Re: Review of Keybindings [Re: Dia's user interface]

[Ben Hetland <ben a hetland sintef no>]

On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 21:45:51 -0400, "James K.Lowden" <jklowden@speakeasy.org> wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 15:27:51 +0000 "rob.campbell@att.net"
> <rob.campbell@att.net> wrote:> > Using Glade, I mocked up a
[...]
> > This is a pretty common and useful features in CAD
> > programs.  "Reverse drag" means drawing the selection
> > rectangle from right to left, rather than left to right
> > (maybe "Reverse drag" is too Euro-centric).  It selects
> > objects fully and partially within the rectangle, not
> > just  fully within as when dragging from left to right. 
> 
> Ah.  That is a nice feature. 
> 
[...]
> The feature is discoverable, useful, and unintrusive.  Let's turn it on
> and leave it there.  

I have to comment on this "feature," because I sometimes prefer to "drag"
in different direction depending of the shape ("silhouette") of the
objects that I want to select.

When I do this, it is perhaps because I feel it's easier to make an
exact selection by starting as close as possible to one of objects that
I want to include. For example, when the objects (to select) form a
bounding box corresponding approximately to the selection rectangle that
I'll have to make, but these objects aren't really evenly distributed
inside that BB, then I usually start at the corner of the BB that has an
object closest to it. This is sometimes a "reverse drag," or even
down-upwards. I do it even more often, I think, when I'm using a pen or
touchpad instead of a mouse.

I therefore don't agree to your "quick" conclusions here, that this can
just be turned on and left forever... :-)

Personally, I would appreciate the proposed feature, but would like to
have it as a Shift-Drag, Ctrl-Drag or something like that... perhaps
even a drag with right or middle mouse button instead of the left one.


Just my thoughts...
Regards,

-- 
Ben Hetland <ben.a.hetland@sintef.no>