GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 79150
Add modifier binding for 'open and close parent'
Last modified: 2004-12-22 21:47:04 UTC
This pertains to the mode where everything opens in a new window. On OS/2 and, iirc, the Mac there was a way to open an item in a folder and simultaneously close the parent folder. This allowed for placement to be stored per location while keeping the clutter down. OS/2 used DblClick to open objects and Shift+DblClick to open while closing the parent. The Mac's modifier was Option, but I don't know what that corresponds to on other systems. Using Shift as the modifier for this would conflict with using it to extend the selection, but that function seems to be taking both Shift and Ctrl now (?). The option of single- or double-click opening may also present a problem. Maybe single-click should only be allowed in browser (one window) mode?
Ctlr-click to open-new-and-close-existing would seem to OK. I really really want this.
And of course if you have nautilus set to open everything in the same window, this same modifier key should cause folders to be opened in a new window as a one-off.
I think we need to use [alt] because: [ctrl]: The same key should be used for keyboard navigation - i.e. [alt][down] and [alt][up]. And we can't use [ctrl][arrow keys] because that moves focus in GTK+, instead of moving the selection. See #79223. [shift]: shift is used for multiple selection, so that would be confusing and probably cause user errors.
(Calling OS/2 3.0 as Warp3 now - fewer letters.) I worry that the app (any with an icon view) may not be able to receive the Alt+ButtonN because the window manager is grabbing it for moving and resizing windows. Also, at least Alt+[Up|Down]ArrowKey is common for lowering and raising the focused window. In general, one may assume that Alt modifying anything other than a letter key is taken by the window manager; and so for Alt with other modifiers. (I think some even take letter keys, damn them.;) Looking at the keys help from Warp3, in at least iconic folder views multiple selection is a mode entered and left by Shift+F8. There is nothing bound to [Shift|Ctrl|Alt]+ArrowKey. In that mode: the focus ring blinks, the arrow keys move it, and Space selects the focused object. I'm not saying I'd like that - I probably wouldn't - but it may be worth considering. Another thing noted from Warp3, and surely other versions: There is a system option and a per folder override of how objects in folders are opened. The default is to open the object without closing the parent. The other options are: to open the object and close the parent always, and to only close the parent when opening subfolders. Of course, in addition to the setting for the system or the folder, there is the override when the object is opened by using the Shift modifier.
Damn. I'd almost finished a patch for this. But I discovered that alt-drag anywhere in a window moves the whole window. So we can't use alt as a double-click modifier ever anywhere. This is in Sawfish, and apparently in metacity too. That's all 3 modifier keys gone. Ideas? Just how standard is that window-manager behaviour?
The Alt+ButtonN+Move binding is pretty much expected by anyone used to X; I think E, mwm, icewm, and others bind it too. IIRC, DnD avoids Alt as a modifier for this reason.
Here is the beginnings of a patch to implement this in View-As-Icon. Problems: - Even when I turn off the alt-drag feature in my window manager, I can't get this to work with alt-double-click. I suspect that's something to do with the alt-drag-and-drop feature. - So I've used ctrl-double-click instead. But you need to kinda triple-click because the first click seems to be used for the ctrl-click-to-multiple-select-items feature. Fair enough - it wouldn't be a problem if we could use alt. I've made the modifier a #define in nautilus-icon-container.h so that you can try this out, and so that we can use the same modifier in other views. - I had to make lots of functions (and a signal) take an extra gboolean argument. I feel that there should be a better place to put this gboolean, but maybe that's because I'm a C++ coder. - I haven't got this working yet in View-As-List because I don't see a way to get modifier keys with GtkTreeView's "row-activated" signal. I sent a gtk-list email about this. Hopefully somebody can help me to get this patch right.
Created attachment 7829 [details] [review] half implementation
*** Bug 45928 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 48083 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
This seems like a usability issue. But in 2.1.2 this doesn't seem possibile. I tried all combination with CTRL/SHIFT/ALT.
*** Bug 89737 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Perhaps this should have a higher priority with the move to an OO/spatial model?
That might be a lame proposition, but how about triple-click to open a new folder and close its parent ? I know it might not be very easy to triple-click for most people but you could also have a key modifier too. As I see it, triple-click has a big advantage over key modifier: you don't have to leave your mouse. So, with only one finger you can do what you want. More over, you don't even need to have more than one buttons (Mac users might appreciate that). What do you think of that ? Is it technically possible ? Wouldn't that slow down double-click opening (maybe because Nautilus would wait for a possible third click each time) ?
Double-clicking is difficult enough. I prefer middle-double-click to a tripple-click. But I know that the use of a modifier key is quite usable on the Mac.
i think shift+double click does this now. marking fixed.