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List:       gtk-devel
Subject:    Re: [PATCH] filechooser: restore pre-3.16 type-ahead-find with setting (off by default)
From:       Thomas Martitz <kugel () rockbox ! org>
Date:       2015-08-29 20:22:32
Message-ID: 55E21488.6090807 () rockbox ! org
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Am 29.08.2015 um 15:59 schrieb Emmanuele Bassi:
> Hi Thomas;
>
> thanks for the patch.
>
> GTK tracks patches on Bugzilla, not on the mailing list; you should
> open a new issue at:
>
>    https://bugzilla.gnome.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=gtk%2B&component=GtkWidget:%20GtkFileChooser
>
> and attach your patch there, for review and discussion. You can also
> send an email to gtk-devel-list pointing at the bug you opened, if you
> want to ensure that more people are aware of it.


Alright, thanks for letting me know. I scanned through [1] but couldn't 
find a note on where patches are welcomed.

Since a patch of mine for glade, that I posted to the ML, was accepted 
into the main repository I thought it would be a good starting point 
here also.

Anyway, I filed a bugzilla entry for this: 
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=754302

>
> As for the type-ahead find: GTK+ 3.18 will have a better keyboard
> handling, which will go into search mode as soon as you type
> something; the search mode will also list the files that match the
> query starting from the current directory. This improves the behaviour
> of the file chooser in 3.16, to the point where type-ahead find should
> not be necessary.
>
> Ciao,
>   Emmanuele.
>

I know, I've tried 3.17.7.

True, it's an improvement over 3.16, for what it's supposed to be: a 
tool to search for files/dirs within the current directory. It's still 
not a viable replacement for what type-ahead-find is supposed to be: a 
tool to quickly navigate through a well-known directory tree.

I use type-ahead to swiftly go to directories and files that I perfectly 
know where they are. I just want to open those quickly using only the 
keyboard (I'm a programmer). I loved this method even when I used 
windows many years ago and I am totally accustomed to this. Any thing 
else simply doesn't work for me or would require relearning the way I 
use my computer after many years.

To summarize why the new search isn't a viable replacement:
1) Search results appear with delay compared to type-ahead find (though 
not large)
2) I can't just open/select the first match with enter because it's not 
highlighted
3) the search results mix files and directories even if the original 
directory view has directories sorted before files and regardless of the 
context-menu->show dirs before files checkbox (is this a bug?)
4) It does substring search so files/dirs that end with my search 
pattern are listed as well (sometimes even before those that I want to 
select in the first place)
6) The file view radically changes upon search even if my intend is to 
simply select an item from the unchanged view
6) It feels alien compared to previous and Windows experience (I still 
use Windows from time to time).

3 and 4 are most annoying, I could perhaps live with it if those where 
fixed. However, since type-ahead-find is still built into the 
GtkTreeView widget enabling it for the file chooser requires essentially 
no additional code so IMO the setting to re-enable it for those who 
favor it makes sense and comes at no cost.

BTW: Some archlinux users even created an AUR to restore the old 
behavior: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/gtk3-typeahead

I don't think the above solution is the way to go forward. I'd like to 
have a solution in GTK+ itself that works for everyone.

Best regards
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