Re: [Usability] Single click directory navigation?

[Rodney Dawes <dobey free fr>]

On Sun, 2003-09-14 at 17:45, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> On Sun, 2003-09-14 at 17:20, Gregory Merchan wrote:
> > On Sun, Sep 14, 2003 at 05:19:45PM +0300, Tuomas Kuosmanen wrote:
> > > On Sun, 2003-09-14 at 19:03, Magnus Bergman wrote:
> > > > Has the idea of single click directory navigation (click once on a
> > > > directory to enter it) ever been considered for the FOSA dialog? This is
> > > > used in Deluxe Paint and GQView for example and I like it very much. (I'm
> > > > lazy and clicking once is half the job of click twice, right?)
> > 
> > Not really. Double-clicking comes so naturally to so many that web browsers
> > have to ignore the second click. Single-click activation becomes costly
> > where selection is desirable.
> 
> It's natural because so many places require it where they arguably
> shouldn't.

Or arguably should. Arguing about what is arguable is arguably useless.
Now, on to the real issue... :)

> > 
> > > > The only drawback I can think of in inconsistency with how lists
> > > > usually work. You can not have a directory in the list selected, but
> > > > that isn't useful anyway. And double clicking will still function the
> > > > same.
> > > 
> > > Selecting multiple files at once also becomes impossible or hard to do.
> > 
> > The smalltalk browser widget is a nice way to get single-click and multiple
> > selection. It's the widget seen in NeXT and MacOS X with multiple list
> > columns.
> 
> There's also the point that in most cases where multiple selection is
> possible, even with double-click behaviour, you need to use keys
> anyhow.  I.e., ctrl-click or shift-click.  Since these are required
> *anyhow*, it's doesn't make much sense (to me) to say that double-click
> makes multiple selection easier, when in either single or double click
> scenarios our UI already mandates keybaord modifiers.

It would be nice if Ctrl-Click had the same effect as right-click. At
least, in cases where it is not the primary modifier for actions, such
as it is on PCs. However, despite the fact that keyboard modifiers are
needed for multiple selection, it's still impossible to select a single
row in the tree, with single-click activation. Also, since focusing the
treeview widget would automagically grab the selection, shouldn't the
item that's selected be the one you want, and thus the dialog should
close anyway? Or at least, that is where i see an issue.

"If something in the list is already selected, why can't I select
another file, without the dialog thinking that I want to open it or
save to it?"

> I'd be quite glad if the keyboard modifiers weren't necessary, in
> *either* case. ;-)

I'd be quite glad if a thought-controlled pointing and text-entry device
were available also. Then none of this would be an issue, and all the
usability lists would just go away, and we would all be living in
peaceful harmony with the machines...


-- dobey