Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

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Forez
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Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#1 Post by Forez » 09.03.2023, 16:13

I use one row of Tabs. And whenever I have an excess of them they are moved out of my view and two icons appear on the right side of the Tab bar

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And so there are two annoying issues with this:

A] I often forget to check [i.e.] look at the right side of Right Panel to know if I have surpassed the horizontal capacity

B] I have to move mouse pointer to the far right of my widescreen monitor, click it unknown number of multiple times or hold it longer than I should - and only then go back to the middle of the screen in order to get to the very first Tab in that Panel


And so I propose such improvements:

1] Give users a choice if only one or both icons should be on the left edge of the row

2] Give users a choice if only one or both icons should be on the right edge of the row

3] Make the icons succumb to a quick double left click- after which the whole row would be scrolled all the way to its left / right side


This way any user could decide which icons and where should be displayed, waging in the value of horizontal space vs. reduction of mouse movements; and would not have to be forced to e.g. left click an icon 20 times or hold it down for 3 seconds in order to see, what is opened / displayed there at the beginning or at the far end of row with Tabs

It is such little things that when repeated daily make using a given software a drag in a given area
Last edited by Forez on 14.06.2023, 14:11, edited 1 time in total.

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Dreamer
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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#2 Post by Dreamer » 09.03.2023, 18:01

Workarounds:
- Ctrl+PageUp (customizable), hold Ctrl all the time, press PageUp, release it while still holding Ctrl and then use Up, Down, PageUp, PageDown keys to select any tab, or click any tab with left click to select tab from the list
- use mouse wheel up/down over the tab bar to quickly switch tabs
- in the latest donor version it's possible to use keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2...) to switch tabs, if the paths are assigned to favorites or favorite tools, with the shortcuts

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Forez
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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#3 Post by Forez » 10.03.2023, 12:20

Dreamer wrote: 09.03.2023, 18:01 Workarounds:
Thank you, but:

Dreamer wrote: 09.03.2023, 18:01 - Ctrl+PageUp (customizable), hold Ctrl all the time, press PageUp, release it while still holding Ctrl and then use Up, Down, PageUp, PageDown keys to select any tab, or click any tab with left click to select tab from the list
This does no alleviate the issue of having to scroll a very long list

Dreamer wrote: 09.03.2023, 18:01 - use mouse wheel up/down over the tab bar to quickly switch tabs
This cycles through them indefinitely. So when suspecting a very long list a user will speed up the scrolling process - and in result go inadvertently through the left / right edge, creating a need to go back but slower; thus creating another annoyance and waste of time

Dreamer wrote: 09.03.2023, 18:01 - in the latest donor version it's possible to use keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2...) to switch tabs, if the paths are assigned to favorites or favorite tools, with the shortcuts
This is not useful when a user is using just a mouse for a quick navigation, i.e. when watching something from offline source when laying on a bed without a keyboard


And thus my suggestions seem to be valid despite existence of as much as 3 workaround

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#4 Post by Dreamer » 10.03.2023, 19:51

Of course, my tips are just workarounds.

I just wonder, why you're using so many tabs, they are useful, but when using too many of them, it can be counterproductive.

Another workaround, what about Favorites tree or Favorite tools? When using these, and the path is opened in some tab, that tab is focused too, so it's partly a solution to previous tip with keyboard only, this is available.

Favorites tree can be accessed with mouse, items could be categorized, it means less scrolling.

Favorite tools can be used too, they can be accessed in the main toolbar, even categorized, so you could create many categories with the custom paths and then just click one of the category and then to sub-item which could be a folder.

If you'd create 20 favorite tools categories with 20 sub-items - folders, you'd have 20x20 = 400 items accessible with 2 clicks, without scrolling.

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#5 Post by Forez » 11.03.2023, 12:37

Dreamer wrote: 10.03.2023, 19:51 [...]
why you're using so many tabs
I pin Tabs with things to do and / or with sources for my works that I am currently trying to do. And as I perform many things and need to take a brake sometimes [e.g. when waiting for an answer on some forum] many temporarily pinned Tabs get "stuck". And also the length of folder names adds to his problem [and shortening the lengths of Tabs is not always possible]

Dreamer wrote: 10.03.2023, 19:51 what about Favorites tree or Favorite tools?
A permanent Tree equals less horizontal space for items in Panels, while turning Trees ona and off would be another annoyance

Dreamer wrote: 10.03.2023, 19:51create 20 favorite tools categories with 20 sub-items - folders, you'd have 20x20 = 400 items accessible with 2 clicks, without scrolling.
Yes, I have dozens of folder shortcuts kept as icons - but they do no in any way alleviate the core issue efficient navigating through and evaluating already opened excess of locations

The main reason why I started looking for something different than Windows Explorer was the constantly repeating itself problem of opened locations cluttering the Taskbar. And as I use i in a vertical form, I simply did not knew what was already opened and what was it that I was working on. And not this issue has come back to me in FreeCommander

And so I just had an idea: is there an option to close all doubled Tabs in a Panel, no matter if they are pinned down or not? [Already I have started some time ago using option of closing down of all unpinned Tabs and i is helpful - but i is not the same]

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#6 Post by Dreamer » 11.03.2023, 17:36

Another idea for you, what about file container tab(s), you could use it even as "sub-tab", just create 20 file container tabs (make sure they will be not temporary), then copy any number of folders to them.

For file containers you can use "-" as name, big custom icons, custom colors, like "red - urgent", "orange - less important" etc.

Advantage of this solution is, that it's not so easy to close/delete them as easy as tabs, even if you close file container tab, file container tab file with all folders/paths will be always preserved.

Another advantage, you could see the folder information, like size, number of items, just set the column profiles and auto views, it's possible to use unique options just for file containers.

If the work is done, just remove folder from file container with the address bar button.

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#7 Post by Forez » 11.03.2023, 19:28

Dreamer wrote: 11.03.2023, 17:36 Another idea
[...]
file containers
[...]
colors, like "red - urgent", "orange - less important" etc.
Now that I have not thought about before

I would even be in compliance with my current modus operandi where most important ones are the left most Tabs in Right Panel and left-most in the opposite - I would have to switch using special Tabs as containers. I think I will give it a try

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#8 Post by Forez » 14.06.2023, 14:13

Forez wrote: 11.03.2023, 19:28 [...]
I think I will give it a try
Dreamer wrote: 11.03.2023, 17:36 [...]
Advantage of this solution is, that it's not so easy to close/delete them as easy as tabs, even if you close file container tab, file container tab file with all folders/paths will be always preserved.
[...]
But as it is impossible to remove an item from File Container without also deleting it from its original / factual location, it would be a drag to "update" such Tabs by having to create a File Container and then re-choosing their custom
Dreamer wrote: 11.03.2023, 17:36 [...]
name, big custom icons, custom colors
[...]

And so none of the workarounds would be as convenient as just adding
Forez wrote: 09.03.2023, 16:13 [...]
such improvements:

1] Give users a choice if only one or both icons should be on the left edge of the row

2] Give users a choice if only one or both icons should be on the right edge of the row

3] Make the icons succumb to a quick double left click- after which the whole row would be scrolled all the way to its left / right side
[...]
to the bar of Tabs

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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#9 Post by Dreamer » 14.06.2023, 20:09

Forez wrote: 14.06.2023, 14:13But as it is impossible to remove an item from File Container without also deleting it from its original / factual location
This is already possible, the button "Tab container: Remove from container" is in the address bar for each file container tab by default.

Custom keyboard shortcut can be assigned to this option too.

https://freecommander.com/fchelpxe/en/F ... ainer.html

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Forez
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Re: Navigation to hidden Tabs could be improved with simple changes

#10 Post by Forez » 14.06.2023, 20:59

And so possible it is, me molto stupido

But nevertheless it is still a workaround to my propositions of adjustment in area of navigation

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