Re: [Usability] Re: Switching between tabs with Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab and "recency list"

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 3 Mar 2006, at 14:29, Roberto Piscitello wrote:

> So I think these are the more intuitive, convenient and coherent  
> combinations:
>
> * Alt-Left/Right: switch to the previous/following tab

That has exactly the same problem as our current documented shortcut  
(Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn) though-- namely that Alt-left/right is already used  
by another common control (in this case, text fields, to move the  
cursor a word at a time).  So if one of those controls on a tab has  
focus, you can't change tabs any more.  In fact, this is probably  
more likely to bite you than our current shortcut, as it's really  
only list/combo controls that consume Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn for themselves.

> * Alt-1/2/...: switch to the N-th tab (as already is)

FWIW, this isn't a standard feature of the GtkNotebook control  
(unless it's been added recently)... if you'd like it to be, you  
probably ought to comment in http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi? 
id=87764 or something :)

> PS: IMHO the HIG should recommend something like this:
> Reserved for the WM and tabs handling(*):
>   Alt-[Ctrl]-[Shift]-{0-9,anything but A-Z}
> Reserved for label shortcuts (the ones with an underscore):
>   Alt-{A-Z}
> Reserved for applications shortcuts:
>   Ctrl-[Shift]-{any key}

Hmm, perhaps, although people already complain that if you follow the  
HIG to the letter there are barely any shortcuts left to use :)   
Admittedly what you're suggesting is mostly just a summary of  
existing guidelines though (apart from the tabs part), so feel free  
to file a bug and we'll consider it as we're work on the next revision.

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            Java Desktop System Team
http://blogs.sun.com/calum             +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems