[Kdiff3-user] kdiff3 bugs and comments

[William S F. <ws...@fu...>]

Version: 0.9.86 3.4.0 Level "b" , SUSE 9.3
OS: Linux (i686) release 2.6.11.4-20a-default
Compiler: gcc version 3.3.5 20050117 (prerelease) (SUSE Linux)

Firstly, thanks for a cool app, it is much appreciated. Here are some 
comments for improvement and a bug or two.

Keys don't work when results of a directory diff are first shown, eg 
CTRL - right to expand directory in the file list (a non-visible window 
seems to have the focus).

The list of files is not shown when re-starting the program for 
directory diffs. This appears to happen every second invocation of the 
program.

Biggest problem is that a bit of polish is needed to be used as a 
directory diff tool when compared to Kompare and some other diff tools. 
I've been using Kompare for a while, but the latest SuSE has removed 
this package and seemingly replaced it with kdiff3. There is a need for 
better keyboard handling so that one can easily view all the diffs 
across all files using keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcut 
currently only work for diffs in one file. Something like ctrl UP/DOWN 
to scroll through them all (when top window containing the filenames has 
focus - with diffs automatically appearing in the lower half). So CTRL 
arrow keys need to work the same as in the diff windows, but will scroll 
through *all* files. Or use CTRL-SHIFT keys, like I recall Kompare uses.

Need to automatically remember and select the last files/directories 
merged, so that I don't have to reselect them each time (when restarting 
GUI program, so that it works like File, Open menu, which does remember 
the last files diff'd).

CTRL-UP or CTRL-DOWN moves to next diff (great shortcut, but it also 
scrolls when got to end of file. So ctrl arrow keys have two functions 
which make it confusing to use. UP or DOWN by itself does scrolling, so 
there isn't really a need for CTRL arrow keys to do this too.

When selecting to show a file's differences from the list of files, the 
2 files are opened in the bottom quarter of the screen. With one or two 
files/directories in the listing, half the screen is showing white 
space. Suggest, the 2 files automatically fill the wasted space or 
remember the size of the windows since the last program invocation. Or 
have the files fill up all of the bottom part of the program window, 
except for showing 3 or 4 files in the top window.

Suggest, the Information dialog (with Number of subdirectories etc) 
shown at the end of the scan has an option to be suppressed and put the 
information in a status bar somewhere... one less tedious keypress/mouse 
action for repetitive use of kdiff3.

William