[Gimp-user] 2.6 to 2.8 Workflow

[CronoCat <forums gimpusers com>]

So I'm coming from 2.6 to the new 2.8 currently because lack of layer-folders/layer-groups has was slowing me 
down considerably on the last two projects. The new settings (once I figured out how to disable the default 
of having Dyanmics shared across all tools and such) are awesome, but the folders seem a little clunky so I 
wanted to ask things about them.

I'm okay using suggested scripts for workarounds until things are fixed in releases and have Python console 
installed. I imagine it's the same across platforms but I'm on XP.

1st-- For a good while, I've used PAGEUP/PAGEDOWN to change between layers without having to mouse over and 
fiddle in the layers-dialog to change what set of lines I was altering. With a tall stack of layers (no 
groups), this still works just fine, but the current setup will not allow jumping "into" or "out of" folders, 
meaning I have to use the mouse to enter or leave a given nested group of objects and can only change within 
one group with the existing command. Is there a key-setting that allows this, or a script+key-binding I can 
use which would allow me to maintain fine control over my layers without having to go over into the 
layer-dialog pane when hopping in and out of folders?

2nd-- I'd /like/ a way to disable the folder -image-preview/thumbnail and just have a folder-icon for each of 
them like that which appears when there's one empty. At current, they're not highly visually differentiable 
from other layers and this irks me a bit esp. given issue #3.
ALTERNATIVELY: I'd like a way to change the line-color that dellineates the 
tree-structure/layer-subordination-structure. As my window-panes are black, these dotted lines are invisible 
to me except the currently active layer.

3rd-- A photoshop-tendancy that I hate is the whole "sorry you can't draw here"-cursor. This happens when you 
have a folder selected. I'd like it if my drawing here would either draw on the top layer in the folder, or 
if each folder could have a designated "main layer" to associate with drawing if a given layer is not 
specified.

-- 
CronoCat (via gimpusers.com)