Saved Search Drag & Drop

[MerlinMama]

I'm just going to weigh in and say that I REALLY dislike the new drag & drop feature for the saved searches. Ever since saved searches has been implemented -- well, ever since I learned to use them and created about 30+ of them -- I have selected the multiple searches I want by clicking on the first I need, then dragging cursor down to the last one I need. Now, that does not select, it moves the first one.

I am not averse to being able to drag and drop to rearrange the saved searches, just that in my opinion, using the searches happens MUCH more often than moving them around. Perhaps, if possible, having a 'handle' to click on when we want to drag & drop? Or the option to turn on or off drag & drop?

[kovidgoyal]

WHy drag to select? Just click the first one, hold down shift and click the last one.

[MerlinMama]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

WHy drag to select? Just click the first one, hold down shift and click the last one.

I'm aware we can do that. What I'm saying is in however long I've been consistently using saved searches, 2 years+ on almost every book I edit, it's become automatic to just drag the mouse cursor down the entire list that I need. I rearrange them as I create them to put them in the order to be able to do this. I personally can't imagine that anyone needs to rearrange the order so often that drag & drop becomes necessary, but I suppose some must use it differently.

There are other places in Calibre where we can rearrange items (Add your own columns; Customize Toolbars) and there is no drag & drop, we must click the up and down arrows, just as we used to with the saved searches.

[kovidgoyal]

D&D is the standard way to re-order lists. There are a few places in calibre that sstill use arraows, but that is simply a historical accident.

[BetterRed]

FWIW - Due to my disability, I find drag/drop of items in a list extremely difficult. Hence, for CSV catalogues I output all columns and move/remove them in CSVFileView or Excel. The green arrows annoy me almost as much, as they must be clicked N times to move something N rows. Perhaps a couple of keyboard shortcuts could be assigned to moving items up and down in a list.

My former employer (my hands were injured whilst in their 'employ') recently arranged for a trial of a AU$800 (yes eight hundred) roller bar mouse. It is better, but because it sits in front of the keyboard I have to move it when I want to do any typing (like now). It's good for web browsing, but like all pointing devices it is inefficient and prone to inaccuracy. I have to decide if I want to keep it shortly, they will pay for it, but I'm ambivalent... I already have a cupboard full of discarded devices, and the 'they' is eventually the member states taxpayers.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Certainly I have nothing against keyboard shortcuts, but they would work essentially the same as the arrows -- and I agree that arrows are highly sub-optimal for re-arranging lists.

[BetterRed]

Not sure how common this is, but its nice, and it works in a few other places (I think). If I select a block of lines in Notepad++ I can move the block up and down with Ctrl+Shift+↑(numpad) and Ctrl+Shift+↓(numpad) - I find that very intuitive.

Something like Ctrl+Shift+U and Ctrl+Shift+D as keyboard shortcuts to do what the green arrows do would be good for me, one of my biggest difficulties is keeping the pointer stationary over the green arrows.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibr...9bbff7c39d1427

[BetterRed]

thanks

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibr...9bbff7c39d1427

Originally Posted by BetterRed

thanks

I kidded myself into thinking this change would somehow inveigle its way into the various instances of little green arrows in the main GUI

Maybe consideration could be given to providing a pair of similar kb shortcuts in the main GUI, which would apply to Up/Down Green Arrows wherever they're used.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

The problem is there is no cetral implementation -- each instance is unique which means the change has to be repeated everywhere -- bit to much work, for me at least.

[BetterRed]

No worries

As I typed my second para, the thought also occurred that there doesn't appear to be a natural home for keyboard shortcuts specific to a particular 'user interface element', as opposed to a specific instance thereof.

BR