work on these keyboard shortcuts. I don't program, so I only have a hint of the long, complex task this has been so far. Here are some things I've been thinking about so far.
________________________________________________
"Nice touch" department:
— The CKS dialog remembers your last place/position within it;
— No shortcut keys, aka accelerators, in the dialog (of course!);
— Everything is nice and wide, easy to read without constant horizontal scrolling;
— Hints button — that should save a few dozen support questions in the forum over time. (Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised.)
— Love the full key command descriptions; never seen anyone take the effort!

________________________________________________
"Not sure why" department...
— Now I wish the dialog was taller, to see more of the subcommands, such as under the File, View, and Tools menus.

________________________________________________
"Consider these" department...
(1a) Why not a button in the dialog linked directly to the ks.dat file so that users can save their changes (to another location), OR
(1b) an option under the File > Configuration File menu?

(2) The ability to print the entire array of KS to a text file?
(Good for memorization for newbies, and for learning others we old-timers never noticed) This could be either a button in the dialog (to the right of the Category dropdown list button or in the middle of the bottom row of buttons), or an option under the Help or File > Configuration File menu. The simple text file could list KS in the left column, Command or Command descriptions in the right column.

(3) Make the Category button dropdown list one row taller, to eliminate scrolling just to access the Miscellaneous (down) and File (up) menu sections.

(4) Will it be possible — in the future — to assign a keyboard shortcuts to specific folders and files?
I have the catalog, but during projects, it would be nice to be able to assign a few keyboard shortcuts to several folders and files, beyond the few "favorite" folders I'm in and out of throughout the day. (Sometimes these are as simple as CTRL+ALT+1,2,3,4....; other times not.)

[jacky]

(1a) Why not a button in the dialog linked directly to the ks.dat file so that users can save their changes (to another location), OR
(1b) an option under the File > Configuration File menu?

hmm.. what exactly would you want here? To save your changes you can already use File|Configuration File|Save Configuration It will save all your INI, catalog.dat and ks.dat
Or you mean to make a copy/backup of it? If so, I don't think this would be such a good idea.. What I mean, why this & not Catalog?
You can always go to XY's folder and make the backup for yourself, but for an automated thing, with how things are now it would feel a little "weird" (especially since there's no way to "restore"/use such a backup, for example)

But, if things were to evolve with a support for more than one Catalog, KS, etc and the user select which one to use on his profile, since then a selection would have to take place having those features to make copies/backups of the current Catalog/CKS/etc would seems logical

(3) Make the Category button dropdown list one row taller, to eliminate scrolling just to access the Miscellaneous (down) and File (up) menu sections.

I think Don mentioned that other categories will be added in time, if only the one for scripted shorcuts, so even if he did that "problem" would only be gone for a little while....

(4) Will it be possible — in the future — to assign a keyboard shortcuts to specific folders and files?

I believe that's planned yes, as part of the "scripted shortcuts"; you'll be able to assign one shortcut to such things as "Go to [path]", or "Move To [path]", or "RegExp Rename [regexp]", etc !!

[admin]

Just adding to jacky's answers....

"Not sure why" department...
— Now I wish the dialog was taller, to see more of the subcommands, such as under the File, View, and Tools menus.

I'll make it a little taller, 0.5 lines to be exact. But there a certain things, especially the scriptable hotkeys you were asking for, that will take their share of vertical space, so I keep some pixels reserved for future use.

When will we get scriptable hotkeys?
After the release of 6.0, i.e. about ver 6.2!
Before 6.0 I will work a bit on memory usage. I have to keep up with my claim "uses very little memory resources" and I will...

[admin]

— Love the full key command descriptions; never seen anyone take the effort!

You see that I kept them very minimal. I'm ready to grow from here. So if some decription does not tell the story for you (let alone is bad English!) let me know...

In future there will be an editable field below description where the user can add his own remarks to each function. In his own language. Saved between sessions. In a separate file. Redistributable. Loadable by name. Got it? XYplorer-function-explanations in Spanish? No problem anymore if one Spanish user takes the time to do it and shares it.

[admin]

(2) The ability to print the entire array of KS to a text file?
(Good for memorization for newbies, and for learning others we old-timers never noticed) This could be either a button in the dialog (to the right of the Category dropdown list button or in the middle of the bottom row of buttons), or an option under the Help or File > Configuration File menu. The simple text file could list KS in the left column, Command or Command descriptions in the right column.

Okay, I'll do this now. The button will copy a KS cheat list in form of an ASCII table (rows of items, items separated by TAB) to clipboard. From they paste it where you want.

Question to all: what would be the preferred layout(s) for that list?
KS > Command Caption
KS > Command Caption > Description
KS > Category > Command Caption > Description
Command Caption > KS(s)

or what???