Focus.
I think that's the term when your mouse cursor automatically jumps to a field which you can populate when you open a window.
I'm going to use a Witness window. I know exactly who I want to add. This guy's daughter whom he so lovingly resolved to take care of in his will.
Add. Add Individual. The screen pops open. I start typing the last name. (30K folks, I have no small number of Elizabeths. It's okay to assume I'm probably going to want to filter by last name. Even if it's Jones or Smith.) A few system dings later I realize I've not been sent to a field, I'm not anywhere, my keystrokes are sent to the nether, doing nothing but creating ding sounds, and I need to move my cursor to the Last Name field and click in it to select it before I begin typing.
Could we not just be sent automatically to the Last Name entry field when we open this window?
I think the preponderance of searches begin with people typing in the Last Name filter.
* Select Record Dialogue Focus
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tatewise
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Re: Select Record Dialogue Focus
I understand the frustration, but there are some shortcuts that might help.
Try using the Tab key that traditionally moves Focus from input box to input box. (Shift+Tab moves in reverse direction.)
Also Ctrl+D and Ctrl+Shift+D should move Focus to search filter box, and 2nd option sorts records by surname too.
I need to check, but I thought typing into the records pane moved the selection to a matching surname.
BTW: Those are found by using FH Help > Search Help and entering Keyboard Shortcuts and click List Topics.
Try using the Tab key that traditionally moves Focus from input box to input box. (Shift+Tab moves in reverse direction.)
Also Ctrl+D and Ctrl+Shift+D should move Focus to search filter box, and 2nd option sorts records by surname too.
I need to check, but I thought typing into the records pane moved the selection to a matching surname.
BTW: Those are found by using FH Help > Search Help and entering Keyboard Shortcuts and click List Topics.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
Re: Select Record Dialogue Focus
The initial use of a Tab key once the Select Records window opens to Add Individuals as witnesses, moves me from the button in the middle labeled "Add to Selection" to "Add All" to "Remove from Selection" to "Remove All" then "OK" then "Add using Query..." to "Remove using Query" to "OK" again, "Cancel" and back up to "Add to Selection."
Ctrl-D and Ctrl-Shft-D don't do anything (except generate the system "can't do anything with the keystroke" dings).
It is not currently moving keyboard focus to the search field.
Nor will the Tab key cycle through the several search fields.
I literally need to move the mouse over the field, and click on it to begin entering text to search for.
(Ctrl-D works as described on the Individual Records - Records Window. Just not when the Select Records window is called from the Witnesses window.)
(And I can just start typing once the Individual Records - Records Window comes up. It doesn't put me in the search field, but it will move me around in my records. This feature too is missing from the Select Records window called from the Witnesses screen.)
Ctrl-D and Ctrl-Shft-D don't do anything (except generate the system "can't do anything with the keystroke" dings).
It is not currently moving keyboard focus to the search field.
Nor will the Tab key cycle through the several search fields.
I literally need to move the mouse over the field, and click on it to begin entering text to search for.
(Ctrl-D works as described on the Individual Records - Records Window. Just not when the Select Records window is called from the Witnesses window.)
(And I can just start typing once the Individual Records - Records Window comes up. It doesn't put me in the search field, but it will move me around in my records. This feature too is missing from the Select Records window called from the Witnesses screen.)
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tatewise
- Megastar
- Posts: 27082
- Joined: 25 May 2010 11:00
- Family Historian: V7
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Re: Select Record Dialogue Focus
Stewart, I have started a new thread for this problem as it is not strictly a V6.1.2 issue.
The two dialogues to compare are the Select Records... dialogue with two panes and buttons down the middle versus the Select... one record dialogue with only one pane that is similar to the Records Window.
The former allows multiple records to be selected, whereas the latter only allows one to be chosen.
The latter immediately supports the Ctrl+D and Ctrl+Shift+D shortcuts, and typing into the main pane jumps to records.
The former does the same, but only after clicking on the lefthand pane to bring it into Focus.
That I agree is inefficient in almost all cases.
The thinking must be that if a record is selected before the dialogue is invoked, then it remains selected in the lefthand pane and the > Add to Selection button is in Focus ready to add selected record to righthand pane. But that button does not need to be in Focus, it can simply be clicked if only the preselected record is needed. In all other cases, it would be better for the lefthand pane to be in Focus, so that it initially behaves like the Select... one record dialogue.
I suggest you report the problem to Calico Pie Support via http://www.family-historian.co.uk/suppo ... t-overview.
The two dialogues to compare are the Select Records... dialogue with two panes and buttons down the middle versus the Select... one record dialogue with only one pane that is similar to the Records Window.
The former allows multiple records to be selected, whereas the latter only allows one to be chosen.
The latter immediately supports the Ctrl+D and Ctrl+Shift+D shortcuts, and typing into the main pane jumps to records.
The former does the same, but only after clicking on the lefthand pane to bring it into Focus.
That I agree is inefficient in almost all cases.
The thinking must be that if a record is selected before the dialogue is invoked, then it remains selected in the lefthand pane and the > Add to Selection button is in Focus ready to add selected record to righthand pane. But that button does not need to be in Focus, it can simply be clicked if only the preselected record is needed. In all other cases, it would be better for the lefthand pane to be in Focus, so that it initially behaves like the Select... one record dialogue.
I suggest you report the problem to Calico Pie Support via http://www.family-historian.co.uk/suppo ... t-overview.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
Re: Select Record Dialogue Focus
Thank you. I've done that.
I was not separating between issues from prior to 6.1.2 and 6.1.2.
(And I was just thinking "As long as they're in the code at the moment, would they consider a little tweak in the code to achieve x if they think it's attention worthy?")
I was not separating between issues from prior to 6.1.2 and 6.1.2.
(And I was just thinking "As long as they're in the code at the moment, would they consider a little tweak in the code to achieve x if they think it's attention worthy?")