Small behavior change request... I hope.

[UpTilDawn]

Say Bob,

I've just been reminded tonight that every time I finish reviewing a buildmix in soundfile view and then close it, I then also have to regain focus on the MT by clicking somewhere on it.

It would sure be nice if focus were returned to the MT after closing SF view. At least for me, the MT view has always been the widown I need focus to return to.

Would you consider doing this?

DanT

[Dave Labrecque]

Say Bob,

I've just been reminded tonight that every time I finish reviewing a buildmix in soundfile view and then close it, I then also have to regain focus on the MT by clicking somewhere on it.

It would sure be nice if focus were returned to the MT after closing SF view. At least for me, the MT view has always been the widown I need focus to return to.

Would you consider doing this?

DanT

Dan,

I'm looking into my crystal ball. I see some blurred words... wait, it's a post. It's a post by Bob on the SAW forum... in reply to your post! It says... "Why are you closing the SF view at all? Arrange all your windows so that they don't overlap, and then leave them all open all the time. If you don't want to see the SF view for some reason, create an F-key view that you can switch to that doesn't include it. The power of SAW's F-keys are really unrivaled in my opinion. This is my vision. It's a great ride once you put on your Lentini lenses. That's my Rx. Now, let's get back to making great music. I really can't believe all the fuss about this. And get your fingerprints off of my Ferrari." ...and... it fades out. That's all I can see.

(Sorry, Bob. I couldn't resist. ;))

[Naturally Digital]

Good one Dave. :D

Dan, I'd still like to put your thread title to good use (if I may) and mention that I'd really like to see the right-click in Select Mode activate playback instead of clearing the selected regions. We already have a number of ways to clear the selections (C-key, S-key, clicking on the SEL button) so wouldn't it make sense to maintain the right-click start/stop function, even in Select Mode?

I often like to select a bunch of regions, move them a little, then audition (things like region spacing), move a little more, audition again etc. Hence my reason for bringing this up.

Thanks for sharing your title Dan. ;)

[Pedro Itriago]

Thanks for sharing your title Dan. ;)

In my days, that was called "kidnapping a thread" :D

[Bob L]

To move the cursor in Select Mode, you must be down in the timeline ruler area... on purpose... many reasons why we want to freeze the cursor position and snap selected entries into position... so while you are down in the ruler area... you can move and right-click to play... or simply keep one hand on the spacebar and play and stop and play and stop... :)

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

Good one Dave. :D

Dan, I'd still like to put your thread title to good use (if I may) and mention that I'd really like to see the right-click in Select Mode activate playback instead of clearing the selected regions. We already have a number of ways to clear the selections (C-key, S-key, clicking on the SEL button) so wouldn't it make sense to maintain the right-click start/stop function, even in Select Mode?

I often like to select a bunch of regions, move them a little, then audition (things like region spacing), move a little more, audition again etc. Hence my reason for bringing this up.

Thanks for sharing your title Dan. ;)

I think this is a great idea. How many times have we moused down to the time line to begin right-click playback, only to miss and clear all the selected regions? D'oh!

I think this would be an ergonomic improvement.

[Dave Labrecque]

To move the cursor in Select Mode, you must be down in the timeline ruler area... on purpose... many reasons why we want to freeze the cursor position and snap selected entries into position... so while you are down in the ruler area... you can move and right-click to play... or simply keep one hand on the spacebar and play and stop and play and stop... :)

Bob L

Point taken, Bob. But couldn't you still allow normal right-click playback? That's what we're thinking would be nice.

Maybe you're thinking that with the cursor-dragging functionality limited to the time line, normal right-click playback in the MT would be less useful?

[UpTilDawn]

I would like to have my thread back and my request considered, if y'all don't mind.

When I am working in the MT, selecting sections or songs to build mix, I often work from an MT that shows a maximum number of track/channels to more easily line up my start and end points.

when building a mix this way, the SF view is pasted on top of the MT after the build mix is complete. I appreciate that because I can then quickly check the build mix if needed. But, I didn't design the behavior into SAW that causes the SF view to be overlaid on existing windows when a build mix is completed. (That has little to do with how I arrange my F-keys if the f-key I am using to create the build mix from happens to not include the SF view, does it?)

However, I then have to close the Sf view to clearly see what I am doing in the MT to set the next start/end points. In doing so, the MT view should once again regain the focus (in my opinion) as this is the general rule of thumb in most SAW operations. This would allow me to go right back to work without the distraction of clicking on the MT title bar to regain focus before I can continue.

I also have F-key views that allow me to use the SF view in varying configurations, mostly for detailed editing needs when they arise in which I've maximized the SF view and have minimal MT channels showing. None of these other views allow me to view 20-25 channels at once....

I feel this is a quite legitimate request, no matter what anyone else expects Bob's answer will be..... I am well familiar with the routine....

I'm not upset, but I am a bit miffed that my thread was pulled completely off topic and then not even addressed when Bob posted.

Thanks for that guys. :rolleyes:

Would you mind addressing my request Bob?
I'd appreciate the consideration.

Thanks,
DanT

[Bob L]

I will look into it... but the complaint to me sounds a little much... I mean we are talking about saving one click to activate the MT window again... and if I force the MT active... what about the next guy who might be doing this with a mixer view active... then he would be upset...

I could never even imagine being upset over something like this... build the mix... immediately get a chance to check it out... then simply close the window and move on to the next operation... clicking wherever the next operation takes you.

I just am stumped by people's obsession with a mouse click being an incredibly inconvenient thing... oh well... :).

Bob L

[Cary B. Cornett]

I have many times been "caught" by the need to click on the MT to re-gain focus before playback or some other task. I never really tried to sit down and come up with a consistent set of rules for alternate behavior on the part of SAW, but I can see how some kind of carefully limited and specialized change might be helpful.

[DominicPerry]

Dan,

..........Why are you closing the SF view at all? Arrange all your windows so that they don't overlap, and then leave them all open all the time. If you don't want to see the SF view for some reason, create an F-key view that you can switch to that doesn't include it.

I didn't realise that you could have the Sound File view open like that and lock it to F-keys. Fantastic. I'll do that in future. Much better.

Dominic

[Naturally Digital]

But, I didn't design the behavior into SAW that causes the SF view to be overlaid on existing windows when a build mix is completed.Dan, you can save your extra click by *not* closing the soundfile view and clicking on the MT instead. The Soundfile view gets hidden behind the MT and you keep going. Exactly the same number of clicks as you are proposing with this change. I do this every day, many times.

If you would prefer to eliminate all the clicks then just touch your original F-key and go back to working in the MT.

I'm sorry but I fail to see the logic in your request, expecially as Bob points out, what if another user doesn't want the MT to have the focus when they close the Soundfile view? :confused:

Honestly I knew it was a little rude to hijack your thread but it was all meant in fun. Dave got me goin. He actually had me ROTF.

Besides, you created such a 'universal' title for your thread I thought I'd take advantage of it. Again, all in good fun man. I hope you don't hold it against me. :o

I've been making a real effort not to jump on the forum with every little change request I think I'd like to see but I've been thinking about this right-click Select mode thing for such a long time, I guess I was inspired by your thread and lost control. Sorry man. Seriously.

[Naturally Digital]

I have many times been "caught" by the need to click on the MT to re-gain focus before playback or some other task. I never really tried to sit down and come up with a consistent set of rules for alternate behavior on the part of SAW, but I can see how some kind of carefully limited and specialized change might be helpful.Now this, I completely agree with. IIRC we've discussed this in the past and not sure there was ever a conclusive solution to it. It's tough to know exactly how it should behave.

One solution which I believe has slowly been implemented is to have more of the shortcuts work in all the views rather than limiting them to specific ones.

Another is to have the focus return to the view it was on before certain commands were executed that took the focus away. Again, IIRC there may have been some technical difficulties with this.

[Tim Miskimon]

I just am stumped by people's obsession with a mouse click being an incredibly inconvenient thing... oh well... :).

Bob L

I wonder how many mouse clicks I've made since 1994 - (the year I discovered Saw).
I wonder how many of them could of been avoided.
I wouldn't mind having a few of them back...:D:p
Now let's give Dan his thread back.

[Bob L]

The answer is simple... its quite impossible to control when focus is taken from a window with everything going on in Windows...so...

Everytime you want to do work in a certain window just click the window first... simple and works everytime... no more worrying about getting caught by the window not having focus... :)

No need to try desperately to figure out every which way a window could loose focus based on a sequence of commands... just click and go to work... click in a new window and go to work... click again and go to work.

Guarentee you will get your work done faster and with less headaches than all that worrying over saving an extra mouse click.

Bob L

[UpTilDawn]

Just for the record,
I'm not pissed at anyone or anything.
I'm also not obsessed with mouse clicks, nor worried, nor desperate. Just a bit frazzled after a couple very long days and nights.

It's simply annoying to get caught off guard as Cary points out:eek:, annoying to have your thread hijacked before the post is even answered by the person to whom it was addressed :p and just a bit frustrating when it works one way for some things and another way for other things.

I'm fine with the solutions offered and happy to be reminded about hitting the f-key and simply clicking on the MT to eliminate the extra steps.... moves I've used frequently, but sometimes forget about. Thanks for the suggestions. :)

I also considered the possibility that others might need focus returned to a different window..... that's why I made a point of saying "in my opinion" and "At least for me, the MT view has always been the window I need focus to return to."

It's all good.... I'm finished now with the current project and I'm incredibly happy to have Saw to do my work in. As is usually the case.... sometimes Bob agrees, sometimes he doesn't.... I get over it.:cool:

It sure beats having to edit with a razor blade no matter how you splice it.

DanT

[Bob L]

Get in the habit of looking at the titlebar of the window to see if it's the active window... if not click before you try to do something.

I have placed many traps in many places in the code to save and restore the active window focus when I know a dialog or other operation will change it temporarily.... but there are some places that slip by.

But... it's very easy to restore the active window with that simple mouse click, if you notice it's not where you want it.

I will keep trying to patch all the loopholes as I can.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

I would like to have my thread back and my request considered, if y'all don't mind.

When I am working in the MT, selecting sections or songs to build mix, I often work from an MT that shows a maximum number of track/channels to more easily line up my start and end points.

when building a mix this way, the SF view is pasted on top of the MT after the build mix is complete. I appreciate that because I can then quickly check the build mix if needed. But, I didn't design the behavior into SAW that causes the SF view to be overlaid on existing windows when a build mix is completed. (That has little to do with how I arrange my F-keys if the f-key I am using to create the build mix from happens to not include the SF view, does it?)

However, I then have to close the Sf view to clearly see what I am doing in the MT to set the next start/end points. In doing so, the MT view should once again regain the focus (in my opinion) as this is the general rule of thumb in most SAW operations. This would allow me to go right back to work without the distraction of clicking on the MT title bar to regain focus before I can continue.

I also have F-key views that allow me to use the SF view in varying configurations, mostly for detailed editing needs when they arise in which I've maximized the SF view and have minimal MT channels showing. None of these other views allow me to view 20-25 channels at once....

I feel this is a quite legitimate request, no matter what anyone else expects Bob's answer will be..... I am well familiar with the routine....

I'm not upset, but I am a bit miffed that my thread was pulled completely off topic and then not even addressed when Bob posted.

Thanks for that guys. :rolleyes:

Would you mind addressing my request Bob?
I'd appreciate the consideration.

Thanks,
DanT

Sorry, Dan.

[Dave Labrecque]

...it's very easy to restore the active window with that simple mouse click....


But be sure you click in the right part of the target window (title bar is always safe), otherwise, you can mess things up. It's not a no-brainer. ;)

[Dave Labrecque]

I didn't realise that you could have the Sound File view open like that and lock it to F-keys. Fantastic. I'll do that in future. Much better.

Dominic

Just like any other SS window. That's how it's meant to work, I think. Much smoother ride. ;)

[UpTilDawn]

I will keep trying to patch all the loopholes as I can.

Bob L

I know... it's not like you have anything else to do with your time. :D

[UpTilDawn]

Sorry, Dan.

You find the "real" bugs.... I find things that "bug" me.:)

DanT

[Dave Labrecque]

You find the "real" bugs.... I find things that "bug" me.:)

DanT

If you run out of 'em: use marked areas and Offset Mode to tweak lots of automation on a continuous 90-minute, 15-track project sometime. ;)

Better yet... don't do that. :p

[UpTilDawn]

If you run out of 'em: use marked areas and Offset Mode to tweak lots of automation on a continuous 90-minute, 15-track project sometime. ;)

Better yet... don't do that. :p

Are you STILL on that one?! Isn't it about time you let that one die a slow death?:p

I could try that though.... I work with a lot of 90 minute continuous sessions..... well, over an hour anyway... but mine are 20-28 tracks.

DanT

[Dave Labrecque]

Are you STILL on that one?! Isn't it about time you let that one die a slow death?:p

I could try that though.... I work with a lot of 90 minute continuous sessions..... well, over an hour anyway... but mine are 20-28 tracks.

DanT

That's how I make it such a slow death... revisit it every few months. :p