[chimera-dev] ordering in file browser

[Eric Pettersen]

You're getting into redesign issues, which are difficult to discuss 
effectively on email lists.  You should bring up these issues at a 
Chimera meeting (though the next one is probably pretty full).

On Wednesday, February 12, 2003, at 05:14  PM, Greg Couch wrote:

> As long as we're voting, I'll vote for all files and directories in
> alphabetical order (not ascii)

They are alphabetical AFAIK.  Let me know if they aren't.

> and a different color for the directory
> names (or maybe with a leading icon instead of the trailing /).

Each column is a Pmw.ScrolledListbox, whose underlying widget is a 
Tkinter.Listbox, which allows neither of these features.  I could look 
around for another widget, but I would be loathe to construct my own.

> And
> instead of using multiple columns for hierarchical directories, use the
> columns for all of the files and directories in the current directory.

Urg.  I detest navigating hierarchies from a single-directory view.  At 
best, I would offer this as an option.

> The open dialog would should up much faster if it only had to list the
> contents of the current directory.

For me, that start-up bonus would be lost (and then some) the instant I 
had to navigate to a sibling directory.

> On the other hand, putting all of the
> directories first will speed up directory navigation, especially with 
> the
> one directory columns.  So two votes, with a preference for the first
> combo.

I guess I count that as a "don't care" for the issue I asked about.

--Eric