InfoQube IM - Community

Submitted by Tom on 2008/11/20 11:49

Simply copying text from item field

currently when I click on an item, the item is selected - good I think cause it was very difficult to select items before

I like most behaviour now, but cant figure out how to simply copy the text from item field (or any other field)

Formerly it was Ctrl+C & away but now the whole item is selected I get the dialogue/choice of tab seperated / XML etc.

If it's not possible:

It would be great if this could be facilitated with a simple shortcut - I do it so often I'd prefer not to have to deal with the dialogue box - or ideal would really be both -as option in dialogue & as shortcut

Comments

In the menus :

Grid-->"select mode" --> multi-columns

thanks Armando, I had forgotten that

but I dont see why one should be exclusive of the other ?

I prefer Full line myself , the problem with multi-columns is it's so difficult to select the item if you (like me) tend to hide the first column

Also with full line I can select all items and right click on various fields for that fields context menu, easier than

maybe I'm nit-picking, maybe others wont hide first column - I always found item selection difficult though and ended up creating a shortcut to select item but I'm thinking of users who use default settings as well when I post (not sure which selection setting is default)

maybe you can just assign a shortcut to the "select item" option in the item menu? (like ctrl-shift-s or something like that...?)

I always have it set on multi-column. Armando idea of an icon to select the whole item is a good one. I could also add some options to the copy dialog... Tell me what you'd like

p.s. may be I should spend some time in full line mode... But so often, I want to select cells from more than one column and that mode does not allow that.

I really think that setting a simple shortcut (or icon if you prefer... but I almost never use icons myself -- matter of taste) for "full item selection" is the simplest way to go (that's what I do : work in multi-columns, but use ctrl-shift-s to select full item when I need to)

I think you're both missing my points

My point in my second post was that there are problems facing a beginner (or someone who wants to use default settings) the way things are now - whether one chooses Full-line or multi-column

	Full Line	Multi-Column
Disadvantages	difficulty selecting field-text to copy	. difficulty selecting item (esp if first column hidden) .

Ideas/Proposals:

Multi-Column:

Maybe add select item as first option/icon on the context item - (strange, cant get rid of undereline formatting)

Full Line

if a field has focus, add an option to copy dialog box to "Copy text in Field".

Me, I'll try using the multi-line for a while, see how I get on

PS Armando, I say above I have made a shortcut to select item - you're doing my trick - reading posts too quickly

(next you'll be doing my other trick - thinking I'm someone else lol)- or maybe I'm writing posts too long & rambley !?!

ooops. Sorry tom. I did read your post a bit too fast as I was in a hurry getting ready for work.

Your suggestions about a "select item" icon in the item's context menu --> a good one. IMO.

Your other suggestion is good too... Providing that one finds "full line" selection mode truly useful.

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Some thoughts… for what they’re worth…

I see a small problem with the different selection types ( multiple-column/full line) --> it seems to confuse users once in a while (because copy doesn't work the same). And I think we shall avoid that as much as possible.

Is Full line that important to keep? Visually, it has an important use, but that could be just that : a visual option to have the full line slightly shaded (different color than the selection color), without having it truly "fully selected" (where ctrl-c would copy the full item)... hence have the "copy action" work the same, whether the line is fully "shaded" or with “multiple shaded fields” (the difference between the 2 modes being purely visual, and not errrr... behavioral ??).

(I must say that, when I first started to use SQLNotes/InfoQube, I was wondering why the focused field in the full-line mode couldn't be copied independently and easily with ctrl-c... And that’s why I started using multiple column mode exclusively... BUT, I visually prefer the full line mode : easier to see the full item with all its fields... but harder to see currently selected field…)

I've added the tag Feature:Request to this post

I notice that a default new file has full-line selection -

in the light of the problems with this mode (problems with other mode are much less important I think) could default new file use multi-column selection?

can I also suggest that this setting be added to options as well as being in menu (if possible)

(guess who's just been poring over options again and again thinking - it's in here somewhere, I know it is - LOL)