Using the keyboard in the tag browser

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

Set Preferences / Look and feel / Tag browser / "Combine letters when fewer items than" to zero

Thanks - can I suggest you put something like "Set to 0 if you don't want letters combined." in the tool tip.

I normally avoid using Tag Browser, but there are occasions when its the only viable choice.

I think all I want is a way to give the tree focus (mouse click would be okay), navigate with 'up', 'down', 'right, 'left', 'home', and 'end'; expand/collapse branches with '+' and '-'; and the context menu key on branch and leaf nodes.

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I think all I want is a way to give the tree focus (mouse click would be okay), navigate with 'up', 'down', 'right, 'left', 'home', and 'end'; expand/collapse branches with '+' and '-'; and the context menu key on branch and leaf nodes.

BR

I think I can do this. Kovid is OK with it as long as the tag browser doesn't steal the focus at odd times such as when a dialog completes. My problem is a) testing that it is sufficiently complete to be useable, and b) that Kovid's condition isn't accidentally violated.

The goal: allow the tag browser to have keyboard focus. It would get it by clicking on something, or by using a keyboard shortcut I am adding. SHIFT-ESC returns the focus to the library view (an existing modifiable shortcut). Once there the arrow keys move up, down, in, and out of categories. The return key would "toggle" (search) the current item. The space key would open the context menu, which would also get the keyboard focus.

Do/can you run from source? That would make testing much easier and more complete, and avoid releasing something that is suboptimal.

*Expanded question*: does anyone who would use this run from source?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

I think I can do this. Kovid is OK with it as long as the tag browser doesn't steal the focus at odd times such as when a dialog completes. My problem is a) testing that it is sufficiently complete to be useable, and b) that Kovid's condition isn't accidentally violated.

The goal: allow the tag browser to have keyboard focus. It would get it by clicking on something, or by using a keyboard shortcut I am adding. SHIFT-ESC returns the focus to the library view (an existing modifiable shortcut). Once there the arrow keys move up, down, in, and out of categories. The return key would "toggle" (search) the current item. The space key would open the context menu, which would also get the keyboard focus.

Do/can you run from source? That would make testing much easier and more complete, and avoid releasing something that is suboptimal.

*Expanded question*: does anyone who would use this run from source?

Thanks a lot for looking into this.

I don't run from source - but I guess I could for this. Be good if someone who normally does run from source could also test. Being of the 'near enough is good enough' school, I don't regard myself as a 'good' tester.

To help allay Kovid's concerns: How about an additional setting in Look & Feel->Enable tag browser keyboard interaction which defaults to unchecked, and/or only enable keyboard interaction if the new Focus the tag browser shortcut is used.

"The space key would open the context menu…" - I would much prefer to use the 'normal' context menu keys, i.e. the one that's normally next to the right Ctrl key, or Shift+F10. Also in other trees the space bar does nothing or does what a left mouse button click does - e.g. file managers show folder contents in main panel.


Aside: something I noticed a long time ago - Ctrl+Esc and Alt+Esc are the default shortcuts for Clear the virtual library and Clear the additional restriction, but Windows uses them to pop the Start Menu and switch between active tasks, and they takes precedence. There maybe other clashes I've not noticed.

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I don't run from source - but I guess I could for this. Be good if someone who normally does run from source could also test. Being of the 'near enough is good enough' school, I don't regard myself as a 'good' tester.

On the other hand, you would use it and you care.

To help allay Kovid's concerns: How about an additional setting in Look & Feel->Enable tag browser keyboard interaction which defaults to unchecked, and/or only enable keyboard interaction if the new Focus the tag browser shortcut is used.

I haven't found a way to enable/disable keyboard interaction on the fly reliably.

As for the setting: yes, one is necessary. I had been leaning toward a tweak because it is certainly set-and-forget, but am coming around to an option for discoverability.

"The space key would open the context menu…" - I would much prefer to use the 'normal' context menu keys, i.e. the one that's normally next to the right Ctrl key, or Shift+F10. Also in other trees the space bar does nothing or does what a left mouse button click does - e.g. file managers show folder contents in main panel.

This is exactly why I need someone who cares. I don't think I have ever pushed that "Menu" key in my life, and I didn't know about Shift+F10. Fortunately, Qt knows and they already work. I will take out the repurposing of the space key.

Aside: something I noticed a long time ago - Ctrl+Esc and Alt+Esc are the default shortcuts for Clear the virtual library and Clear the additional restriction, but Windows uses them to pop the Start Menu and switch between active tasks, and they takes precedence. There maybe other clashes I've not noticed.

This kind of thing happens all the time with other characters. Some programs, for example the Intel Graphics Manager, allow hijacking keys. I don't think it is possible to make default assignments that won't conflict somewhere.

I don't intend to provide a default binding for "Give TB the focus". I am using ALT-B for testing.

[chaley]

Moderator Notice
Created a new thread from the existing posts

[chaley]

The changes are now in calibre source.

[jpijper]

Very eager for this functionality!
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to "run from source".

Will this be a plugin, or part of Calibre?

If there is anything I can do to help test this, please let me know.

Thank you!

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jpijper

Very eager for this functionality!
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to "run from source".

Will this be a plugin, or part of Calibre?

If there is anything I can do to help test this, please let me know.

Thank you!

It is part of calibre. It will be in the next calibre release.

There isn't any way to test it before the release other than running from source. That isn't too hard, but it isn't exactly trivial. See this page in the manual for instructions. The "tarball" method won't work because it contains the released code, not the to-be-released code.

Not to worry if running from source is too heavy a lift. Running it as soon as it is released will be a great help.

[BetterRed]

@chaley - that was quick.

I'm a bit stretched for time Mon-Fri for a couple of weeks (exam supervision), so I don't really have time to set up a dev environment.

When do you think you'll have a release. I promise to test over a weekend. I can cope with any teething problems with keyboard interaction

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@chaley - that was quick.

I had already done most of the work to be sure that I could, and that there weren't any obvious showstoppers. I didn't want to make a promise I couldn't keep.

I'm a bit stretched for time Mon-Fri for a couple of weeks (exam supervision), so I don't really have time to set up a dev environment.

When do you think you'll have a release. I promise to test over a weekend. I can cope with any teething problems with keyboard interaction

BR

It will be in the next release, in 1 or 2 weeks. Kovid has been doing them weekly as calibre 5 settles, but I don't know how long that will continue.

You (and others) testing is really me being paranoid. As far as I can tell, if you don't turn it on (an option in Look-Feel) calibre's behavior won't (indeed can't) change. I want to have more confidence in that. I also want to have confidence that the required functionality is there and works, but that is less of an issue because I can add/change stuff in the next release.

[chaley]

If you are still interested in testing, Kovid released a Win64 beta that has this in it, making it *lot easier* to try and if needed abandon. He didn't change the version number, so after installation the way to tell you are running the beta is to look for the new option in Preferences / Look & feel / Tag browser. It is at the bottom.

[jpijper]

Originally Posted by chaley

If you are still interested in testing, Kovid released a Win64 beta that has this in it, making it *lot easier* to try and if needed abandon. He didn't change the version number, so after installation the way to tell you are running the beta is to look for the new option in Preferences / Look & feel / Tag browser. It is at the bottom.

Wow

Here are a few observations after 10 minutes of trying this new functionality:

1. Getting focus to the tag browser is a problem on my system (Windows 10). Clicking an item in the tag browser does not work. Alt-B does not work. But if I right-click an item twice (making the context menu appear and disappear) I have the focus and can use the arrow keys to navigate. Or I can click the little arrow to expand/or collapse and that too will shift the focus to the tag browser.

2. The Enter key toggles the item, but also hands focus back away from the tab browser.

3. The Space key does not appear to do anything at all.

When it works it is great: using the arrow keys to navigate the tree feels very natural.

Hope this helps!

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jpijper

Wow

Here are a few observations after 10 minutes of trying this new functionality:

1. Getting focus to the tag browser is a problem on my system (Windows 10). Clicking an item in the tag browser does not work. Alt-B does not work. But if I right-click an item twice (making the context menu appear and disappear) I have the focus and can use the arrow keys to navigate. Or I can click the little arrow to expand/or collapse and that too will shift the focus to the tag browser.

ALT-B is what I set it to. There is no default. You must assign a key in preferences / keyboard / Tag browser.

Hmm clicking works for me. It is sometimes hard to see. Try clicking then pressing an arrow key. Middle click also works for me.

2. The Enter key toggles the item, but also hands focus back away from the tab browser.

This happens because the toggle does a search, which passes the focus to the library view. Nothing I can do about that. Defining the focus key will make it easier to move the focus back to where it was.

3. The Space key does not appear to do anything at all.

I removed the space key binding because the menu key does it. So does shift f10.

When it works it is great: using the arrow keys to navigate the tree feels very natural.

Hope this helps!

yes it does, thanks. I now have some things to test and some tooltips to improve.

[chaley]

I just remembered, a click on the tag browser that does a toggle won't leave the focus there for the same reason that return doesn't -- it does a search. Clicking on empty space should do it, as will any click that doesn't do a toggle.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jpijper

2. The Enter key toggles the item, but also hands focus back away from the tab browser.

Actually I might be able to do something about this. The "fix" is a little funky so I will see what Kovid thinks.