[11.02] Ctrl+Backspace in a text field

[sirksel]

This has been the case for several versions as far as I can tell, but Ctrl+Backspace (a standard Windows editing key) functions properly in the command line, but not in text fields of most dialog boxes. It is supposed to backspace over the prior word, just as Ctrl+Left moves a word to the left and Ctrl+Right moves a word to the right. Ctrl+Left and Ctrl+Right work flawlessly in all text fields I've tested, but Ctrl+Backspace only deletes the prior word in the command line. It does not work in the text fields within the dialogs of selecting, filtering, multi-rename, RenameOnly, etc.

I know it's a small item, but for speed typists who are trained to use Ctrl+Bksp when there are more than two letters incorrect, it would be a great time savings to have the key work again -- just as it does almost everywhere in Windows.

I would have posted this as a feature request rather than a bug, but since the current state is inconsistent between the command line (where it works great) and almost every other dialog (where it doesn't), I figured the inconsistency might have been unintended. Thanks again, Mr. Ghisler, for making such great software, where everything is so well planned that only tiny nits like this are even noticeable. TC is wonderful and the best money I've ever spent on software!

[Fla$her]

https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=74462
https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=441495
https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=80713

Don't be lazy to search.

[petermad]

Moderator message from: petermad » 2023-12-27, 20:19 UTC

Moved from "TC11.x bug reports (English)" to "TC suggestions (English)"

[sirksel]

2Fla$her
Sorry about that. And thanks for the referenced answers. I did search "c+back" and "ctrl+back" in bug reports (since that's the name of the key in TC mappings), and didn't see any immediately relevant hits. You are right, though, it was silly of me not to search more broadly for "backspace".

Is it OK to ask a question here, or should I delete this and ask it there on one of the old threads? I'm not sure of the proper etiquette on this board.
Wherever I end up putting it, this would be my best argument:

It seems like in 2023, Ctrl+Bksp and Ctrl+Del at this point are far from "rogue" features. The search bar in this very forum supports them, as does the edit box. Literally every web text control in every browser I just tested supports them. Even Notepad (at least in Win11) now supports them. Every one of 20 software packages on my machine I just tested (except one very old one, running in compatibility mode) supports them. Seems like these might have started as something related to autocorrect, but they are definitely not that anymore. Do you guys have a different experience in the present day?

Also, in contrast to the counterarguments raised in those threads, I do think even short edit boxes would benefit from them. I have many filenames that have multiple words with spaces between them. Even if it's all one word, I often use Ctrl+Bksp, out of habit, to "start over" if I've messed up the first several characters. Holger's AutoHotkey workaround works, and I do something similar as a workaround, but it would be better if these standard combos were supported in every text field.

Do you think Mr. Ghisler would be willing to reconsider this position from a couple years ago, in light of current market adoption and/or user interest? Thanks for your time and consideration.

[Fla$her]

Is it OK to ask a question here, or should I delete this and ask it there on one of the old threads? I'm not sure of the proper etiquette on this board.

Etiquette is not the worst thing. Another thing is important: the more users raise a problem in one topic, the more likely the author is to actualize the problem.

It seems like in 2023, Ctrl+Bksp and Ctrl+Del at this point are far from "rogue" features.

What do you mean by "rogue" features?

but it would be better if these standard combos were supported in every text field.
Do you think Mr. Ghisler would be willing to reconsider this position from a couple years ago, in light of current market adoption and/or user interest?

2 years by the standards of development is quite a bit. Conceptually, nothing has changed during this time. Of course, there are many problems in TC that are waiting to be solved. And this is one of them. A revision would be welcome, but unlikely. One can only hope that the current position will change someday.

[petermad]

2sirksel

Is it OK to ask a question here, or should I delete this and ask it there on one of the old threads? I'm not sure of the proper etiquette on this board.

Yes it is OK to ask questions, as long as it relates to the topic. Anyway - your topic is moved to the "TC suggestions (English)" part of the forum, and here the etiquette is even less strict.

[sirksel]

Thanks to all for the answers and links. Just to close out this thread (pending any further updates by Mr. Ghisler), this is the workaround I've adopted, using AutoHotkey v2 code. It borrows from and expands upon the workaround in the other threads linked above (thanks to Fla$her and Helgef):

Code: Select all

#HotIf WinActive('ahk_exe TOTALCMD')                ;restrict to Total Commander
  && ControlGetClassNN(ControlGetFocus('A')) ~= '^Edit'      ;in edit boxes only
^BS::Send('+^{Left}{BS}')                                 ;enable ctrl+backspace

Again, this is AutoHotkey version 2 code. It requires SetTitleMatchMode to be set to anything but 3 (exact match), and as such, works for the 32- or 64-bit versions of TC. This should enable the "backspace prior word" functionality in most all of the edit boxes of Total Commander, and only there. In other words, I'm still able to map c+back= in my wincmd.ini so that it functions in the main file list. For example, I have my BS key mapped to various forms of "go up" in the directory hierarchy... generally the more mods held down, the higher in the structure we're going, except for the last two combos:

Code: Select all

back=cm_GoToParent
s+back=cm_GoToRoot
c+back=cm_SrcOpenDrives
as+back=cm_OpenDrives
cs+back=cm_OpenDesktop
cas+back=cm_OpenNetwork
a+back=cm_EditPath
ca+back=cm_SyncChangeDir

Hope this helps someone solve this "backspace prior word" using AutoHotkey, while retaining the ability to map the C+BACK combo in the file list, if they so choose.

[deckard]

https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=74462
https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=441495
https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=80713

Don't be lazy to search.

You forgot my thread, which predates all those three!

Feature request: CTRL + backspace to delete whole words
viewtopic.php?p=429067

I miss CTRL+BACKSPACE daily in my TC usage. It would be a very small, but very welcome usability enhancement! The devil's in the details...