XYplorer Beta Club

Until Don implemented the Live Filter Box (LFB), I used the Type-Ahead facility a lot, with the next/prev shortcuts. But now I only use LFB. The problem with LFB currently, however, as noted here and here, is that accessing and clearing it is cumbersome and involves changing your focus to and from the list. So I would LOVE to have the ability to optionally configure XYplorer so that typing into the list immediately invokes and fills in the LFB as an alternative to invoking Type Ahead. Focus should still remain in the list, though.

In LFB you have the Back key to delete the previous characters, ESC to remove the filter, and F3 to toggle the filter. When focus is in the list these keys have different functions. I think it would be confusing.

Note that TAB brings you from the List to the LFB. So it's not that hard to invoke filtering.

Hmmm, Tab and Shift-Tab are easy enough to move between list and filter but only with 1 pane. If you have 2 panes, TAB will take you to the 2nd pane. So then I either have to press TAB twice or use a different key to get into the LFB for the first list.

What else is ESC used for while you are in the list, apart from stopping a search and exiting a file/folder name edit? Couldn't those situations be detected and handled separately?

Backspace, that's a tougher one. And similar concerns apply to Del, arrow keys. Oh well.

Ok, so then how about optionally, making the typing of just filterable characters take you immediately into the LFB with focus in the box? Then Shift-Tab pressed once (for 1 visible pane) and twice (for 2 visible panes), takes you back to the first pane's List. I think that could still be a welcome improvement.

I see that you would welcome it, but one design goal that I plan to aim at more than before is clarity. I think the current situation here is easy and clear, and I don't want to sacrifice this for some cool inter-control shortcut. Even if only optional.

I certainly can understand that.