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Bug 763317 - dynamic focus using mouseover
dynamic focus using mouseover
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Product: GIMP
Classification: Other
Component: User Interface
2.8.16
Other All
: Normal major
: ---
Assigned To: GIMP Bugs
GIMP Bugs
Depends on:
Blocks: 763744
 
 
Reported: 2016-03-08 12:30 UTC by Jo
Modified: 2016-03-29 10:39 UTC
See Also:
GNOME target: ---
GNOME version: ---



Description Jo 2016-03-08 12:30:03 UTC
at least on Mac Os the switch between input devices can create some (incredible) bugs like when renaming ( bug 762897 ) or using the tablet ( bug 738327 , bug 725885 ).
i several cases i had to quit Gimp, sometimes that didnt help, so i restored settings from a previous backup of (Home/Library/Application Support/Gimp/2.8/) to get back to work.

i suggest to introduce a "focus on mouseover" if possible.
Comment 1 Michael Natterer 2016-03-23 00:24:57 UTC
I have no idea what you mean here. What exactly is the suggestion?
Comment 2 Jo 2016-03-23 22:06:53 UTC
thanks for asking.

There are roughly 2 areas in Gimps environment: the dock and the canvas. 
example. Cursor (mouse/pen) is over the canvas -> Gimps focus is placed automatically on the canvas, without the need to click on it.

Now, moving the cursor from one area to another area doesn't need a visual effect just to highlight where the focus is - it should be logical for the user where the focus is, because of the cursor position. 

please look also:
bug 762897, bug 733550, bug 752923, bug 752420, bug 740311
Comment 3 Michael Natterer 2016-03-24 00:12:03 UTC
All those mentioned bugs are real bugs on the OS X platform, not just
"usability issues", they can't be fixed by some evil hack on top :)

Moving the focus around between widgets would be the perfect way to
drive users crazy, because it would be totally unexpected and non-standard
GUI.

I think this should be WONTFIX.
Comment 4 Max Mustermann 2016-03-24 05:10:01 UTC
Some desktop environments/window managers on Linux offer an Option to focus the Widget under the cursor. If active, then it should be respected. Will check whether OS X has this Option, too.
Comment 5 Jo 2016-03-24 13:27:42 UTC
>All those mentioned bugs are real bugs on the OS X platform, not just
"usability issues", they can't be fixed by some evil hack on top :)

i see, but you can't blame me if those bugs are Mac specific only. I never used another brand. 

>Moving the focus around between widgets would be the perfect way to
drive users crazy, because it would be totally unexpected and non-standard
GUI.

I understand that Gimp is ported with courtesy for the Mac users, and your staff works on Linux. Gimp works pretty well, but not always, and i think nobody is to blame, because its a silly platform/porting issue.

Maybe things aren't that complicate and doable, -if- we point not that high. 
Why - adding a focus to every element ? i talked only about dock and canvas, lets keep it simple, if possible.

To handle that auto-focus feature, Gimp could have a small entry in:
General preferences>Window management 
with a simple boolean checkmark button, to activate/deactivate this autofocus

And just to make an example about useful options, the window modes under window management have ceased to work -without X11- on Mac. Therefore, i ask only a better replacement of something that is already there but does anything. 

Sorry, i think this bug report is a legit request. (please see also the attached bug list)
Comment 6 Joao S. O. Bueno 2016-03-24 14:02:54 UTC
Actually we should have a nicer way of changing the focus to the canvas (not necessarily for all widgets, and not necessarily for all widgets) - 
but currently this is a PITA -
For example, I want to do a vertical flip:
 
1) I click on the toolbox for the flip tool -
2) come back hovering the image,
3) hold ctrl to change the flip to vertical # FAILS since ctrl goes to the toolbox, not the tool
4) I click on the canvas to bring the focus there # performs an unwanted horizontal flip
5) ctrl + z to Undo
6) hold ctrl + click to vertical flip.

steps 4-6 should not be needed.
Comment 7 Michael Schumacher 2016-03-24 14:54:29 UTC
We had discussed a similar topic in bug 733550 - focus-follows-mouse.
Comment 8 Michael Natterer 2016-03-24 15:44:02 UTC
To bring the focus back to the canvas from anywhere in the single widnow
mode main window, simply hit escape. If the focus is already on the canvas
it will beep.

Do you really expect that we simply move the focus to where the mouse
is? Imagine you are in a text entry, entering text. Then you move the
mouse away, you happen to move it to the canvas -> your text edit
aborts.

GIMP 2.10 will remove the ability to focus from many widgets, such as
the toolbox buttons. Those will not be able to steal the focus any
longer. But we won't add "focus follows mouse" inside *one* window.
Comment 9 Joao S. O. Bueno 2016-03-28 04:51:27 UTC
Well, the "press escape" is enough, if hidden (hey, two years ago, I even did translate/reviewed the whole manual, and did not know that).

As for the text entry behavior you describe: it would not be strange for one who sets focus-follow-mouse to the whole system (I do) - but I agree the ESC work-around is enough even for someone with this setting.
Comment 10 Jo 2016-03-29 10:39:56 UTC
>GIMP 2.10 will remove the ability to focus from many widgets, such as
>the toolbox buttons. Those will not be able to steal the focus any
>longer. But we won't add "focus follows mouse" inside *one* window.

First, 
sounds good. You mean with "one window" single window mode?
And with mouse focus i meant two areas only: canvas and dock. Try to think on two fields only, in one window. I have always to click on the canvas to bring the focus back on it, simply unreasonable.
The esc-button is a method, but not usable for the tablet. ive 4 buttons with 3 different mapping layouts to control things, so esc is the same as clicking on the canvas. 
Why this gap? there we go.

Joao S. O. Bueno gives a very good example what i mean. Comment 6

Second, and again: General Preferences>Window management>window mode without X11 is broken ! -where is the replacement ? probably nobody cares of this bug because its only a Mac os related issue ?