What's this dropdown on the 'open files pane'?

WYR551 · Dec 19, 2019#12019-12-19T07:14+00:00

In the 'file view' dockable window; I see a drop-down at the top of the 'open' pane and I can't figure out what it does. Here's a screenshot of what I mean:

It doesn't seem to be described in the documentation here: https://www.ultraedit.com/wiki/File_view

At first I thought it was a filter box (which would be super useful), but it doesn't respond to typing...

Mofi · Dec 19, 2019#22019-12-19T09:03+00:00

The combo box at top of tab Open in File View (UltraEdit) or Workspace Manager (UEStudio) can be used to search quickly by key in list of file names of opened files.

Let us assume you have opened 50 files in UltraEdit. You want to make active the file starting with string style. Then you can enter this string in edit field at top and hit key RETURN to make active the first file found by UltraEdit in list of opened files of which file name starts with this string.

Let us assume next that multiple file names start with same string, but you know a part of the file name which is more or less unique like css. You want make active this file. So you type in the edit field this string and hit key UP ARROW or key DOWN ARROW and UltraEdit searches in the list of file names of opened files for file names containing anywhere in file name this string and fills the list now with the file names containing the entered string and showing the first file name found in list of file names containing this string. Pressing key RETURN makes this file active and of course selects also the file name of this file in the entire list of opened files. The keys UP/DOWN ARROW can be used also to select the previous/next file name in list containing the just entered string, i.e. the other .css files on this example.

In other words the combo box is useful for users of UltraEdit and UEStudio which prefer using the keyboard and search with keys instead of searching with their eyes and using a pointing device for an opened file which should become the active file.

A practical example how to make an opened file active with string cred somewhere in file name without using a pointing device on having a larger list of files opened and File View or Workspace Manager is visible already or is made visible with pressing hotkey Ctrl+U (default hotkey, can be modified in key mapping configuration dialog, command name is FileView or ViewShowHideFileTreeView in older versions of UE/UES).

F4 is pressed on keyboard to switch input focus from active file window to edit field of Open tab.
(The hotkey can be configured in key mapping configuration dialog. The command name is Switch focus between file view and active edit window or FocusToTreeView in older versions of UE/UES.)
cred is typed in edit field.
DOWN ARROW is pressed and e.g. dlg_credentials.cpp is listed now.
RETURN is pressed to make this file active.

The opened file dlg_credentials.cpp is made the active file and input focus is set to window of this file.