Active Panel and Tab for Dummies

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Rob Weinstein
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Location: Arizona

Active Panel and Tab for Dummies

Post by *Rob Weinstein »

I suggest a new TC optional feature that makes it clear and obvious which panel and tab are active and requires minimal configuration by the user. My suggestion is to add a bold border around the active panel and tab as shown in this mockup: https://i.imgur.com/5r6EFzD.png

As you can see, this feature would make it obvious which panel is active AND which tab is active. Since it's only a border, it wouldn't interfere with my current background color choices or View Modes settings.

Part of this suggestion is to let the user choose the line thickness and border color. Another option might be to make the border color the same as the active tab color.

I want to point out that I've tried many combinations of ActiveTabColor, ActiveTitle, and ActiveTitleText, none of which I found satisfactory and fiddling around with these settings is very tedious. Of course I can choose a really bright color for ActiveTitle but it's ugly. You may have noticed in the screenshot that I'm an avid user of View Modes for adding icons and colors to tabs. Using a bright color for ActiveTitle makes the active panel more visible but often clashes with my tab colors.

I've been using Total Commander for many years (license number around 19000) and I've been hoping for a feature like this for a long time. In fact, I'm always interested in forum posts asking about it. Here are a few examples going back 15 years:
2018-05-14
A setting to improve visibilty of active pane, active tab?
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49898

2018-01-30
Change background color for active / inactive panes
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=49311

2016-12-13
Active tab - custom text color and font properties
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=46854

2016-08-17
How to know which window is active (left or right)?
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=45327

2012-01-07
acitive screen
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33142

2011-10-06
8.0 nothing new in GUI
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31548

2011-06-26
Panes with different background color... possible?
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29792

2008-02-25
[REQ] Differentiate active / inactive panels more
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=18448

2005-06-19
[REQ] highlight active tab label
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7782

2003-06-12
feature request-active side inactive side
https://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1136
As you can see, I'm not the only TC user interested in a feature like this.

I hope you'll consider adding this feature to make the active panel and tab so clear and obvious that even a dummy like me can easily see it and easily use it.

Thanks,

-Rob
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Horst.Epp
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Re: Active Panel and Tab for Dummies

Post by *Horst.Epp »

Search again und you will found that it is no problem to color the active side and also the active tab.
If you are a long time TC user you should know.
I don't repeat the available info here.
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 (OS Build 22631.3374)
TC 11.03 x64 / x86
Everything 1.5.0.1371a (x64), Everything Toolbar 1.3.2, Listary Pro 6.3.0.69
QAP 11.6.3.2 x64
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tuska
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Joined: 2007-05-21, 12:17 UTC

Re: Active Panel and Tab for Dummies

Post by *tuska »

Horst.Epp wrote: 2018-08-23, 06:01 UTC Search again und you will found that it is no problem to color the active side and also the active tab.
If you are a long time TC user you should know.
I don't repeat the available info here.
I think that the proposal is not primarily about colors.

In my opinion, this proposal aims to achieve a consistent emphasis on the active program elements in TC,
e.g. active panel, folder tab, current directory, tab header.

Only with colors this is not possible at present:
... A continuity between the colors can not be achieved ...
viewtopic.php?p=337519#p337519
Color of the column heading (!) <-- this color is NOT changeable
and would also have serious disadvantages:
... without using the Tab key AND without using a mouse-click ...
viewtopic.php?p=337453#p337453
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tuska
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Re: Active Panel and Tab for Dummies

Post by *tuska »

Analogous to the predicted and because it fits very well to the topic, I would like to add the following supplement.

For me, a complete consistent emphasis - like with frame as suggested here (optional) - would be desirable, as follows:
Active folder tab, current directory, active tab header, [active panel], in a completely uniform color.

What is not working yet?
1. Active folder tab should have exactly the same color as e.g. the current directory
2. Color of the complete column heading (!) <-- this color is currently NOT changeable (active/inactive column header)
3. The active TC window should then also be changeable with tab key or a mouse-click
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