mc startup with single specified path

["Mike Smithson" <mdooligan gmail com>]

Hello.

I'm having some puzzlement over the initial startup behavior of mc-4.8.10  
when paths are specified on the command line.

To quote the manual:

[quote]
       If  both  paths  are specified, the first path name is the  
directory to
       show in the left panel; the second path name is  the  directory   
to  be
       shown in the right panel.

       If one path is specified, the path name is the directory to show in  
the
       active panel; current directory is shown in the passive panel.

       If no paths are specified, current directory is  shown  in  the   
active
       panel;  value  of  "other_dir"  from  panels.ini is the directory  
to be
       shown in the passive panel.
[/quote]

Paragraph #1:
This seems correct and intuitive.

Paragraph #2:
What I *expect* to happen when I specify only one path on the command  
line, is for that directory to appear in the left panel with the focus on  
it. As it works right now, it appears to be random which panel it shows up  
in, and which panel has focus. I know that it depends on the last time I  
hit "Save Setup" and the setting of current_is_left in panels.ini, but it  
always seems to do the wrong thing. As a matter of fact, the behavior I'm  
witnessing, is that that specified directory appears in the *inactive*  
panel, and the CWD appears in the *active* panel. I think that is  
counter-intuitive, a bit annoying, and exactly *not* what the manual says.

Paragraph #3:
This also seems correct and intuitive. Resort to default behavior if  
nothing is specified.

---

I believe the issue is in midnight.c, static void create_panels(), around  
lines 619-624 and 646-651, both bits are identical, and they shouldn't be:
[code]
        else                    /* mc_run_param0 != NULL && mc_run_param1  
== NULL */
        {
            /* one argument */
            current_dir = NULL; /* assume current dir */
            other_dir = (char *) mc_run_param0;
        }
[/code]
Is it just me, or does this seem *exactly* backwards?

I've changed these bits like this (the 1st is when the left panel is  
active):

[code]
--- midnight.c~ 2013-08-02 11:02:40.000000000 -0700
+++ midnight.c  2013-10-16 13:59:48.541659334 -0700
@@ -619,8 +619,8 @@ create_panels (void)
         else                    /* mc_run_param0 != NULL && mc_run_param1  
== NULL */
         {
             /* one argument */
-            current_dir = NULL; /* assume current dir */
-            other_dir = (char *) mc_run_param0; /* Wrong. */
+            current_dir = (char *) mc_run_param0; /* Left panel gets the  
path */
+            other_dir = NULL; /* assume other dir */
         }
     }
     else
@@ -648,6 +648,7 @@ create_panels (void)
             /* one argument */
             current_dir = NULL; /* assume current dir */ ;
             other_dir = (char *) mc_run_param0; /* Left panel gets the  
path */
+            boot_current_is_left = TRUE; /* make left panel active (user  
called it, there must be a reason.) */
         }
     }
[/code]

and it now behaves the way I would expect.

After doing a bit more research, it looks as if create_panels() was  
freshly re-written for 4.8.10. In 4.8.9 I see this bit:
[code]
        if (mc_run_param0 != NULL)
        {
            current_dir = NULL;
            other_dir = (char *) mc_run_param0;
        }
        else
        {
            current_dir = NULL;
            other_dir = mc_run_param1;
        }
[/code]
Hmmm... Is it even possible to have mc_run_param1 *without* mc_run_param0?  
Also, what if both are set? No wonder it got re-written.

--
Peace and Cheer