[mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]

[mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]

[Clint Adams]

This seems like a reasonable complaint to me.  Is there a reason not to
be more grid-like?

----- Forwarded message from "Benjamin Hill (Mako)" <mako@debian.org> -----

Thanks for maintaining zsh (again)!

zsh menu navigation is confusing and implemented so that it makes
reaching the last element in a list of completions extremely
difficult.

In a multi-column menu of completions, pressing "up" from most items
will take the user to the previous item in the list. When an item that
is at the top of a column is selected, pressing "up" moves the
selection to the last item in the previous column.  This is the
correct behavior.

This does not happen when the users is on first item in the first
column. Pressing up from *this* item (and only this item) will take
the users to the last item in the first (current) column. It should
take the users to the last item in the list (i.e., the last item in
the last column).

The effect of this is that it can make it very hard to select the last
item in a long multi-column menu of completions. For date-based
organization of data in a directory, this can be particularly
frustrating.

Similarly, pressing down from the final column will select the item
that is one to the left and one down of the last item rather than the
first item (which would be expected). Pressing right from the last
item moves to the first column (as would be expected) but also moves
one down (which would not). Moving left from the first column acts
irregularly as well selecting items that are sometimes one up and
sometimes in the second-to-last column (depending on the layout).

This should all be normalized so that the normal operating is
grid-like movement (as it is in most places that do not involve edges
of the grid) and so that moving up from the first item or down from
that item moves to the end/beginning.


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.4.26-1-k7
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=UTF-8) (ignored: LC_ALL set to en_US.UTF-8)

Versions of packages zsh depends on:
ii  debconf                     1.4.30.10    Debian configuration management sy
ii  libc6                       2.3.2.ds1-18 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libncurses5                 5.4-4        Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii  passwd                      1:4.0.3-30.3 Change and administer password and

-- debconf information excluded

----- End forwarded message -----

Re: [mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]

[Bart Schaefer]

On Jan 10,  3:18pm, Clint Adams wrote:
} Subject: [mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]
}
} This seems like a reasonable complaint to me.  Is there a reason not to
} be more grid-like?

Sven's preference?

This statement is actually not quite correct:

} ----- Forwarded message from "Benjamin Hill (Mako)" <mako@debian.org> -----
} 
} This does not happen when the users is on first item in the first
} column. Pressing up from *this* item (and only this item) will take
} the users to the last item in the first (current) column.

I believe it actually goes to the last item in the *longest* column,
which happens always to be the first one.  The idea is to jump to the 
end of the *display*, not the end of the *list*, otherwise some items
"below and to the left of" the last item might not be visible when
the display is redrawn.

Re: [mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]

[Peter Stephenson]

Bart Schaefer wrote:
> On Jan 10,  3:18pm, Clint Adams wrote:
> } Subject: [mako@debian.org: Bug#289748: zsh: menu navigation is suboptimal]
> }
> } This seems like a reasonable complaint to me.  Is there a reason not to
> } be more grid-like?
> 
> Sven's preference?

I think that's all it is, though there was some discussion at the time.

It's probably not too difficult to fix in domenuselect (and possibly
adjust_mcol) in complist.c.  After all, I counted at least five comments
in the 900-odd lines of the function.

-- 
Peter Stephenson <pws@csr.com>                  Software Engineer
CSR PLC, Churchill House, Cambridge Business Park, Cowley Road
Cambridge, CB4 0WZ, UK                          Tel: +44 (0)1223 692070


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