Keyboard column selection broken.

[qwerky]

As of version 1.232 (and could have been earlier, as I took quite a large version jump), keyboard column selection is broken (still okay with mouse). Use keyboard to change selection mode to column (status bar reflects correctly), then still using keyboard, position mouse, hold Shift for selection, and move mouse to select: selection mode immediately reverts to normal, and such is reflected in status bar.

[main Alexey]

I don't understand.
as I see now, I CAN make the column of zero width using Shift+Alt+ArrowDown, then I can do Shift+ArrowRight, and this selects a column.

so what is broken? what steps worked before, and don't work now? show me the steps, please. I don't understand them yet.

[qwerky]

First, make sure that column selection mode is enabled.

Now, place cursor at left edge of screen, hold shift key, and use arrow keys to move cursor right and down. The moment the cursor is moved, the status bar changes from showing column select, to showing normal select. Also, the selection itself selects the entire line, rather than a column.

That is what is happening for me--is it not so for you?

[main Alexey]

Yes, for me it happens too. But why MOUSE-selection mode (which is indicated by statysbar) should affect keyboard cmds? it should not, IMO. statusbar indicater is for the MOUSE-selection.

So it's not a bug.

[qwerky]

Huh? In previous versions status bar indicator has always (correctly) indicated what the selection mode is--it has nothing to do with how the selection is being made, but rather what is the current selection mode.

Having said that, just ignore the status bar indicator for now--the bigger problem is that there is now no way to make a column selection using the keyboard. As soon as the keyboard moves the cursor, the selection mode reverts to normal selection instead of column selection, and the selection itself become normal mode rather than column mode!

Just try to make a column selection using only the keyboard--can you do it?

[main Alexey]

Ignoring the statusbar indicator:
I can make the column of zero width using Shift+Alt+ArrowDown (it is default hotkey of CmdPalette command 'column select: down'), then I can do Shift+ArrowRight, and this selects a column.

And I guess this is analog to other editors.

PS. That old 'mode' was maybe reworked long time ago, I cannot recall when.

[qwerky]

Yes, it was quite a version jump, from 1.190.1.0 to 1.233.2.0, so lots of change. But this new way is completely different, where column selection now seems to have separate hotkeys; and yet there is still the toggle to change between column selection mode and normal selection mode, but that toggle does not seem to have any effect.

Formerly, when column selection mode was in effect, using shift + arrow keys would perform column selection. That is how it is in ConTEXT editor. Do you remember our discussion of this, after which you first implemented this mode? Could you please restore this mode? (No need to remove having column selection hotkeys; they could remain as well.)

[main Alexey]

Some changelog line exists about 'column sel' substring, with your nickname 'qwerky', in version 1.186.0 (2023/02).
Something was discussed but I dont remember...

but I guess that I changed that anyway. Now core property for this is named OptMouseColumnSelectionWithoutKey, note the 'Mouse' word, so it must work only for the mouse I guess (maybe it was renamed later than 1.186).
I don't plan to restore work of this option for keyboard. It is not logical to make OptMouseXxxx to consider keyboard commands.

[qwerky]

Hmm... adding functionality okay, but removing functionality not a good practice.

So, what is the procedure now to make column selection by use of keyboard only? A description would be helpful.

[main Alexey]

'procedure for the end user' to make column selection? I wrote it here
https://synwrite.sourceforge.net/forums ... 451#p21451