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farr v2 planning - use cases and action idea
nontroppo:
i need to sit down and read over the weekend - I will get round to it :-[ :P
Jan-S:
I think I'd still prefer the TAB-based approach discussed in the last thread, but I see that the special character approach is easier to implement.
You should be able to customize this character, though, as not all keys are easy to reach on all keyboards (e.g. I would prefer a dash as a command prefix). Secondly, the existing group aliases should still be accessible without a prefix. And thirdly: Do you still think of the multilevel keywords that would go with the launch bar features (being able to specify menus and submenus and access them via toolbar buttons or by typing them into the search field)?
when evaluating each of the files, it could see what the right-click context menu allows to do with that file (this is the hard part, i think), and generate a bunch of actions-jgpaiva
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Cool idea. With the TAB-based approach it would be enough to only do that for a single file after the user chose a file and pressed TAB. But even with multiple files this is not hard to implement as Windows takes care of finding actions that apply to all files in a certain set of files (try selecting multiple files of the same type and then multiple files of different types in Windows Explorer and compare the context menu) - @mouser: contact me if you can use some example code I've written in Delphi.
jgpaiva:
farr v2 is back in discussion! :eusa_dance: :eusa_dance: :eusa_dance:
Let's see...
I think that after so many discussions and thinking about this matter, the modifier might really be the best solution. It's much more flexible, and makes the parsing much easier (and faster ;) ). I'm with Jan-S, thought, it needs to be costumizable, because in different keyboard layouts, some modifiers might not be fit.
As for hotkeys, modifier hotkeys might have one problem: they already exist right now, ctrl, alt and ctrl+alt are already used for different launch methods for farr.
Now for things that i think might need to be further discussed:
* Is the automatic action detection possible?
* How would the setting up of the actions be made?
jukla:
jgpaiva (on hotkeys):
hotkeys are counter-intuitive, someone that uses the program for the first time, doesn't know them.
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Often true, but not if the hotkeys are few and simple and help is displayed in the GUI. Like pressing CTRL in Photoshop and seeing the title of the special action in the taskbar.
hotkeys aren't dynamic, you have to set them up
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Yes, but there could be helpful templates. And some default hotkeys (narrow search to text, to music etc) that'd work for many persons.
hotkeys are limited, which means that you'd only have a bunch of actions
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True, but how often are more than "a bunch" of actions for a file type needed? If seldom, then falling back on context menu in those cases would be more efficient than alternative solutions, since users might forget a seldomly used action's name in FARR and/or spelling (but recognize it when seeing it in a context menu).
lots of people have several hotkeys set in their system, that might conflict.
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True, but the risk is small if the hotkeys are limited to one-key-hotkeys like CTRL, SHIFT or ALT since no app makes (or should ever make) a single press of CTRL etc into a GLOBAL hotkey.
jgpaiva (later post):
As for hotkeys, modifier hotkeys might have one problem: they already exist right now, ctrl, alt and ctrl+alt are already used for different launch methods for farr.
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True. That could be changed, but I admit that it's a drawback.
Ok, I'll rest my hotkey craze now. :-[
Regarding a modifier prefix: File names never begin with a space, right? If so, then a space at the start of the search box could work as prefix. FARR could read anything that matches [initial space + string of letters without space + space] as a modifier.
Example: " mp3 moby" would search mp3-files with string "moby" in name
That's perhaps quicker than using some other prefix, especially some unusual key.
Drawback1: might collide with some other use of the space bar in FARR?
drawback2: only supports one modifier.
But multiple modifiers COULD be handled by a suffix (though that would complicate things) at the end of a string of multiple space separated modifiers.
Example: " vbs edit# xmltv" would search vbs-files (=VBscript) in folder NNN with string "xmltv" in name and set default action to edit
Another alternative would be a special letter between each extra modifier.
Example: "+" in " vbs+edit xmltv"
mouser:
the most important part of this idea is that the special key comes as a PREFIX to an action/modifier,
so
+vbs +edit xmltv
or
`vbs `edit xmltv
or
xmltv +vbs +edit
(all would mean same thing; user can change prefix character)
the reason this is so important is that farr can know that when it sees the prefix, then the typed characters afterware do NOT narrow down the search for filenames.
now we still need some feedback for actions and mofiers. we would have lots of choices:
1) when you type the modifier prefix, the results switch to a list of matching actions until you finish typing the modifier
2) any string you type after the modifier prefix would be "auto-completed" (ie auto-suggest word completion as you type)
3) we could have another pop up results mini window for possible matching actions/modifiers
4) we could have a simple 1 line reminder of matching actions
(the point of the 1-4 above is to give some kind of feedback/reminder for modifier keywords so you have some help remembering them)
then ANOTHER issue is after you finish typing and have a result list of files,
and there is more than one possible action applicable, how does user choose action.
if there is only one then we can just run it.
what about have 2 result lists.
one for files, and one for actions.
the action list will show relevant actions for the selected or currently viewed files.
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