Add More Windows to TCdr

[sucata]

Since I could not find a "Search Title Only" in the site search, I got 3000 returns on "Windows"; therefore, I do not know if this has been suggested (and rejected by Mr. Ghisler) before: add more windows to total commander (like QDir) that can be paneled vertically or horizontally.

Some files processing jobs require up to 15 open tabs (which can be created with a TtlCdr bat file); however, it is difficult to keep clicking tabs to get to 4 or 5 frequently used windows while processing files.

Adding more windows would give constant drag and drop access to 5 or so frequently used windows then the other 10 or so could be accessed intermittently as needed.

The newer wide screen monitors make the time just right to add windows to TtlCdr -- plenty of room.

(Paid) Total (Windows) Commander user since v3

[Clo]

sucata

Hello !

• That's a very old wish, many times expressed… For instance, in THIS THREAD 30 months ago only…
- Even the third panel I suggested there a minima didn't get the Author's interest…
- I agree that now the “lack of room…blah blah…” arguments against such an adddition are obsolete regarding the monitors we have nowadays.
- There is a plugin¦tool though by MVV that you can find from HERE.
- Anyway, I still support this suggestion as built-in and maybe minimal, but better than currently…

 KR
Claude
Clo

[Hacker]

To everyone requesting multiple windows in TC, please realize that this only has a chance to be implemented if a working concept of how this should work with the source-destination paradigm for keyboard shortcuts is presented.

Roman

[JohnFredC]

If the panels were clearly identified (on screen) in some way (such as 1, 2, 3...) then a single modifier keystroke could be added to the customary keyboard shortcuts.

On the other hand, if only 2 panels were open, then TC would identify that no modifier is needed and keyboard shortcuts would proceed in the legacy fashion w/o a panel identifier.

This suggests that the keyboard modifier character used to identify which panel is the destination (in a multiple panel layout) should be entered by the user after the legacy keystroke.

Also, if more than 2 panels were open AND no modifier had been keyed, then TC could disambiguate via a modal dialog containing a button for each open panel + cancel. The buttons could respond to keyboard accelerators that matched the displayed panel identifiers (1, 2, 3...).

Further, tab keystroke navigation (between panels) could proceed as in the legacy, 2-panel layout, except for additional presses to move the focus through the cycle of panels. An INI setting for how navigation should proceed (horizontally first, then vertically, or vertically first, then horizontally) could be presented in Options. Efficient UIs for navigating in this manner (via the keyboard) were long ago designed and implemented successfully by the spreadsheet people (starting with Visicalc). Look to those paradigms for the best approaches.

TC could even provide a method for the user to "pair" file panels into a "customary" configuration in order to avoid the need for the panel identifier keystroke.

Those of us unwilling to use more than two panels in TC would encounter no change in keyboard shortcut behavior.

[Rekrul]

To everyone requesting multiple windows in TC, please realize that this only has a chance to be implemented if a working concept of how this should work with the source-destination paradigm for keyboard shortcuts is presented.

TC already has the basics of a multi-window system, in the form of tabs. The only real difference is that currently, only the contents of a single tab are visible in each pane.

Imagine if you could "pull" the tabs apart to display all their contents simultaneously. Everything would work exactly the same, except that now you could access the contents of a tab without having to first make it active. One "tab" on each side would be the source and one "tab" on the other side would be the destination. The active tabs on each side would be marked by user-defined colors to indicate which is which, let's say red & green.

Now imagine, that since you can now see the contents of all the tabs at once, you're no longer limited to only having one active tab on each side. You can now have the red & green tabs on the same side if you want. You can already copy between tabs on the same side, so it's really not that big of a change to have the source & destination on the same side. Selection of the tabs would work just like it does now, the one you click is the source, while the previous tab becomes the destination. Again, the only difference is that it would be possible to have the source and destination on the same side.

For people who prefer the keyboard, hot-keys could be added to cycle the source and destination. If the same "tab" is chosen for both, it would perform a swap, as if the user had pressed Ctrl-U before they started cycling the windows.

Now imagine that these new "tabs" could be arranged vertically as well as side-by-side. Other than the placement, their operation would be identical.

Now remove the actual "tab" and call them "windows". Presto! A workable multi-window interface. Each window could even have its own tabs.

For such a system, I'd suggest that a lock icon be added to each window, to lock it as either the source or destination, so that the suer can easily switch between multiple sources while the destination remains the same. If the source is locked, clicking a new window makes it the new destination.

[MVV]

Idea to use pairs of panels looks good - e.g. we can use Tab to jump between panels within pair and Shift+Tab to jump between pairs. Also all usual operations work between panels within the pair.


Also there is an idea from Russian board - to have two working panels (one of then that has focus is source and other one is target panel) and any number of inactive panels. Usual operations work between working pair of panels, Tab jumps between them too.

Additional shortcuts may be added to jump to other panels. E.g. Shift+Tab may be used to move focus from source panel to one of inactive, then to next inactive etc and then back to previous source panel in cycle. This operation changes one of working panels. To change another working panel (target one) we can use Tab and then Shift+Tab. E.g. if we have 4 panels (1st as source, 2nd as target and 3rd, 4th as inactive) Tab jumps between 1st and 2nd panels but Shift+Tab jumps between source and 3rd and 4th panels in cycle (and always newly activated panel becomes new working and source one).

Also some commands may be added to direct jump to some panel (e.g. Alt+1, Alt+2 etc for source and Alt+Shift+1, Alt+Shift+2 etc for target).

If you're using mouse, working panels are always two last that had focus (e.g. 1st panel had focus and you activate 3rd panel with mouse - now 1st and 3rd panels become working: 3rd becomes source and 1st becomes target one).

Working pair of panels may have different background colour or frame colour to distinguish them from inactive panels.


Both concepts allow to keep current TC 2-panel behaviour fully unchanged.


Inside of copy/move/etc dialogs additional shortcut may be used to quick change of destination panel - e.g. Alt+<panel_number> - in this case TC should change suggested destination path according to current working path in selected panel. So, F5 will copy from source panel to target one, and F5 with Alt+4 will copy from source panel to 4th one.

[covo]

https://imgur.com/a/KKM9fi9
- fantastic, very useful, necessary (but in q-dir)
why not in tc, why, why.