Close tab behaviour

[Gandolf]

I'm working with a tab and I create a new tab. When I close the new tab I would prefer the previous tab I had been working on to be selected. As it is the right most tab is selected (I know this depends on options). There are other tab opening / closing options so how about this one as well?

I know I can use "Go to previous location" but that's an extra action and I'm getting lazy!

[serendipity]

+1 to this.

I had a similar request here.

[admin]

Check Configuration/Advanced "Open new tab next to current". This will result in your close tab behaviour.

[serendipity]

well, that option opens a tab next to current one, but wont go to the previous working tab when close any other tab.

I mean normally there can be two ways,

1. close a tab and the focus would go one tab left. (thats how it is now). I think in some browsers it is called "tab order".
2. close a tab and the focus would go to the previous working tab. this is normally called "recently used order".

i am not longing for this one, but just that little usability helps.

[Gandolf]

Check Configuration/Advanced "Open new tab next to current". This will result in your close tab behaviour.

...and "Activate left tab on closing current" needs to be set.

I knew I should have said I don't want "Open new tab next to current" set since the majority of the time I want the new tab at the extreme right.

I didn't remember your earlier post serendipity, otherwise I would have just added to it.

[admin]

Okay, I see. Right now I have no head for this, but later...

[lukescammell]

+1 vote for this. Would be nice for it to go back to the last tab you were working on.

[j_c_hallgren]

Sounds like a good idea...but...what happens when a second "new" tab is opened from the first one? How much of a 'memory' should XY have for this?

Example: User has tabs A, B & C open, and user is working on tab A...opens new tab D, so now active tab is that one...then does another open tab (E)...when E is closed, this wish says go back to D...fine, but when D is closed: go where? Yes, technically A was prior to that, but do we need that history?
And in this example, if D was closed but E was not, where to go?

Just some questions that (I think) need to be answered before any coding...

[lukescammell]

Well, if you have A, B, C open , then open two new tabs, D and E (switching to each as you go along before opening the next) - so you're in E - then if you go to D and close it, you end up in E again. If you are sat in E and you close D, then, well, you stay in E...

Am I missing something here?

I understand that not everyone wants this behaviour, but after living with it (and 10-30 tabs) in Firefox, I find it invaluable.

[j_c_hallgren]

In my example, the order of usage (but not opening) was B, C, A, D, E...as I stated that user was on A when D opened, and on D to open E...

So with this wish, as I see it, in closing tabs (if no other actions done), order would thus be: E, D, A, C, B...

But when user has been working in E, and simply closes D, does that break the history chain back to A? If so, then what order should a close/close/close/etc be done in?

[serendipity]

Yes, most browsers have this behavior. Often, when one is going from one tab to another there is kind of work flow and when you close a tab I dont like being taken to a totally unrelated tab. I dont want to push this too much, but I think its kind of intuitive.

PS: I am a neuroscientist and in reality inside our brains memory is stored in a sequential fashion, and seems like when that sequence is broken one tends to forget more often what he/she was doing in the first place. Best way to improve efficiency is to loop the likely path of what you were doing so that you dont forget the whole idea behind your actions. Just a neurobiological view of managing files efficiently.

[j_c_hallgren]

Just to confirm: I'm definitely in favor of this idea!

But as with some other wishes, how fancy/simple to make it in XY or how that compares to other products can be an issue...that was my point...should it be a simple history of last used tab, or a 2-3 entry tab history, or an infinite level?

And if we're having a multiple item tab usage history, what happens when a tab or tabs that are part of that chain are closed out of sequence? Do we just link the remaining tabs to close the 'gap' or do we stop the chain at the first break? I've seen it done both ways....

[admin]

Just to confirm: I'm definitely in favor of this idea!

But as with some other wishes, how fancy/simple to make it in XY or how that compares to other products can be an issue...that was my point...should it be a simple history of last used tab, or a 2-3 entry tab history, or an infinite level?

And if we're having a multiple item tab usage history, what happens when a tab or tabs that are part of that chain are closed out of sequence? Do we just link the remaining tabs to close the 'gap' or do we stop the chain at the first break? I've seen it done both ways....

jc, you are popping the right questions! The programmer's point of view. This morning I added a simple "last used tab history" and it works nicely until you close the landing tab, too, and the question comes up: what was the pre-previous tab?? So indeed, we would need a whole usage history including handling of all the irregular things (as you already said: gaps). Realizing this, I just stopped and said to me: I need a holiday before I do this.

serendipity: How does the brain handle gaps? By telling the hands to light a cigarette?

[serendipity]

Well, you are right Don. I should not be saying this but the truth is nicotine enhances alertness and therefore learning and memory. You dont want to know about the long-term effects though. .

Talking about gaps, brain for navigating purposes works exactly like the XY breadcrumbs, it accesses the nearest possible clue and thus closing that gap. Its like navigating in a new city, you have to have landmarks etc in sequential order to get to destination abd brain stores information in reverse order, latest things first (like XY history).

[lukescammell]

And if we're having a multiple item tab usage history, what happens when a tab or tabs that are part of that chain are closed out of sequence? Do we just link the remaining tabs to close the 'gap' or do we stop the chain at the first break? I've seen it done both ways....

Linking to close the gap makes the most sense for me, unless the closed tab is "unclosed" (do we have this in XY?).