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Topic: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion. (Read 4310 times)

Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

I very much like Opera's single-key shortcuts.  But In Otter, please don't assign single-key letters to Bookmark page ... , Manage bookmarks ..., or any menu options.

Opera does so, which has a negative cascading effect on bookmarks for which I'd like to assign a unique letter.  For example, I can't build a Baseball folder if "B" is taken by Bookmark page ...  Assigning letters to the menu options defeats the purpose of assigning letters I want to bookmarks.  And I use the menu options quite seldom relative to the bookmarks.

I realize this isn't currently done, but as Otter is in development I'd hate to see it carried over.  It seems now is the time to make the suggestion.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #1 –
What you mean is called access keys. Keyboard shortcuts are actions in the application that are tied to keyboard only, not to menu items. Access to menu items by means of keyboard as you describe is called access keys.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #2 –
OK, but Manage Bookmarks... functions differently than Bookmarks from the Menu Bar.  To access Bookmarks I enter [Alt b], however, simply hitting "b" or "m" as a single key activates Bookmark Page... or Manage Bookmarks...

I've attached a workaround (bookmarks_menu.txt) I've used for years.  It should be renamed bookmarks_menu.ini and put in .opera/menu.  Bookmarks then displays Bookmark Page... and Manage Bookmarks...  "Enter" bookmarks a page as Bookmark Page... is highlighted.  "." activates Manage Bookmarks...

No wasted letters.  Problem solved, but it'd be better to not have to utilize a workaround.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #3 –
Emdek told me access keys are under construction. From what I understand the issue isn't so much adding them, but adding them in such a way that it's easily compatible with translations.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #4 –
Wonderful.  I do have a related suggestion.  I'd like the ability to code a bookmark letter as permanent.  As an example, I have a Tennis folder.  Currently, if I add a bookmark Tennis might be replaced with Tennis.

I'd like the ability to have Tennis to always be Tennis, regardless of what new bookmarks are added.  When I encounter the problem with Opera I usually change the new bookmark to begin with "z_."  That is a clunky workaround, but it'd be better to just make the "T" in Tennis off limits.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #5 –
That's a pretty cool suggestion. Perhaps it could be done like e.g. _Tennis or {T}ennis. :yes:

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #6 –
Opera's bookmark keywords that could be launched from bookmarks keyword dialogue were cooler, IMHO. I would like to see keywords that can be applied to any bookmark item AND folders, thus launching an entire folder.

As to what keys to assign as access keys, in old Opera it was perfectly configurable in lang files. The feature became tricky precisely when it concerned Bookmarks. As far as I know, Opera didn't provide way to specifically assign and alter menu access keys to Bookmarks. The way I see it, it's utterly unfeasible too.

The options are either to implement an algorithm that auto-generates access keys so that they would not overlap in the given menu. This would make sense because the access keys would be visually there; you are not guessing them. To leave bookmark menu access keys for the user to configure would be pointless IMHO, because the same usage can be much more elegantly achieved with keywords, tags, and bookmarklets. So the viable options are either an automatic algorithm or no access keys at all.

As said, menu access keys are a distinct feature from keyboard shortcuts. In old times, Alt key used to activate access keys for the menus of the application that was currently in focus.

These days Alt key either opens a hidden menu in the application (as in Internet Explorer and post-O button Opera) or opens something called HUD. These options are vastly inferior to the old Alt key behaviour.

Otter has none of these options built in. If anything is built, I seriously prefer Opera-like interface as it was prior to the O button.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #7 –
Quote from: ersi on
Opera's bookmark keywords that could be launched from bookmarks keyword dialogue were cooler, IMHO. I would like to see keywords that can be applied to any bookmark item AND folders, thus launching an entire folder.

Nicknames are awesome.

Quote from: ersi on
The way I see it, it's utterly unfeasible too.

No more unfeasible than manually setting the accesskeys in your other menus. You set those which you want to be something. In the Firefox menu, the File > P accesskey goes to Print, even though alphabetically Page Setup and Print Preview come first. Wanting similar functionality in a bookmarks menu seems extremely logical to me. Anything else is (or should be) automatically generated. In case of user error, ignore all declarations but the first and stick to automation for the rest.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #8 –
Quote from: ersi on

As far as I know, Opera didn't provide way to specifically assign and alter menu access keys to Bookmarks.


The file I attached earlier does just that.  But it is a workaround.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #9 –
OK. If you so heavily use menu access keys and got a hack to customise them even in bookmarks menu in Opera, then I guess it makes sense to implement it this way in Otter too. However, this means the algorithm also has to be created. Because at first when you open the program out of the box and import some bookmarks, what kind of access keys are supposed to be there? Automatically generated ones, because you have not assigned anything yet. And then you can go ahead and customise them.

In Opera there was customisation of access keys through hacking the language files. The assigned keys were mapped so as to not clash in the default menus, but such hard-coded access keys would run into immediate problems with custom menus. This is why an automatic algorithm makes sense to me here and hard-coding doesn't, but of course I am saying this also because I hardly ever use access keys.

On the other hand, I use keyboard shortcuts a lot and I customise them a lot.

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #10 –
Automatically-generated access keys make sense to me.  I simply have the two suggestions:

1.) Don't assign access key letters to Bookmark Page... or Manage Bookmarks...
2.) Allow me to change, or make permanent, the letter assigned to an access key.  Perhaps an option could be available in a bookmark's Properties.

I realize the second suggestion might be problematic.  However, the first seems a no brainer.  Assigning letters to Bookmark Page... and Manage Bookmarks... makes zero sense to me.  But what do I know?

Re: Single-key shortcuts and bookmarks menu items suggestion.

Reply #11 –
@rhubarbpieguy, AFAIR it could be forced by use of & character before letter that should be used for shortcut, but it is currently (or should be, if it's not done yet) escaped (so it won't "eat" all ampersands from names).
Chocimier is working on keywords and extended attributes, hopefully it will be merged before beta1 (along import of Opera bookmarks).
Nadszedł już czas, najwyższy czas, nienawiść zniszczyć w sobie.
The time has come, the high time, to destroy hatred in oneself.