Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MrC]

I find myself frequently selecting a bunch of files and pressing F2 to edit a cell.  But usually I've already selected the files before I realize I clicked on the wrong cell, so F2 ends up not editing the cell I want.  So I have to reselect all the files clicking on the appropriate column, and this can be cumbersome with a large selection.

What do folks think about having F2 open the cell under the mouse rather than the last clicked location?  Or Shift-F2 if necessary, so that the old behavior remains?

[JimH]

Do you know you can slow double click on the cell?

[MrC]

Do you know you can slow double click on the cell?

Yes, but too many times this ends up being a fast double cliick, and then it replaces the entire Playing Now playlist and starts playback.  Slow double click just takes too long sometimes, since the time interval appears to be affected by system load.

[MrC]

Actually, it doesn't work correctly.  The first click causes a deselection.

[glynor]

If my vote counts, I vote yes on this change.

The same thing happens to me regularly too.  The issue is that I almost always need to select an item based on a tag way-over to the left (the [Name] field, usually), and then I scroll to the right in the details view and find the cell that I want to edit, and hit F2.  Then, since it "edits" the [Name] field (based on where I last clicked), it slides the view way back over to the left.  This is visually jarring and disorienting, and then you have to hit tab a million times to get back to where you want to edit.  In other words, if you can't see the [Name] field and the field you want to edit on screen at the same time, it can be difficult to get right.

Using the mouse-hover location "feels" like the way it should work.  I don't know why, but I always mess it up too.  And, I can't think of any reasons why changing this behavior would cause problems (though, admittedly, I didn't try very hard).

[Matt]

I don't disagree, but this is fraught with unintended consequences.

To work nicely, the program needs to keep track of if you've last used the keyboard or mouse for navigation.  Because imagine moving the mouse, then doing down, down, F2 to edit a couple rows down.

It would be weird if the selection moved, but then it edited under the mouse instead of the selection you just moved with the down key.

So in place editing would have to have an anchor that's independent from selection state.

I think it's possible to solve this, but it's not a "sneak that in quick" change.

[MrC]

I knew there would be some issues I hadn't thought of.

If you're able to find a good solution, that would be great.  Maybe Shift-F2 would just open the edit box under the mouse, leaving the old behavior untouched (and maybe changed once you find the right solution).

[rjm]

I run into the problem this proposal intends to solve almost every day.

It would be great if a solution could be found.

[Matt]

Middle click?

I think middle-click scroll is a bit pointless now that every mouse has a wheel.

[wig]

I'll re-suggest the addition of drop-down arrows.

Here's my mock-up.



It could help in this situation, it would make mouse-only editing much quicker and more accurate. It could also be touch-friendly.

[MrC]

Middle click?

I think middle-click scroll is a bit pointless now that every mouse has a wheel.

I could live with that.  Currently my (Razer) mouse is configured for Universal Scroll (which does up/down, left/right), but I never use that functionality.  I can configure it to Click... but will MC see this as a middle-click or a left-click?  I don't see how to configure it to Windows Button 3.

[glynor]

I knew there would be some issues I hadn't thought of.

+1

I'm with everyone else... It isn't critical (which is why I never complained on my own, but jumped on MrC's complaint immediately).  Some kind of solution that doesn't cause unintended consequences would be sweet, but I won't die without one.

Middle Mouse seems a little... Concerning.  I agree, in principle, with Matt that the middle mouse scroll is dumb.  I don't know, I can just imagine that being accidentally triggered too much.  Something like Keypress+Click would be better, if you want to involve the mouse to make sure that's the input device being used.

[fitbrit]

A kind of offshoot of glynor's request and situation; I'd love if MC standard view were to have some kind of "Freeze Panes" feature like Excel does. In other words, the one can choose to prevent the side scrolling of one or more columns on the far left. Thus, as you scroll right, the [name] column remains in place.
This would make in-place tagging quite a bit more convenient; as you scroll right to add, maintain or delete tags, you can always see the [name] or any other frozen columns you specified.

[vagskal]

I run into the problem this proposal intends to solve almost every day.

It would be great if a solution could be found.

I even once wrote a bug report regarding this and Matt had to explain the intended behaviour (F2 opens the last clicked field, not the field where I had the cursors which I thought was the intended and intuitive behaviour). I have programmed a button on my Logitech mouse to send F2 (not the middle button) and I am not sure that it can be programmed to send something like ctrl+F2.

Slow double click does not work for multiple selection for the reason MrC stated (it deselects first).

I think I could live with F2 working on the field where the cursor is and I think it would be more intuitive for new users. But since Matt taught me how it worked I have learned to cope with the current way of things. I do not have strong feelings either way. (Changing the current F2 command to something that I am not able to teach my mouse to send would, however, be a bad thing for me.)

[Matt]

Shift+F2 is a hard reach.

I can't think of a left click + key that's available (ctrl and shift are used for selection, alt goes to the main program).

I tried Space+Click, but then if you hold space down it ends up repeating and going into the edit box.

[ThoBar]

A kind of offshoot of glynor's request and situation; I'd love if MC standard view were to have some kind of "Freeze Panes" feature like Excel does. In other words, the one can choose to prevent the side scrolling of one or more columns on the far left. Thus, as you scroll right, the [name] column remains in place.
This would make in-place tagging quite a bit more convenient; as you scroll right to add, maintain or delete tags, you can always see the [name] or any other frozen columns you specified.

+1 

[MrC]

Since Alt-Enter goes to tag mode, what about Shift-Alt-Enter?

[Matt]

Since Alt-Enter goes to tag mode, what about Shift-Alt-Enter?

But isn't the point to make something easy to use in conjunction with the mouse?  Unless your hands are a lot more flexible than mine, that's not too easy to hit with only the non-mouse hand.

How about a right-click while the left button is down?  Or is that too prone to accidents?

[rjm]

But isn't the point to make something easy to use in conjunction with the mouse?  Unless your hands are a lot more flexible than mine, that's not too easy to hit with only the non-mouse hand.

How about a right-click while the left button is down?  Or is that too prone to accidents?

It'll take some practice to get used to this unusual motion but it'll probably work.

I would find double right click easier. Is this an option?

[MrC]

But isn't the point to make something easy to use in conjunction with the mouse?  Unless your hands are a lot more flexible than mine, that's not too easy to hit with only the non-mouse hand.

How about a right-click while the left button is down?  Or is that too prone to accidents?

I can see your point.  You're right, hovering the mouse over a cell and being able to enter a simple key-combo is the goal.

Generally, when I've selected a range of files, and hit F2, I type to enter a value (either entirely, of via type-select).  So I'm already there.  The mouse is useful for expanding the pick-lists.  Since I'm going to type anyway, I don't really care what the shortcut is; just want to avoid using the mouse again to remake the selection.

I'm not sure the left-right mouse will work well.  Its another one of those subtle timing actions, and misses will be aggravating so I'll stop using it after cursing a few times.

[wig]

Can you program a double right-click?

Not as simple as drop-down arrows  , but it might work.

[MrC]

Contextual menus are activated on right mouse-up.

[glynor]

Shift+F2 is a hard reach.

I hadn't really thought about it and took you at your word on this, but now that I try it...  What kind of teensy hands/monster keyboard do you have?  Shift-F2 is easy to reach on with my left hand with all of my keyboards that I have kicking around.

Something+F2 seems like the best option for mnemonics purposes (shift the normal function of F2).  I don't see why Shift-F2 wouldn't work.  Do most people have tiny hands or monster split keyboards and agree with Matt on this?  Or is it a southpaw thing?

[Hendrik]

I agree with Matt that Shift+F2 feels unnatural to press, its not exactly an "easy" combination.

[rjm]

I feel a hand cramp coming on when I press Shift + F2.

[JimH]

I agree with Matt that Shift+F2 feels unnatural to press, its not exactly an "easy" combination.

How about double F2?

[glynor]

I agree with Matt that Shift+F2 feels unnatural to press, its not exactly an "easy" combination.

Huh.  Maybe I have giant hands and don't realize it...  Or do all of you use those absurd split Microsoft "Natural" keyboards with the enormous footprint?

Or maybe it is just because I'm a video editor and NLEs make very heavy use of keyboard combos.  I regularly use 3-4 key combos, so Shift-F2 feels extremely mild by comparison.  Here's an example:  Add the default Audio Transition in Final Cut is Command-Option-T (the same as Alt-Windows-T on a PC keyboard), which I use daily.  A whole swath of the marking and angle commands are Shift+Number, or Shift-Option-Number, or Control-Number, or some other similar combination.  Shift-F2, honestly, feels more "natural" to me than typing your average capital letter, or even using the Shift-Number-Row combinations (!@#, etc).

Whatever.  No biggie.  I was just surprised.

I don't know if double F2 would work for your end, Jim (you'd have to make the initial F2 press "wait" for a little bit to check for the "double-tap"), but if you want to go that route, that'd be even easier.

[Hendrik]

I dont like double F2, its also a rather unintuitive key combination. Can't we just screw everyone and use F2? :p

[Matt]

Double keys are hard to code, because normally the first action runs on the first key.  So then you have to wait to run the single action to see "will there be a double?"  And anything that makes things feel slower is bad.

My vote is right-click while left button is down.  It's mouse-only and simple to invoke.

[Hendrik]

I think this could work. I tried doing some of those clicks, and it seems OK.

[Matt]

Next build:
NEW: You can in-place edit under the mouse cursor by doing a right-click while holding the left mouse button down (or by pressing the keyboard menu key while holding the left mouse button down).

I like it.  And I think the change is unlikely to break anything else.

It reminds me of my old Nintendo days.  Up, up, hold down, start, Bill Clinton playing basketball!

[MrC]

Thanks Matt!

[rjm]

Love the way things get done around here. Thanks.

[vagskal]

Nice solution per se!

But it does not seem to work with multiple selections. Only the field where I clicked can be altered, not the entire selection. Using F2 with multiple selections on a list type field gives me a list of all the items in all the selected fields, while the new method only gives a list of the items in the specific field in the selection where I clicked. This makes the new method less useful for me.

[marko]

I came to post what vagskal has already said.

[vagskal]

On multiple selections using the new method on a field with a drop down menu (not checkboxes, the date field, for instance) or no drop down menu at all (the name field for instance), the selection is lost when I release the left mouse button to edit (unless I release the button over the very first item in the selection). It works with fields with a drop down menu with checkboxes.

[Matt]

Bump now that this is public.

This is a little change to v18, but one I thought was pretty neat due to all the collaboration above.

[InflatableMouse]

Wow I entirely missed this thread. It worked out nicely though thanks! 

[InflatableMouse]

Except ...

I thought this was supposed to keep a selection and edit a different collumn than was last selected with the last left click?

When I select a bunch of files and right click while holding down the left mouse button, it resets the selection to the file I clicked on and edits that field only?

Sorry if I'm being dim here, did I miss something?

[MrC]

I just tried it.  It seems I can only get the selection to remain about 1 in 20 tries.  Although I like the feature, the left-right mouse combo is turning out as I feared.  It is just too difficult to do accurately.