887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

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Free4all
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887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

#1 Post by Free4all » 01.05.2023, 21:31

FreeCommander XE 2023 Build 887 64-bit donor

When right-clicking on a folder in a tree pane, and that folder is not currently selected, the selection does not change. This is a significant UX/UI issue because it is now ambiguous as to which folder the resultant context menu applies. The solution is simple: when right-clicking on a folder in a tree pane, select that folder. The regular panes work correctly in this regard.

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Re: 887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

#2 Post by Marek » 01.05.2023, 21:38

It is not a bug.
The tree works in the same way in Windows Explorer.

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Re: 887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

#3 Post by Free4all » 08.05.2023, 03:10

Marek wrote: 01.05.2023, 21:38 It is not a bug.
The tree works in the same way in Windows Explorer.
What's Windows Explorer? :lol: :lol: :lol:

For me, right-clicking a folder in the tree pane in Windows Explorer changes the selection, just like in the main files pane in FCXE. But it doesn't work in the tree pane in FCXE.

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Re: 887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

#4 Post by Dreamer » 08.05.2023, 09:17

Folder is not selected in Windows Explorer, in Windows 10 21H1 64-bit.

I think it's not a bug and I think it's even a useful option, if user wants to find some information about the folder, it's not selected, so the actual path is not lost / changed, folder can be activated anytime with left click, if needed.

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Re: 887: Folders in tree pane not selected with right-click

#5 Post by Free4all » 09.05.2023, 02:54

Dreamer wrote: 08.05.2023, 09:17 Folder is not selected in Windows Explorer, in Windows 10 21H1 64-bit.

I think it's not a bug and I think it's even a useful option, if user wants to find some information about the folder, it's not selected, so the actual path is not lost / changed, folder can be activated anytime with left click, if needed.
Regarding Win10 Explorer, I can't comment, but I can confirm that Win7 Explorer changes the selection on right-click. Win10 is notorious for incredibly bad UI/UX (see the first 50 links at https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?que ... ems+issues), so I never use it as an example of good UI/UX. Win11 fixes a few UI/UX issues, while creating new ones.

Having a popup context menu disjointed from a selection can potentially be useful, but it can also be very dangerous. For example, if you slightly miss right-clicking a folder, and instead right-click the folder below it, then select Delete, you just deleted the wrong folder. That's just one of the many problematic situations that can arise.

To make matters worse, the two panes within FreeCommander are inconsistent in their behaviours. Such inconsistencies are almost never a good a thing in effective UI/UX design.

I took a look at a bunch of popular applications, such as LibreOffice, and almost all of them change the selection when you right-click (to avoid any problematic confusion). The biggest exception I could find was Notepad++ (not exactly a pillar of good UI/UX itself!), which doesn't change the selection, but performs the right-click action on the selection even if another item is right-clicked.

I suppose it could be an option for each pane, for people who like to play with fire. :fire:

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