Re: [Traverso-devel] Re: audio clip selection behavior

[Remon Sijrier]

Hi Peter,

> > When un-doing the remove action, the selection is not restored, maybe it
> > should be ?
>
> Generally, the undo feature promises to the user that a certain action is
> undone in such a way that the previous state is restored. So, when an
> entire selection got removed, as user I'd expect that the entire selection
> gets restored when undoing the removal. So, in my opinion, the entire
> selection should be restored (and maybe even selected).


Sure, the entire selection is restored, I meant the restored selection isn't 
set selected again.

> > Keys used to select and de-select audio clips:
>
> Here some radical, spoil-your week[end] ideas: How feasible would it be to
> model selection behaviour on the lines of what's already done in the file
> browsers in Windows (Explorer) and KDE (Konqueror)? It seems that other
> apps have taken this selection behaviour on as well - I think, Cool edit in
> its multitrack editor for example (except that they use the shift button
> for multiple clip selection). Generally, selection is one of the
> all-pervasive features, so to decorate it with special shortcuts seems
> somewhat strange to me (if I put my user's hat on). In particular, how
> feasible would it be to implement the following features:
>
> * Map "Select clip" to the left mouse button
>
> * Offer a 'rubber band' selection method: user moves mouse to a point and
> then drags the mouse whilst holding the left mouse button. This then draws
> a rectangle and every clip tpouched by the rectangle gets selected.
>
> * Map "Add clip to selection" to ctrl-leftMouseClick.
>
> * Have a clip removed from a selection by ctrl-leftMouseClicking a selected
> clip.
>
>  > The idea is that 'hard selecting' clips always means we want to select
>  > more then one, to perform an action on multiple clips at the same time.
>  > This way selecting multiple clips can be done fast and without a worry
>  > to accidentally deselect the selection, which often happens in other
>  > software when clicking the mouse outside the to be clicked object's
>  > region, or when not holding the CTRL key firm enough :-)
>
> I found that the CTRL key usually works fine (e.g. in Cool edit). The
> problem of a non-functioning CTRL key is located within user space, not
> within developer space (Oops, sorry, sounds too scientific :) ) I mean -
> the solution to the non-functioning CTRL-key isn't something we can do
> something about. Only the user can remedy it by aquiring another keyboard
> or pressing the CTRL key harder. Sounds unfriendly, but any other key could
> fail just as much as the CTRL key (e.g. the 's' key). One of the best
> keyboards I have has a non-functioning '1' key. I wouldn't dream of asking
> the app developers to develop a solution around that.

I understand your pov, but note that 'hard selecting objects' has a somewhat 
different meaning in Traverso.
Mapping to left mouse button is no problem, you can map to any key/mouse 
button, but then we're back at moving so many (if not all?) to the mouse 
buttons again, which I tend to dislike ;-)

Well, I think the best way is to just try it out, and see how it works out, 
anyone else any comments ?


> However, this brings me to the issue of mapping in general: The last time I
> changed some mapping I found that I had to recompile the application. Would
> it be possible to make this mapping customizable at runtime, i.e. as part
> of the preferences (We'd just offer some default mapping as part of the
> settings delivered with a Traverso installation)? I think it's better this
> way, because often users have their own key combinations to do something.
> It would be more user friendly.

Copy the keymap.xml file from traverso/resources/ to 
~/.traverso/keymaps/yourkeymapname.xml

Edit the file to your liking and load it as the keymap file to be used in the 
preferences dialog, option keyboard.

> Just some ideas, hope they haven't spoiled your next week! Thanks again for
> all your work and have a good 2009!

Not at all, and you too!

Remon

P.S.
And yeah, I know that editing the keymap file can be very hard for 
non-experts, hopefully we can make it editable my means of a GUI