#2154 Different way to close the File and the Directory view

[Bela Babik]

My problem is that I can't specify different window closing mechanism for the two different view. I'm always closing the file window too.

Possible solution: split the "Close windows with ESC" setting. One for the merge view one for the directory view.

[Bela Babik]

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I have implemented it for myself. Patch is attached.
File Added: driveviewesc.patch

[Bela Babik]

patch

[Kimmo Varis]

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Thanks for the patch, I'll move this to patches list.

[Kimmo Varis]

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Quick look at the patch and it looks ok for implementation part.

But the real question is if we really need this configuration for one key. There is also commandline switch (/e) for it.

I admit ESC key is handy for closing compare windows after you are used to it. But then, I think it was a mistake to add this support for WinMerge. If I recall correctly people wanted it because couple of other compare software had it. And it has caused a lot of problems and follow-up requests. But it is already there and removing it would cause a lot of complaints also.

If I remember correctly, we first implemented this so that ESC key only closed file compare window. That allowed fast switching between files in folder compare. One possibility would be to go back into that behavior.

Or did you want to close folder compare, but not file compare? :)

[Bela Babik]

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The whole thing with the ESC key is really cool if WinMerge used as an
external diff tool. But right now it is too easy to close the folder
compare in the middle of a merge business.

I wouldn't say that my solution is perfect for everyone, I just closed
the view three or four times and got mad. :) When I turned off the
ESC thing and tried to use the Ctrl+F4 to close the window, the situation
were the same. Using mouse is not an option (and the same situation, you
just need a double click and folder compare is gone).

An yeah, the created new option is far from being elegant.
I can imaagine something like this:
ESC closes: [ ] Directory view [x] File view [x] Application

But then you will need 3 settings on the command line too or a combined
one like /e[d][f][a] and /e should mean /edfa by default.

[Kimmo Varis]

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Sorry not answering sooner.

Sometimes I think people are almost religious about the ESC key, so many different request I've seen of its behavior. Everybody wants it different way. Which makes this so hard, considering all the different usage scenarios (stand-alone application, external application...).

I've mentioned this in few related items, but maybe the solution would be instead of lots of single options to have simpler "Stand-alone" and "external application" modes. Both modes select different options based on which makes more sense in that usage. That idea wouldn't allow so fine-grained selection of options, but wouldn't either confuse people with unnecessary options.

Of course then we have all these requests about changing some behavior in any of the modes.. :) But I think it would be easier to handle anyway.

[Bela Babik]

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> Of course then we have all these requests about changing some behavior in
> any of the modes.. :) But I think it would be easier to handle anyway.

It's a sort of configuration scheme/style/mode system.

Make everything configurable and let the user define
schemes and use whatever they want.

[Kimmo Varis]

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> Make everything configurable and let the user define
> schemes and use whatever they want.

This is *NOT* what we will do. I don't want WinMerge to be a configuration hell where you have to spent lots of time in finding working configuration. This ESC key configuration is really a good example for what configuration should not be enabled. We should have just one consistent behavior.