[UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

The behaviour described in the bug report is either by design, or would be far too complex/time-consuming to be changed

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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *Usher »

2Flint
There are too many items to switch for "Tab", and other combinations with Tab aren't universal (fast and easy to remember) enough, so read my final proposition once again.

Completely leave Tab combinations and use full identification:
Ctrl+1 - switch to Left panel
Ctrl+2 - switch to Right panel
Ctrl+3 - switch to comparison area
Ctrl+4 - switch to the next area which will be added in the future…

What is your opinion about this solution?
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *Flint »

2Usher
Sorry, I cannot put any reasonable comment about this proposal, I just don't feel that I would be using it at all, if implemented that way. It's not applicable to my typical scenarios. Therefore I cannot judge how comfortable it would be to use.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *petermad »

I still think Flints first suggestion:
Flint wrote: I think it would be better if second Ctrl+Tab returned into exactly the same panel that we were in before pressing Ctrl+Tab the first time.
Is the simplest solution.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *Usher »

2Flint
2petermad
Just imagine more universal scenarios than your particular ones:

1. All the three zones (two panels and comparison area) should be easy available with keyboard.
2. Switching should be fast (direct, if possible).
3. Switching should be easy to understand and remember.
4. Switching should not use "Tab" standalone (it's already heavily used, so it's not fast).
4. You shouldn't redefine Ctrl+Tab (used for normal cycle) and Ctrl+Shift+Tab (used for reversed cycle) by excluding some zones from cycle. It would be hard to understand/remember.

I'm waiting for your suggestions. My needs aren't worse than yours.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *petermad »

history.txt wrote:01.04.21 Added: Compare by content: When cursor is in bottom 2 line compare list, show the line number as selected in both the bottom list and previously active list (32/64)
01.04.21 Added: Compare by content: Scroll main lists with cursor up/down also when focus is in bottom 2 line compare list (32/64)
01.04.21 Added: Compare by content: Ctrl+Tab now returns from the bottom 2 line compare list to the last active (left or right) compare list (32/64)
Additions confirmed working in TC 10 b4 :-)
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Thanks for checking it!
01.04.21 Added: Compare by content: When cursor is in bottom 2 line compare list, show the line number as selected in both the bottom list and previously active list (32/64)
Could you please test this a bit? I had some troubles getting this to work - sometimes the selection was missing, and sometimes it remained (e.g. when switching away to a different control in the dialog). I think I found all problems now, but it would be nice if someone else could verify it too.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *petermad »

sometimes the selection was missing, and sometimes it remained
I haven't been able to reproduce this in text mode, but in binary mode it does not work if the line cursor is on a line that contains differencies.

May I also suggest that the text color of this new line number selection uses the settings for CompareTextSel and CompareBinarySel - otherwise it might be unreadable, depending of the users setting for CompareSelBack.

Also I still think it would be nice if Ctrl+Tab also worked when other controls are in focus and not just when one of the two panels is in focus
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Indeed binary mode isn't supported yet, I will check it. The reason is that the 2 line window shouldn't need scrolling in binary mode.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *Flint »

Sorry for being late to the party, but I too confirm the new Ctrl+Tab behavior, and the highlights. Thank you for implementing it, that's much better!
So far I have not seen any issues with the current line highlight either, but I'll keep in mind that there may be some, and will pay attention.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

There is one problem when not in edit mode and the line is selected - then you can't see the highlight. I will use non-highlight background in this case.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *petermad »

I still have problems with which color are used where when the 2 lines comparison area is in focus:

Here is how it looks by me when the 2 lines comparison area is NOT in focus: https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont1.png

And here is how it looks by me when the 2 lines comparison area IS in focus: https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont2.png

Here is my color settings ( https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcontcolors.png ):
CompareText=255
CompareTextSel=65535
CompareBinary=255
CompareBinarySel=65535
CompareDifferenceBack=15000804
CompareNormalText=0
CompareNormalBack=16777215
CompareSelText=16777215
CompareSelBack=8388608
CompareSearchLine=32768
I have chosen yellow for CompareTextSel, because it is more readable than red on my dark blue CompareSelBack.

But as you can see on https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont2.png when the "2 lines comparison area" is in focus, then the CompareSelBack for the line number of the left/right panel is changed to white, which makes the yellow text of the line number very hard to read.

At the same time in the "2 lines comparison area" the text color of the line numbers is set to the color for CompareText which in my case is red, which is very hard to read on the dark blue CompareSelBack that is used for the background of the line number.

I suggest to use CompareTextSel and CompareSelBack in the left/right panel for the line number and use the same two colors for the line number in the "2 lines comparison area" when in focus - so it will look like this: https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont3.png or https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont3a.png - depending on whether the line under the cursor is selected or not.

The user will most likely always have chosen colors for CompareTextSel and CompareSelBack that work together.

If you want to also change the background of the line number in the left/right panel (when that line was selected before pressing Ctrl+Tab), then you have to make sure that the text color will work with it - that could be done by using the choices for CompareText together with CompareDifferenceBack - these colors are also likely to be chosen by the user so that they wotk together. It could then look like: https://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/compcont4.png

There is also the possibility of using a fixed color set for these highlights, that is independent of the users color choices.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

This is intentional. I only reverse the color of the background behind the line number, not the foreground (text) color.
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *petermad »

I only reverse the color of the background behind the line number, not the foreground (text) color.
Yes, but by doing so, you cannot know if it is readable, because you don't take the users choice of foreground text colors (CompareTextSel and CompareText) into consideration - as you can see from my examples.

The user could have chosen white for CompareTextSel. If he also has white set for CompareNormalBack, then when you reverse the background color for the line number of a selected line - you get white on white!
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Re: [UX] Compare by content: keyboard navigation and 2 lines comparison area

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

The problem is that the number and the text behind it is sometimes printed out together, sometimes not. Changing the colors would mean to always draw them separately, which could break a lot, so I prefer not to do it.
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