[TC11.00rc1] buttonbar navigation with keyboard not right

[white]

Navigating the buttons in the buttonbars using the keyboard is inconsistent and it seems impossible to properly navigate through all buttons of the vertical bar of 64-bit TC.

TC 32-bit - horizontal buttonbar

tab/shift-tab	navigates through buttons
left/right	navigates through buttons
up	does nothing
down	removes tooltip

TC 32-bit - vertical buttonbar

tab/shift-tab	navigates through buttons
left/right	navigates through buttons
up	partly navigates through buttons, doesn't work OK
down	partly navigates through buttons, doesn't work OK

TC 64-bit - horizontal buttonbar

tab/shift-tab	leaves buttonbar
left/right	navigates through buttons
up	does nothing
down	removes tooltip

TC 64-bit - vertical buttonbar

tab/shift-tab	leaves buttonbar
left/right	leaves buttonbar
up	partly navigates through buttons, doesn't work OK
down	partly navigates through buttons, doesn't work OK

[Sir_SiLvA]

I can confirm that up/down seems to have a problem on the vertical bar with dividers.

[petermad]

Up and Down key in horizontal button bar works if you have more than one row of buttons - Up and Down will jump between the rows.

Regarding the vertical button bar:
Using Up cannot pass dividers in both 64 and 32 bit TC.
Left and Shift+Tab can pass dividers in 32bit TC (Left/Right and Tab/Shift+Tab does not work in 64bit TC).

Personally I dont think Tab and Shift-Tab should work in the button bars - if any other part of TC (Menu, Drive Combobox, Current Directory bar, Command Line, Quick Search Panel, Separate Tree) is focused, pressing Tab always goes to the file panel.

So except for not being able to pass dividers when pressing Up in the vertical button bar, I think the way the 64bit version works is all that is needed.


EDIT:
A peculiar thing: If there i folder tabs open in the active panel then if focus is set to one of the button bars and Ctrl+Tab is pressed both the folder tab is switched and the button in the button bar is shifted - at the same time! 64bit TC only.

[white]

2petermad
Have you tried Up when the first button on the vertical buttonbar has focus?
When you press Down when the last button on the vertical butonbar has focus, shouldn't it loop to the first button similar to the horizontal buttonbar?

[petermad]

2white

I agree, Up and Down in the vertical button bar should loop to the last/first button - just as Left/Right does in the horizontal button bar.

Ctrl+Tab loops in the vertical button bar in 64bit TC (workaround if you can tolerate your folder tabs being looped too).

[white]

2petermad
If you use the default vertical buttonbar and press Up, you will end up on the button with the -2 command and unable to move down again with the Down key.

[petermad]

2white

you will end up on the button with the -2 command and unable to move down again with the Down key.

You are right - I didn't notice that because I have a separator (blank field) and not a line break (-2) as my first item.

[ghisler(Author)]

I can confirm only one of the reported problems, and only for the vertical button bar:

Using Up cannot pass dividers in both 64 and 32 bit TC.

2petermad
What problem is there with Down in the vertical button bar?

Up and Down in the vertical button bar should loop to the last/first button

I will consider it. It doesn't do that in the main bar (when it's multi-line), only with left/right.
However, it will be problematic when there is an overflow button (window not high enough for all buttons) - then the user may want to keep Down pressed to go to that button...

[petermad]

2petermad
What problem is there with Down in the vertical button bar?

I have no problems with Down.

[ghisler(Author)]

Sorry, the question should have gone to white, he writes:

down	partly navigates through buttons, doesn't work OK

[white]

I can confirm only one of the reported problems, and only for the vertical button bar:

Using Up cannot pass dividers in both 64 and 32 bit TC.

And the problem that Up goes to a button with the -2 command.

What problem is there with Down in the vertical button bar?

I meant that with the default vertical bar when I press Up when first button has focus, I can't go down again by pressing Down. And I meant the looping does not occur.

Up and Down in the vertical button bar should loop to the last/first button

I will consider it. It doesn't do that in the main bar (when it's multi-line), only with left/right.

LOL, Left and Right (and Tab and Shift+Tab) do not work in the vertical bar, so Up and Down in the vertical buttonbar are the equivalent of Left and Right (and Tab and Shift+Tab) in the horizontal buttonbar, right?

However, it will be problematic when there is an overflow button (window not high enough for all buttons) - then the user may want to keep Down pressed to go to that button...

I assume you mean to go to buttons in the collapsed overflow menu. I don't think that is a good idea. I think the overflow menu should work the same as a subbar shown as menu. Enter it with Enter, escape it with Escape.

BTW. I think the icon for the overflow menu is poorly chosen. I think people would expect the bar to scroll with such a button. Normally, such an overflow symbol would be pointed perpendicular to the direction of the taskbar. For example like the overflow icon of the system tray in the windows taskbar. An icon like ">" would be more logical for me, or "..." like the overflow button of the task buttons on the windows taskbar.
Furthermore, I think the overflow menu and subbar menus should be shown next to the vertical bar and not on top of it, equivalent to the horizontal buttonbar where menus are also not shown on top of the button bar but under it.

[petermad]

BTW. I think the icon for the overflow menu is poorly chosen. I think people would expect the bar to scroll with such a button. Normally, such an overflow symbol would be pointed perpendicular to the direction of the taskbar. For example like the overflow icon of the system tray in the windows taskbar. An icon like ">" would be more logical for me

I agree - the first time I saw that button I thought it would scroll down to show the hidden buttons, nat that it would open a submenu.

And I still think that Tab and Shift-Tab should NOT work in the button bars - if any other part of TC (Menu, Drive Combobox, Current Directory bar, Command Line, Quick Search Panel, Separate Tree) is focused, pressing Tab always goes to the file panel.

It is OK that Ctrl+Tab continues to work in the button bars - as long as it doesn't influence the folder tabs, as it does now in the 64bit version.

[ghisler(Author)]

And the problem that Up goes to a button with the -2 command.

I cannot test that because down stops at a button with -2 command.

I meant that with the default vertical bar when I press Up when first button has focus, I can't go down again by pressing Down.

I cannot reproduce that, it just stays at the top button.

I assume you mean to go to buttons in the collapsed overflow menu. I don't think that is a good idea.

No, I meant that when the user wants to scroll to the end of the list so he can then open the overflow menu, he can now just hold down the down key until the cursor is there. That wouldn't work when looping. Users would have to use up in that case.

I think the icon for the overflow menu is poorly chosen.

Sorry, I will not change that icon that late in the beta test. The icon is widely used to open some kind of list, e.g. for the history or on comboboxes.

[petermad]

I meant that with the default vertical bar when I press Up when first button has focus, I can't go down again by pressing Down.

I cannot reproduce that, it just stays at the top button.

Please test again with the original vertial button bar that has two -2 buttons at the top.

[white]

And the problem that Up goes to a button with the -2 command.

I cannot test that because down stops at a button with -2 command.

I meant with the default vertical bar and focus on the button "View with Lister", if you press Up then focus shifts to the button with the -2 command.

I assume you mean to go to buttons in the collapsed overflow menu. I don't think that is a good idea.

No, I meant that when the user wants to scroll to the end of the list so he can then open the overflow menu, he can now just hold down the down key until the cursor is there. That wouldn't work when looping. Users would have to use up in that case.

So I think you want to make 64-bit TC work like 32-bit TC and have looping with Left/Right and no looping with Up/Down? Or do you want no looping at all in the vertical bar? Currently, it's a mess, so I have no idea what your intended design is.
BTW, I think the End key should be used to get to the last button. Which brings us to other bugs. Home and End keys also doesn't have the desired effect in the vertical buttonbar. The Home key can shift focus to a button with -2 command and the End key can shift focus to the last button in the overflow menu.
And in 32-bit TC, navigating with Tab or Left/Right can bring you to buttons in a closed overflow menu.

I think the icon for the overflow menu is poorly chosen.

Sorry, I will not change that icon that late in the beta test. The icon is widely used to open some kind of list, e.g. for the history or on comboboxes.

Then maybe it can be added to the to-do list.