I use the keyboard a lot with Opus. Most times it would be useful, to turn that "automatic highlight the first file" option on, but on the other hand i find it a bit irritating.
My suggestion is, to add an extra checkbox "highlight file only for n seconds", so i could set it to highlight the file for 3 seconds. The highlighted file would lose the selected status then automatically.
In case i´d like to select other files than the first one, deselecting that file would be unneccessary then. When used only for browsing in the dircectory, it is handy, sparing the the up-down movement to get the focus for the browsing action.
No. It´s in the preferences -> lister -> "automatically select first file (except in power mode)".
For example, when clicking on F:\music, intending to browse the files only, or entering further directories within, it is handy to have the first file already selected. Otherwise (like it is now, with that option turned off) i need to push arrow down/arrow up (or something like that), to get a file focussed for chosing the files or folders.
This is the case, when that option is turned off; after entering a dir no file will be selected yet. But when deleting/moving or similar file operations are planned, this option can be a bit misleading. An automatic selection only for a few seconds would allow to browse immediately, without setting the focus manually & otherwise abandon the selection, for said reasons.
Oh, I've never turned that option on. I just push up-arrow or space to select the first item. (No need for down-arrow first, FWIW.)
I'm confused though: If you don't want the first item selected, because you want to select something else, and you don't have toggle-selection on, then as soon as you select something else the first item will no longer be selected. Have I missed something?
I think only having a few seconds to do something after entering a folder would be annoying. You'd have to rush to do something and might push the button just as the timeout happens (e.g. because you had to think a bit longer one time), or you'd end up waiting for the timeout to do the other thing... Doesn't seem good to me, at least in theory.
hmm, that´s true, it´s only one key action. But then, i´d find pushing "down" a bit more logical, having the sequence down/down/down to reach file 3 instead of up/down/down.
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I'm confused though: If you don't want the first item selected, because you want to select something else, and you don't have toggle-selection on, then as soon as you select something else the first item will no longer be selected. Have I missed something?[/quote]
When file #1 is selected, i could select other files by Ctrl-leftmouse, but that first file will stay selected, unless explicitely deselected. This could lead to non-intended actions or even deletes. But maybe this idea is too special. Arrow up works quite well.
[quote]
I think only having a few seconds to do something after entering a folder would be annoying. You'd have to rush to do something and might push the button just as the timeout happens (e.g. because you had to think a bit longer one time), or you'd end up waiting for the timeout to do the other thing... Doesn't seem good to me, at least in theory.[/quote]
I thought something like that, too. Could be a problem. It was just an idea.
To select the 3rd file you just push down twice. No need for up.
That would be annoying and is one reason I've never turned that option on.
Perhaps this would work: If nothing is selected and you hit return, and the keyboard focus is on a directory, then Opus should enter that directory? That way you can hit return to enter the first directory (without pushing up or space first) but it doesn't mess with the selection.
I'm not sure if that fits with how Opus works internally, though. Maybe it would cause problems to implicitly select the focus'd file when return was pushed and nothing was selected. (To be consistent this would have to work for files, not just folders, and file types can assign any command to the "double-click" event which the return key triggers.) Might be worth considering though, depending on the internals.
Not true, just don't select the first file you want selected... Regular click it, and then the auto-selected first file in the list will be auto-deselected... or am I missing some strange complexity requirement here?
Not true, just don't select the first file you want selected... Regular click it, and then the auto-selected first file in the list will be auto-deselected... or am I missing some strange complexity requirement here?[/quote]
No. If you select the first file regularly, that file will be deselected, that´s true.
[quote="leo"]Oh, I've never turned that option on. I just push up-arrow or space to select the first item. (No need for down-arrow first, FWIW.)
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I´d like to refresh this discussion. I decided against using the "select first file automatically" option, unless this could be set to work in thumbnails/tiles modes only. (1)
No problem so far, but i find the selection of the first file in thumbnails mode still quite copious, since pushing the "up" key doesn´t select anything here, only space does.
It would be a very good idea to also have that behavior (pushing "up" arrow to select first file in the lister) also for thumbnails/tiles modes.
Currently, if i don´t like pressing space bar for that cause i have to either have to push arrow right/arrow left to have the first item selected, or arrow down/arrow up.
Reading back through this thread now that you've resurrected it, I'm struck by the thought that some version of Leo's last suggestion makes the most sense... if the primary "value" in having the first item auto-selected when entering into a folder is for keyboard navigation of directories, then why not have an option like:
Automatically run default action/event on FIRST item in lister if key is pressed and NO item is selected
It's not as though hitting when nothing is selected currently does something "else" that we'd be missing... I'd use such an option, as I normally leave the auto-select option DISABLED for the same reasons as yourself.
