"Drag-N-Drop Split Pane Editing" not working for me (solved)

Yendor04 · Apr 05, 2009#12009-04-05T22:40+00:00

Hi there!

Just upgraded to v15 and can't wait to really dive in. However, there are two things I've noticed right off the bat I'm hoping someone can help me with. I was trying to do the "Drag-N-Drop Split Pane Editing", but it just isn't working for me. I've selected various options on the "Open Files" control including making sure the "Undockable" option is selected. It just won't work for me. What could I be doing wrong? And this could VERY well be user error.

I'm using UEv15 on Windows XP Pro SP2.

Also, as a result of trying to figure out my problem mentioned above I seem to have uncovered some interesting file tab behavior.

To set up my example let's say I have two files open, File1" and "File2". And let's say I currently have focus set on "File1". If at any point I attempt to put focus on "File2" and left-click (don't release the button yet) on that open file's tab I see that tab move to the foreground position on the "Open Files" bar. But before letting go of the left button I drag the mouse pointer off the "File2" tab. What's interesting at this point is that I still see the contents of "File1" displayed but with the "File2" tab in the focused state. So it looks like "File2" has the same contents as "File1". If I move the pointer back to the "File2" tab and click and release I will then see the actual contents of "File2".

Anyone else experience this? Should this be reported as a bug?

Thanks!

rhapdog · Apr 06, 2009#22009-04-06T03:13+00:00

Welcome Yendor04.

I am also using UE 15 on Windows XP SP2, but the Home instead of Pro edition.

The "Drag-N-Drop Split Pane Editing" is working just fine for me. I wasn't getting it to work right at first, but then realized that I must drag the tab all the way to the right scroll bar for vertical split, and to the bottom scroll bar for horizontal split. Then it began working for me. Silly me, it was my own error at first. New toy, new way of doing things, I have to adjust.

As far as the edit window not showing the file you "grab" until you release the tab, it switches the view for me. When you right-click on a tab, there is a "File Tabs" menu option. If "Dockable" is checked, then you will get the results you are describing, including the drag and drop split not working. If you "uncheck" Dockable, then it will work for you. I don't like the tabs being dockable, because I don't plan on "auto-hiding" my tabs for one, and I like the extra screen space that the blue bar over the tabs takes up if you have it dockable.

Uncheck Dockable, and it will work just fine for you.

Yendor04 · Apr 06, 2009#32009-04-06T12:55+00:00

Hey rhapdog!

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately attempting to drag the grabbed tab to either of the scroll bars still yields no results. I don't even get that little change to the mouse pointer that would indicate I've "grabbed" the file when I drag off the file tab to begin with. Any other ideas or should I be posting my problem in a different forum?

This may or may not be another clue to my particular dilemma, but I went back to those demonstration videos after my initial post above and noticed that there is no "Open Files" control displayed. How can that be? If you "Hide/Auto Hide" the "Open Files" control bar the entire thing, tabs and all, disappear. You to hover over it again just to gain access to the tabs themselves. The video shows tabs simply on the screen next to the "File View" control. What's that about?

Thanks again!

rhapdog · Apr 06, 2009#42009-04-06T15:08+00:00

Yendor04 wrote:If you "Hide/Auto Hide" the "Open Files" control bar the entire thing, tabs and all, disappear. You to hover over it again just to gain access to the tabs themselves.

This tells me you did not do what I told you, and that is to "uncheck" Dockable.

1. Right click any open file tab.
2. From the context menu select "File Tabs", which has another sub-menu.
3. From this "File Tabs" sub-menu, uncheck "Dockable".

This will solve your problem.

Dragging of file tabs only works if the open file tabs are not dockable.

Yendor04 · Apr 06, 2009#52009-04-06T15:19+00:00

Great! Thank you very much for the visual cues. That totally cleared up my misunderstanding and things are working as I would expect.

Thanks again for all the help, rhapdog!

perl_geek · Apr 24, 2009#62009-04-24T11:16+00:00

I'm having the same problem as Yendor. However, i don't get the 'File Tabs' sub-menu appearing on my context menu when right-clicking on the file tab and i can't find any other way to uncheck the 'dockable' option. The only other place i see 'dockable' is as a checkbox on the Application Layout / File Tabs / Operation menu under the Advanced / Configuration. Unchecking this simply removes the 'Open Files' bar above the file tabs and, with it, the option to minimize/restore the current window.

Please can anyone help? While, as the IDM tour page says, the drag-n-drop functionality isn't a must have feature it's going to be really useful.

Thanks, PG

rhapdog · Apr 24, 2009#72009-04-24T13:16+00:00

When you Uncheck that, you say it removes the 'Open Files' bar above the file tabs. That is exactly what you must do to get it to work.

Personally, I'm not concerned about losing the option to minimize/restore a current window, since the only reason you need that is to adjust window sizes to view files side by side, or on top of one another, while you get the other files out of the way. With the pane splitting, it is no longer needed. Windows you don't need to see are in tabs that you can call up when you need them. I can have 4 panes on my editor (wide screen) and multiple tabs for each pane. It's a much better working environment than using "minimize/restore" for current windows.

perl_geek · Apr 27, 2009#82009-04-27T07:46+00:00

Rhapdog,

Thanks for the reply. I've just realized that drag-n-drop only becomes active if there are at least two file tabs

So it's now working (hurrah!), however, the only problem I have now is that I don't seem to be able to do a horizontal split. I have a couple of options available for vertical splitting but wherever I drag the tab to there doesn't seem to be a horizontal option. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks, PG

rhapdog · Apr 27, 2009#92009-04-27T11:49+00:00

Are you dragging the tab to the center of the horizontal scroll bar?

perl_geek · Apr 27, 2009#102009-04-27T12:20+00:00

Yes, and now it works! Well I'm sure this wasn't what I was seeing earlier. However, thanks for all your help, Rhapdog.

PG

Zach · Aug 12, 2009#112009-08-12T23:23+00:00

A belated thanks to rhapdog because I was having the same issue, but this begs the question: What exactly am I losing (feature/usefulness-wise) by disabling the docking feature of the file tabs? Just the ability to have the tabs someplace other than the top? If so, I can live with that since that's where I leave them anyway.

roland · Aug 14, 2009#122009-08-14T04:59+00:00

What I have noticed with Undockable tabs:

-- Tabs don't consume the full window width if you dock side bars. So, you can't fit nearly as many tabs in a row.
-- You can't select multiple files in the Open Files list and Tile horizontally/vertically (you can get close to this behavior with the new drag and drop tabs, but that's slower and you can't get the spacing equal for odd numbers of files).

The first one is a big deal to me. I could live with the second, but it seems like they could have simulated the old behavior with the new tabs easily enough.