RE: [Evolution] Spacebar piloting WAS: Keyboard focus request.

[Ben FrantzDale <bfrantzdale hmc edu>]

On 08 Mar 2001 11:10:20 -0800, Alex Swavely wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Christopher James Lahey [mailto:clahey ximian com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 6:31 PM
> > To: Alex Swavely
> > Cc: evolution ximian com
> > Subject: RE: [Evolution] Keyboard focus request.
> >
> >
> > On 07 Mar 2001 15:07:29 -0800, Alex Swavely wrote:
> > > One of the things that many mailers and newsreaders in the
> > > Windows camp that use the three-pane display offer is spacebar
> > > piloting...
> >[...]
> > > Basically, in the message list view, if you hit spacebar, the message
> > > preview window skips down a page, until it gets to the end of a message,
> > > then you hit spacebar again, it marks the message read, and
> > > goes to the next one in line in the message view...
> >
> > We do handle space bar to page down within a message.  We don't go to
> > the next message, but you can just press n (or down arrow) to get to the
> > next unread message (or the next message).


I'd think shift+space would be the logical command to go back (just as
shift+tab moves backwards through dialogs). 

> Oh yeah, BTW, trn does this also.  In fact, as long as you accept the
> currentdefault command at any stage, you can just spacebar all throughout
> your usenet session...
> 
> > > You can't scroll back without changing focus, but...
> >
> > We actually support this.  The backspace key anywhere will page up
> > within a message.  Again you can use p or up arrow to move upwards in
> > the message list.
> >
> > > Oh, and in either the message list pane or the preview pane, if you hit
> > > [DEL] it deletes the highlighted message, moving on to the next in line.
> >
> > This is the main problem with the current code.  It only does this if
> > you hit [DEL] in the message list.  It is ignored in the view pane.
> > This is in our bugzilla as something that needs to get fixed.
> >
> Another useful thing would be to allow users to customize their experience
> (and their keystrokes), so if they are coming from Winblows/LookOut!, then
> it can act that way, but if they are used to pine/mutt/trn, etc, they can
> get it to work like that, etc...
> 
> 
> It would be helpful to me if I could migrate my users seemlessly from
> Windows desktop to Linux, and for that to happen, their Outlook experience
> HAS TO carry over, and since the looks are already right, only the feel is
> left over.  But still, having my power users able to do what they want
> without feeling cramped is at least as important...


That would be very nice. I agree.

--Ben