Re: File dialogs: an attempt at a summary

[Ken Fox <kfox vulpes com>]

Jon K Hellan wrote:
> colin z robertson <c.z.robertson@ndirect.co.uk> writes:
> > The correct way for automatic autocompletion to
> > function is not clear, but would probably be in a Netscape-like
> > manner: all following the already typed portion of the filename would
> > be selected (despite the fact that this breaks X clipboard
> > functionality).
> 
> Please don't make it selected.

It pretty much has to be selected if it goes in the field. IMHO the
choice is between selecting it and not putting it in. (Of course it
doesn't have to be a primary/clipboard selection -- it could just be
a secondary selection that doesn't go on the clipboard.)

For example, with the files "blah", "bloke", "blargh", typing:

  b<ctrl><space>

should put "bl*ah" in the file name field with the insertion point
at * and with "ah" selected. I should be able to select "bloke" by
just typing

  o<ctrl><space>

If the "ah" wasn't selected, I'd have to type

  <ctrl>ko<ctrl><space>

(Assuming that <ctrl>k is the delete-to-end-of-line command.) I suppose
that auto-completion could ignore the text after the insertion point,
but that would have some problems. In the previous example, typing o
would set the file name field to "blo*ah" which first off is not very
helpful (the "ah" is useless clutter at this point) and secondly isn't
a valid file name.

- Ken