Feature request: "Goto" in Label Editor

[DickN]

I've often wished for some kind of label index, and just realized Audacity almost has one: the Label Editor. It's not alphabetical, but it can be searched more quickly than by tabbing through a label track. All that's missing is a "Go to Label" button that would jump to that label in the project and select it just as if it had been found by tabbing to it.

[Gale Andrews]

I've often wished for some kind of label index, and just realized Audacity almost has one: the Label Editor. It's not alphabetical

It could be if you could click to sort the "Label" heading. However to prevent changing the label order it may be better to have a search box for the label text. While in Search mode, perhaps only the matches for the search would be listed. Do either of those ideas appeal to you?

but it can be searched more quickly than by tabbing through a label track. All that's missing is a "Go to Label" button that would jump to that label in the project and select it just as if it had been found by tabbing to it.

Selecting any cells in a label's row already selects that label in the project. Can you clarify the request?


Gale

[DickN]

...to prevent changing the label order it may be better to have a search box for the label text. While in Search mode, perhaps only the matches for the search would be listed.

That would be handy, particularly if the matching criteria were "starts with" and "ignore case" so only the initial characters need be typed.

Selecting any cells in a label's row already selects that label in the project. Can you clarify the request?

I never noticed that! I'm not particularly fond of all tracks getting selected when I enter the Label Editor, though. I'd prefer to have the track selections unchanged. Whether or not the label text gets opened (as if by tabbing) is less important.

[steve]

That would be handy, particularly if the matching criteria were "starts with" and "ignore case" so only the initial characters need be typed.

but would make the search completely useless with some naming schemes, such as: track01, track02, track03...

I'm not particularly fond of all tracks getting selected when I enter the Label Editor, though. I'd prefer to have the track selections unchanged.

Currently, the label is selected if you click on any row, in any column except the first column.
Clicking in the first column selects the label row but does not select the label.

Perhaps it would be better if that were the other way round, so that:

• Clicking on any cell except for the first column selects the cell and not the label.
• Clicking on a cell in the first column selects the row and the label.

This could allow label editing without losing the current selection, while still retaining the ability to select a label from within the Label Editor.

[Gale Andrews]

I'm not particularly fond of all tracks getting selected when I enter the Label Editor, though. I'd prefer to have the track selections unchanged.

I think I agree. Labels Editor shows labels for all tracks in the project (and should do so, at least by default). So that doesn't depend on which tracks are selected when you open the editor, and so opening the editor should not select all the tracks.

When you close Label Editor, it restores the yellow focus border to the track that last had focus. Should it move focus to the track whose label was selected in the editor if that label was edited?

Whether or not the label text gets opened (as if by tabbing) is less important.

It's probably OK not to open the label text given you can do that in the editor.


Gale

[DickN]

...but would make the search completely useless with some naming schemes, such as: track01, track02, track03...

Maybe something closer to a regular expression search, then. True regular expressions would be arcane to people accustomed to menus for searches, but just having 2 escapable wildcard characters - one for a single character and one for any length substring - would satisfy the majority of cases. This would replace my suggestion of "starts with" searches, since that could be specified by a trailing wildcard. Any ideas on "ignore case"? I never name sections "track01" etc., but would find this useful for searching the label track where I document what I've done while editing and fixing defects. Actually, I'd find a wildcard that only matches any length numeric string useful too.

Currently, the label is selected if you click on any row, in any column except the first column.
Clicking in the first column selects the label row but does not select the label.

Perhaps it would be better if that were the other way round, so that:

• Clicking on any cell except for the first column selects the cell and not the label.
• Clicking on a cell in the first column selects the row and the label.

This could allow label editing without losing the current selection, while still retaining the ability to select a label from within the Label Editor.

That make sense to me. I'd never noticed that either. I think in addition to this change adding a heading above the first column "Click to open label" would help.

When you close Label Editor, it restores the yellow focus border to the track that last had focus. Should it move focus to the track whose label was selected in the editor if that label was edited?

Let's assume for now that Steve's idea above is implemented (clicking in 1st column selects the row and the label). Once the label is selected (i.e., opened for editing), the focus needs to be on the label track in preparation for typing into the label. If, however, the user clicked in a different column in Label Editor, then he's not planning to edit the label on the track. I'd generally want the focus to stay where it is. He had to go to the track by name in Label Editor to search for it, and so doesn't need the boarder to remind him where it is (unless all his label tracks are named "Label Track" ).

[Gale Andrews]

...but would make the search completely useless with some naming schemes, such as: track01, track02, track03...

Maybe something closer to a regular expression search, then. True regular expressions would be arcane to people accustomed to menus for searches, but just having 2 escapable wildcard characters - one for a single character and one for any length substring - would satisfy the majority of cases. This would replace my suggestion of "starts with" searches, since that could be specified by a trailing wildcard. Any ideas on "ignore case"?

Bear in mind that 2.0.6 when released will have search in Keyboard Preferences. If there was a Labels Editor search I would expect it to find names in the same way as Keyboard Preferences.

In Keyboard Preferences, typing "cl" finds "Close", but also "Show Clipping".

Currently, the label is selected if you click on any row, in any column except the first column.
Clicking in the first column selects the label row but does not select the label.

Perhaps it would be better if that were the other way round, so that:

• Clicking on any cell except for the first column selects the cell and not the label.
• Clicking on a cell in the first column selects the row and the label.

This could allow label editing without losing the current selection, while still retaining the ability to select a label from within the Label Editor.

That make sense to me. I'd never noticed that either.

Merely opening Labels Editor selects all the tracks, before you click around in the editor. Stopping the select all would be the first objective.

I wouldn't find Steve's idea intuitive without significant improvements to the editor interface. Selecting the label number or column heading currently has no functional effect at all, as far as I can tell. Also, keyboard users can't access the label number or column headings, so they would be left with no way to select the label under Steve's proposal.

When you close Label Editor, it restores the yellow focus border to the track that last had focus. Should it move focus to the track whose label was selected in the editor if that label was edited?

Let's assume for now that Steve's idea above is implemented (clicking in 1st column selects the row and the label). Once the label is selected (i.e., opened for editing), the focus needs to be on the label track in preparation for typing into the label. If, however, the user clicked in a different column in Label Editor, then he's not planning to edit the label on the track. I'd generally want the focus to stay where it is. He had to go to the track by name in Label Editor to search for it, and so doesn't need the boarder to remind him where it is (unless all his label tracks are named "Label Track" ).

Any changes made in Label Editor aren't applied until you click OK, in any case.

I was thinking that if you had edited a label track or label in Label Editor, that label track may still be of interest. However if no focus changes are made it does give a way to modify label tracks or labels without changing focus.


Gale

[steve]

Merely opening Labels Editor selects all the tracks, before you click around in the editor. Stopping the select all would be the first objective.

I wouldn't find Steve's idea intuitive without significant improvements to the editor interface. Selecting the label number or column heading currently has no functional effect at all, as far as I can tell. Also, keyboard users can't access the label number or column headings, so they would be left with no way to select the label under Steve's proposal.

Obviously implementing my proposal would require some changes to the Label Track Editor.


"Stopping the select all would be the first objective."
To preserve the selection the editor would need to either not select all tracks on opening, or it would need to remember the previous selection and restore it on close if no label has been selected.


"I wouldn't find Steve's idea intuitive without significant improvements to the editor interface."
Just adding a column title could make it pretty "intuitive". Rather than no column title it could say:
Select
Label


"keyboard users can't access the label number or column headings, so they would be left with no way to select the label under Steve's proposal."
Clearly if that column has some functionality (as proposed) then you would need to be able to tab or cursor key into that column.

These are all just implementation details.

I was thinking that if you had edited a label track or label in Label Editor, that label track may still be of interest.

After editing a label it is perhaps not unexpected that the previous selection and focus are changed, but if the edit is cancelled then it would be better to restore the previous selection and focus. We clicked "Cancel" because we decided not to do anything, so best if we are returned to where we were.

[Gale Andrews]

After editing a label it is perhaps not unexpected that the previous selection and focus are changed, but if the edit is cancelled then it would be better to restore the previous selection and focus. We clicked "Cancel" because we decided not to do anything, so best if we are returned to where we were.

I think the the Label Editor should not change the selected track at all. It's not necessary to select a track to edit a label, even without Label Editor.

I still see ambiguity in what a "Select Label" column does - are we selecting a label for action in the editor, or moving to it in the Label Track?

You can't remove multiple labels or an entire label track with Label Editor (as far as I know), you can only remove the label for the "focused" cell. I call it "focused" to distinguish it from selected, which currently has no purpose.

But at the moment, you can select arbitrary cells and rows which looks very confusing:

selected and unselected.png (14.91 KiB) Viewed 3377 times

You might think that after clicking "Remove" in Label Editor with the above setup, you would remove all the labels from Label Track 1. Clicking "Remove" actually shows the below in the editor:

after pressing remove.png (13.98 KiB) Viewed 3377 times

which seems like it would delete label "23423" from Label Track 1 then move the other labels to Label Track 2.

What it actually does when you click OK is remove label "23423" from Label Track 1 and leave all the other labels as they were.

I agree it would be nice to distinguish moving to a label in the Label Track and selecting labels for action in the editor, but I'm guessing many users like the convenience of not needing an extra step to move to the label in the track? I think you should discuss it with David B before going ahead.


Gale

[waxcylinder]

BUMP

can someone please clarify what (if any) is the FR here?

Peter.