Feature request(?): more Keyboard shortcuts to switch focus

[KevinH]

So they must be universally unique across all menu items.

Good to know.

I can incorporate those changes into the next release.

Thanks for explaining that.

[KevinH]

Okay, just pushed your change to Sigil master.

[recook]

Hi,

i'm sorry if this wasn't defined clearly.

In SIGIL, i want to switch primarily between
* Book browser
* Code view (i _am_ aware of Ctrl+PgUp/Dn to switch open files there)
* Preview
with some keyboard shortcut(s).

And yes, i mean those 3 panels and not any others, because i use those the most.

I read through "Keyboard shortcuts" Names in the Preferences, and while there are many without a shortcut, there are apparently none for my purpose, if i read them right.

So methinks some new Name(d fuction)s are possibly needed to do this.
Or, maybe those functions are already existing, because Sigil has to focus on the panel indicated by a Mouseclick.

The chosen shortcut is left to the user.

This is NOT an issue of the operating system used, NOR any other Program than Sigil.

Thank you for your patience for this rant...

[recook]

Hi

Originally Posted by KevinH

You can assign keyboard shortcuts for up to 10 plugins. And yes you can assign a keyboard shortcut to Commit/CheckPoint and the other checkpoint tools as well.

I clarified this in a later post, i did not mean plugin shortcuts.

Originally Posted by KevinH

In addition, using the "shift tab" I can already cycle through 15 major sub windows of the MainWindow.

This includes BookBrowser, TabManager, ValidationResults, PreviewWindow, ClipsWindow, TableOfContents, FindReplace (and all of its subfields), ZoomBar, StatusBar and etc.

I just need the 3 main panels that Sigil originally opens with, none other for now. And Shift-Tab doesnt indicate the active panel, except in code view through a yellow row where the cursor is.

Originally Posted by KevinH

So I am not sure what if anything needs to be done.

I tried to clarify in a later post.

[recook]

Originally Posted by KevinH

But you can set the shortcut for those Keyboard Shortcuts in Sigil Preferences:

See:

- Compare Epub against Previous Checkpoint
- Create Checkpoint for Epub
- Edit Checkpoint Descriptions
- Manage Checkpoint Repositories

As i wrote, i don't need those but others.

Originally Posted by KevinH

See the long list of registered commands that shortcuts can be assigned to in Sigil/src/MainUI/MainWindow.cpp starting here and going to line 6163

https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil...ndow.cpp#L5990

Just been there, read that, and still no joy.
If the ToggleView functions would then focus on an toggled-visible Book browser or Preview, i'd be halfway there.
Much more practical would be just _one_ shortcut to focus on the open file in Codeview.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by BeckyEbook

For the record, because I know you know this: Accelerator keys = keys to access by left Alt key (underline letters).
Indeed, Plugins and Checkpoints do not have letters assigned to the keys, so it is not possible to easily 'jump' into these menus. This can be lived with, but for orthodox keyboard shortcut lovers it is probably a problem.

Not a problem for me, I get into menu bars via Alt+F, if I want Sigil's Checkpoint menu I double tap left arrow, if I want its Format menu I triple tap right arrow.

As I explored possibilities for the OP's request I happened to notice the missing accelerators … and thought I'd mention it.

Originally Posted by KevinH

Perhaps this is a Windows thing I am unfamiliar with?

It pre-dates Windows, and its a 'thing' on some (most ?) Linux UI desktop kits. It originates from IBM's Common User Access 'standards' developed during the late 1970's and early 1980s.

Originally Posted by BeckyEbook

I don't even mention the many occasions when I was able to do something without a mouse and younger people looked at it as if it was witchcraft.

- but not only from Gen XYZers.

I've had late-boomer and millennial IT pro's react similarly… particularly to sequences like Winkey+T, Winkey+I, Winkey+Tab etc.

Originally Posted by recook

. . .

In SIGIL, i want to switch primarily between
* Book browser
* Code view
* Preview
with some keyboard shortcut(s).

I asked myself, why Preview, you can't do much in it with the keyboard? Then it hit me… to browse the text with PgUp/Down etc.

BR

[BeckyEbook]

Originally Posted by KevinH

In addition, using the "shift tab" I can already cycle through 15 major sub windows of the MainWindow.

This includes BookBrowser, TabManager, ValidationResults, PreviewWindow, ClipsWindow, TableOfContents, FindReplace (and all of its subfields), ZoomBar, StatusBar and etc.

I admit that I've known about the Shift-Tab shortcut practically 'forever', but I don't find it very useful as I don't know exactly where the focus jumps to.
Is it possible to add a status change: "Current window: …" when the user applies the Shift-Tab shortcut?

[KevinH]

The Shift-Tab shortcut is handled internally to Qt as Qt set the dynamic tab order for each Window and Among Windows.

[recook]

Hi,

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I asked myself, why Preview, you can't do much in it with the keyboard? Then it hit me… to browse the text with PgUp/Down etc.
BR

Exactly.
Plus, copy styled text from a TOC to paste into a chapter file via Pageedit.

I'm quite content with the switch to Pageedit from the builtin Wysiwig editor.
Well done, sirs, and i deem it usable!

[KevinH]

Okay, for people who know how to build their own from our github Sigil master:

I have just now pushed to master the ability to use keyboard shortcuts (that you must assign in Sigil's Keyboard Preferences) to move focus directly to another major QDockWidget.

This includes: BookBrowser, CodeView, Preview, TableOfContents, and the ClipsWindow.

Find and Replace already has a keyboard shortcut to launch it, and the ValidationResultsView is typically run only when needed.

In addition, I have added a message to MainWindow Status Message area to indicate where focus has changed.

For those who prefer Accelerators, I appended these actions as menu items at the very end of the View menu.

In Keyboard Preferences see:
- Focus on BookBrowser
- Focus on Clips Window
- Focus on CodeView
- Focus on Preview
- Focus on Table Of Contents

It is up to you to find and set the shortcuts to these to get things to work.

Feedback on this potential new feature would be useful.

Translation .ts files will not be updated until things are final and this new feature is found to be useful.


Hope this helps.

[recook]

Hi,

heartfelt thanks, sir!
That sounds exactly like what i wanted!

After

cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ../Sigil-master

, i'm

make

ing right now...

[BeckyEbook]

I built a new version of Sigil with the last commit and... it's great!

Indeed, these five main sub-windows are the most important elements of Sigil's interface, the ones we navigate most often. Once you've assigned keyboard shortcuts, you can get used to it very quickly, and it's especially important that you can 'escape' from CodeView, which most often took 'control' of the cursor.

VERY much!

As I use Sigil practically every day, I have become accustomed to its minor imperfections. That's why I usually read every post in the Sigil section on MR carefully, because often fresh users can articulate their needs better and suddenly it turns out that it can be even better!

Such easy jumping between windows is a real convenience for me to work without taking my hand off the keyboard.

[KevinH]

Glad to hear you find it useful.

Setting the focus properly took me over 5 straight hours of trying different approaches since none of the QDockWidgets or TabManager are "normal" widgets. All hold other internal widgets (treeviews, webengine, QPlainTextEdits, etc). At first I could find nothing that ended up duplicating what a simple shift-tab or a simple mouse click could accomplish until I drilled down into each QDockWidget to see which internal element really needed focus set on.

I will rebuild the base.ts file tomorrow so translators can get started.

Originally Posted by BeckyEbook

I built a new version of Sigil with the last commit and... it's great!

Indeed, these five main sub-windows are the most important elements of Sigil's interface, the ones we navigate most often. Once you've assigned keyboard shortcuts, you can get used to it very quickly, and it's especially important that you can 'escape' from CodeView, which most often took 'control' of the cursor.

VERY much!

As I use Sigil practically every day, I have become accustomed to its minor imperfections. That's why I usually read every post in the Sigil section on MR carefully, because often fresh users can articulate their needs better and suddenly it turns out that it can be even better!

Such easy jumping between windows is a real convenience for me to work without taking my hand off the keyboard.

[BeckyEbook]

Just add a dot after "Focus changed to Preview window" to make it consistent.

[KevinH]

Good point. Will do.
Are you happy with the other new strings?