How about easier way to edit dropdown lists?

[j_c_hallgren]

I'm not saying this is THAT important...but it's something that has occurred to me a few times...so any others have same issue?

In standard MS Auto-complete, one can delete unneeded entries quite easily from any form box...now given that the drop-down history of prior "Name" entries ends up with some junk that I've used once and never again...and I know that I can edit the INI to remove those...

Same goes for History...and Locations, etc....

But it would be neat (I believe) to be able to hit "Delete" key when focus is on a particular entry and that would zap it...or...even much better: have some way to go into a quasi-NotePad style variant edit mode on those type sections only of current INI so no chance of mucking up the other more critical entries.

This edit mode would need to differ from true NotePad in that one would not have to deal with or worry about "Count" items or the prefix for that entry (Named/Lookin/etc), and would be more of a consolidated place where you could simply delete a line, update a line or add a line.

Or another words, similar to how one can edit the Excluded Folders list, the more I think about it...but for all the dropdown boxes in one new screen.

[admin]

But it would be neat (I believe) to be able to hit "Delete" key when focus is on a particular entry and that would zap it...

This is already possible if auto-complete is active. Simply press DEL on the focused item in the match drop down list. To show all items empty the edit box, then press down-arrow to drop down all items, and DEL DEL DEL...

[j_c_hallgren]

I didn't have Auto-complete opt turned on...so activated it...but it still doesn't seem to delete...I'm on 4.50.22...

In any case, being able to add/upd/del an entry as one can do with Excluded for these without AC opt still seems a desirable minor wish.
And being able to selectively clear history would also be part of it.

[admin]

Ok, when I said "press down-arrow to drop down all items" that was ambigue. I meant pressing the arrow-down key, not clicking the dropdown-arrow-button (or whatever it is called).

Internally there are 2 dropdowns with individual behaviors: the history, and the match list. They are visually almost identical, which might be an unclever design. Should the match list have a different text or back color?

[j_c_hallgren]

As usual, when it's almost bedtime, my mind is not at 100%...so now that it's morning, I realize why I couldn't delete the entry...I was misusing the down arrow...

And I'm not sure if I follow what history/match list you're referring to...could you try again?

But as to the 32 entry History used for GoTo: That's where i'd like to able to easily remove those entries that are gone/unneeded but keeping a few others that I use but not often enough to be put on my Favorites...

[admin]

And I'm not sure if I follow what history/match list you're referring to...could you try again?

In those 3 fields (address bar, name, location) that can have auto-complete, if auto-complete is on then:
match list = the matches presented to you when you type a few characters; or if edit box empty, press down-arrow-key to get a "match all"-list. This match list is editable by DEL key.
history = the list you get when you click the drop-down-arrow = all stored entries in reverse-chronological order

But as to the 32 entry History used for GoTo: That's where i'd like to able to easily remove those entries that are gone/unneeded but keeping a few others that I use but not often enough to be put on my Favorites...

Not possible currently. It's on my list.

[j_c_hallgren]

Thanks for the clarification in terminology! That's sometimes the main problem...what we users call it and what you as developer know it as ..

Should the match list have a different text or back color?
----and then ----
Not possible currently. It's on my list.

That might help a bit...a very light tint of some color could work...but I'd like not to be the only input to this...others may feel that documenting the difference in Help may be enough...I'd just start with that...using text you wrote here...

Re history: An interim solution would be related to my other thread...creating a quick way to access the INI file via NotePad or similar...we could then edit that...but even having history as a drop-down somewhere might work..

[admin]

Re history: An interim solution would be related to my other thread...creating a quick way to access the INI file via NotePad or similar...we could then edit that...

Whatever you want... wait for next version...

[j_c_hallgren]

Tried out that .39 vers...yup...that definitely makes reviewing entire config so MUCH easier! (I thus found a minor error in one of my color filter specs because it didn't match pattern of the others...hadn't noticed it before)

But...
Realize that deleting selected history without renumbering rest of them leaves blank entries...which for now is STILL preferable (IMHO) to having certain long-winded paths (which caused history to overlay most of my window!) that no longer exist in there and which make finding the desired entry harder (needle in haystack?)...

Overall, I believe it's a handy improvement...and will continue to be useful even when (I still have hope) there is a more menu-drop-down style method of editing history entries... THANKS!

[admin]

Overall, I believe it's a handy improvement...and will continue to be useful even when (I still have hope) there is a more menu-drop-down style method of editing history entries... THANKS!

The way you seem to use history makes me ask: wouldn't you rather use the address bar for your purposes? These data are totally independent of the history and better controllable: you decide what is added when (by pressing ENTER) and you can delete entries by DEL. BTW, the "Go to" box uses the same set of data as the address bar.

[Gandolf]

Code: Select all

4.50.0039 - 17.03.06 18:25
    + Menu Tools: added command "Open Configuration in Editor...".
      Opens the current INI file in whatever application is associated
      with *.ini-files. Of course, any changes you do will be applied
      only after a restart without saving.

Would it not work if I save the ini file from the text editor and then do a "File | Load Configuration" from XY to re-load the current configuration from the changed ini file? I haven't tried it but unless XY gets confused I don't see why it shouldn't work.

Realize that deleting selected history without renumbering rest of them leaves blank entries ...

Renumbering the list, having removed the blank entries, and changing the "Count" number works O.K. I do it from time to time to remove redundant entries, but I agree that a method of editing history lists would be better.

[admin]

Would it not work if I save the ini file from the text editor and then do a "File | Load Configuration" from XY to re-load the current configuration from the changed ini file? I haven't tried it but unless XY gets confused I don't see why it shouldn't work.

No. Restart without saving is preferable.

Load Configuration:
1. starts new instance with selected conf file -> will correctly read your manual settings
2. closes previous instance saving to current conf file (if save on exit) -> this will overwrite your manual settings
3. if you then close without saving, your settings are lost.

Restart without saving:
1. starts new instance with current conf file -> will correctly read your manual settings
2. closes previous instance without saving to current conf file

[Gandolf]

That's what I wasn't sure about - it saves the configuration and then re-loads it, so my idea won't work. I'd have found out the hard way, except that I would have made a copy before I did anything.

[j_c_hallgren]

The way you seem to use history makes me ask: wouldn't you rather use the address bar for your purposes?

Given that 99%+ of the time, I select my next desired location from either the tree or the history, since I avoid typing as much as possible...and the address bar requires keying (true?)...and I can select a history item strictly with the mouse, that's why keeping the history under control is valuable for me...everyone uses things the way it works best for them!

So it's when I have to go temporary locations that are 4-5 levels down and/or which create long history entries that I'll only use once, those are times when being able to clean that easily makes it nicer.

[j_c_hallgren]

I see in latest beta that you've colored the match list...that certainly does help tell them apart...nice little tweak!