Track Drop-down Menu commands

[Gale Andrews]

undo moves the focus to the first track

It's a bug: http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=510 .

In your example (rename the fourth track, move it up, undo move) is it most useful for the focus to move back to the fourth track, or stay on the third track? Generally (as a sighted user) I expect the focus to stay put after undo, but when the thing being undone had moved the focus, I'm not so sure.
Gale

For this case, it would be most convenient when the focus is not affected by the undo.

Can you clarify, Robert? After undo, should the focus remain on the third track, or move back to the fourth track (so that focus remains with the track that moves)?
Gale

Could you please just answer that specific? Does the focus remain on the third track, or move back to the fourth track? We're working on bug 510. I'm not asking for alternatives. After Undo, focus can remain on the third track or move to the fourth track. Not both.


Gale

[Gale Andrews]

I like the idea of a View command that does that, though it would not not entirely solve the question of whether "Move Track to Bottom" should scroll because your solution doesn't cover people who want to move unselected tracks and still see them.

Yes, and that's why the second option "View > Focus".
This option does basically the same, but for the track that has focus rather than the selected track.
Am I right in thinking that a track must have focus in order to move it?

Mostly, but in one case you can move a track that lacks focus, by mouse-clicking in the Track Drop-Down Menu > Move Track Up (or Down).


Gale

[Gale Andrews]

Can you do an alternative patch that only has one Undo on move to top or bottom?

Thanks, Steve. The Move To Bottom/Top is instantaneous now on Windows 7 for me, even with 50 tracks.

I still think the first letter of "Up" and "Down" should be capitalised in Edit > Undo and Redo.

I think shortcuts for the Drop-Down Menu would be good for a secondary reason too - there would be less objection to grouping at least the View items in this menu.


Gale

[steve]

Thanks, Steve. The Move To Bottom/Top is instantaneous now on Windows 7 for me, even with 50 tracks

Excellent.

I still think the first letter of "Up" and "Down" should be capitalised in Edit > Undo and Redo.

I agree - I just forgot to change it

I think shortcuts for the Drop-Down Menu would be good for a secondary reason too - there would be less objection to grouping at least the View items in this menu.

I think it's been shown that the ability to add shortcuts for the drop-down menu commands would be good for many reasons. However I'll not be attempting to bundle that into this patch. For one thing I've not worked out how to do it. For another thing, it looks like it would involve complex changes to code that is unrelated to what this patch does.

So, subject to capitalising Up and Down in the Undo/Redo, do you think this is ready for putting forward to -devel ?

[Robert J. H.]

[...101 quotes later...]
Could you please just answer that specific? Does the focus remain on the third track, or move back to the fourth track? We're working on bug 510. I'm not asking for alternatives. After Undo, focus can remain on the third track or move to the fourth track. Not both.


Gale

I thought I've made clear that the "alternative" method does not longer apply.
After moving a track up, the focus stays on the track.
After "Undo", the focus should also follow this track.
If I send a track from the bottom to the top, the focus should return to the bottom after undo.

This sounds all very simple, but I can't tell what the consequences are for multiple undos.
The question is if there will be any conflicts with actions that aren't included in the undo history.
I would firstly attempt to save the focus while setting the undo point, restore it after an Undo and see what happens.

[steve]

If I send a track from the bottom to the top, the focus should return to the bottom after undo.

That is happening here with the current (one undo) patch, so are we ready to take this to developer review?

[Robert J. H.]

If I send a track from the bottom to the top, the focus should return to the bottom after undo.

That is happening here with the current (one undo) patch, so are we ready to take this to developer review?

No, the focus goes always to the first/top track after Undo, when using NVDA.
However, this does not compromise your patch since it isn't responsible for the bug mentioned by Gayle.
By the way, I would move the entry "Swap Stereo Channels" one up, just after Mono, Left and Right.

[Gale Andrews]

[...101 quotes later...]
Could you please just answer that specific? Does the focus remain on the third track, or move back to the fourth track? We're working on bug 510. I'm not asking for alternatives. After Undo, focus can remain on the third track or move to the fourth track. Not both.


Gale

I thought I've made clear that the "alternative" method does not longer apply.
After moving a track up, the focus stays on the track.
After "Undo", the focus should also follow this track.
If I send a track from the bottom to the top, the focus should return to the bottom after undo.

OK. I certainly agree (as a sighted user), but I really wasn't clear what you were arguing for.

I think we have agreed multiple undo after move to top/bottom isn't practical.

I would move the entry "Swap Stereo Channels" one up, just after Mono, Left and Right.

I think the order is OK as it is, because you cannot swap stereo channels until you make stereo track, but let Steve decide.

@Steve, yes I'm fine with you offering this to the developers. I certainly don't think you should pack drop-down menu shortcuts into it. Whether this change will appease those who expect Make Stereo Track to swap stereo channels when the bottom track being processed is left channel and the top is right channel is another matter.

But at least it's easier to correct that now and IMO one of the reasons for adding this.


Thanks,

Gale

[steve]

I would move the entry "Swap Stereo Channels" one up, just after Mono, Left and Right.

I think the order is OK as it is, because you cannot swap stereo channels until you make stereo track, but let Steve decide.

My reasoning for placing it where I did is that the options "Mono, Left Channel, Right Channel and Make Stereo Track" are all applied to mono tracks, whereas all of the others in the group are applied only to stereo tracks. As Gale wrote, one of the main use cases for "Swap Stereo Channels" is to enable users that have inadvertently made a stereo track with the channels the wrong way round to easily rectify the situation, therefore I want "Swap Stereo Channels" to be close to "Make Stereo Tracks".

@Steve, yes I'm fine with you offering this to the developers.

OK, thanks. Will do that shortly.

[Robert J. H.]

I would move the entry "Swap Stereo Channels" one up, just after Mono, Left and Right.

I think the order is OK as it is, because you cannot swap stereo channels until you make stereo track, but let Steve decide.

My reasoning for placing it where I did is that the options "Mono, Left Channel, Right Channel and Make Stereo Track" are all applied to mono tracks, whereas all of the others in the group are applied only to stereo tracks. As Gale wrote, one of the main use cases for "Swap Stereo Channels" is to enable users that have inadvertently made a stereo track with the channels the wrong way round to easily rectify the situation, therefore I want "Swap Stereo Channels" to be close to "Make Stereo Tracks".

Mono, Left Channel, Right Channel and Swap Channels are all about assigning virtual channels to physical speaker positions whereas the other commands are about joining and splitting tracks.
Moreover, it looks better because you'll have 3 items with "Channel(s)" at the end and 2 items with "Track" at the end.