Navigation Menu

[Steve E]

I know: With Storyist's wonderful Project Pane, how could anyone need a navigation menu? The difference is "going to a general location" like "top of next Section" or "end of text" or "next empty paragraph" (hint, hint) as opposed to "going to a specific location" like "Chapter 7".

 

I know, there are shortcut keys for this since 1.3.4 but they aren't posted in a pop-up and are tricky to remember. Steve, you of all people should remember that interrupting the flow of thought as little as possible (by hunting through my navigation post-it) is the heart of the Storyist methodology. Anyway, the shortcut keys can be written to the right of the menu entries (a Mac standard).

 

It's not a radical idea and it shouldn't be too hard to implement, but what do I know.

-Thoth.

[Steve]

I know: With Storyist's wonderful Project Pane, how could anyone need a navigation menu? The difference is "going to a general location" like "top of next Section" or "end of text" or "next empty paragraph" (hint, hint) as opposed to "going to a specific location" like "Chapter 7".

 

I know, there are shortcut keys for this since 1.3.4 but they aren't posted in a pop-up and are tricky to remember. Steve, you of all people should remember that interrupting the flow of thought as little as possible (by hunting through my navigation post-it) is the heart of the Storyist methodology. Anyway, the shortcut keys can be written to the right of the menu entries (a Mac standard).

 

It's not a radical idea and it shouldn't be too hard to implement, but what do I know.

-Thoth.

 

Hi Thoth,

 

I'm probably missing your point. Are you highlighting our previous conversation, or suggesting an alternative?

 

-Steve

 

BTW, the standard option+down arrow will get you to the end of the next paragraph. Not the start of the "next empty paragraph", I know, but you can at least navigate by paragraphs if you want.

[Steve E]

I'm not really referring to post 1170, where you said, "I'd like to make the status area at the bottom of the window configurable, and when that happens, a navigation popup (like the style popup) makes sense too."

 

Actually, what I'm proposing is a more prominent place for the navigation controls: a menu, as opposed to a pop-up. Simply put; navigation is just something I do a lot and I don't like having to remember shortcut keys. (BTW, any shortcut key not on a menu should be "officially" documented somewhere, don't you think?)

 

Also, the "Next Paragraph" shortcut isn't the same as "Next Empty Paragraph". Blank lines (empty paragraphs) are often used before and after extensive quotes and lists (typically with centering or altered margins). I'm sure other people have other uses for it. (I've seen poems inserted inserted in the middle of a dialog. J.R.R. Tolkien did that a lot. So did Lewis Carroll.) So there's a need to find such locations swiftly (short of bookmarks, hint, hint). I suppose it is possible to put them in their own Sections but that's not always appropriate.

 

Please think about it.

-Thoth.

[Steve]

I'm not really referring to post 1170, where you said, "I'd like to make the status area at the bottom of the window configurable, and when that happens, a navigation popup (like the style popup) makes sense too."

 

Actually, what I'm proposing is a more prominent place for the navigation controls: a menu, as opposed to a pop-up. Simply put; navigation is just something I do a lot and I don't like having to remember shortcut keys.

 

So what would a menu do for you that the project pane doesn't? You still need to use the mouse and it has to travel farther.

 

(BTW, any shortcut key not on a menu should be "officially" documented somewhere, don't you think?)

 

Absolutely. If you find one that isn't in the keyboard shortcuts docs (available from the main menu under Help > Show Keyboard Shortcuts) let me know.

 

-Steve

[Steve E]

So what would a menu do for you that the project pane doesn't? You still need to use the mouse and it has to travel farther.

I use a track ball. The extra distance the cursor travels is, to me, insignificant. But don't get me wrong: the Project Pane is terrific. But that pesky "where the heck am I" problem adds a few extra clicks that a "Next Heading" menu (or pop-up) command wouldn't. A menu could also contain specialized navigation commands, such as Next Blank Line or Next Paragraph, without the clutter and intrusion of sorting through the Show Keyboard Shortcuts window.

Absolutely. If you find one that isn't in the keyboard shortcuts docs (available from the main menu under Help > Show Keyboard Shortcuts) let me know.

I completely overlooked the Show Keyboard Shortcuts window. My bad.

 

Kinking myself,

-Thoth.

 

BTW: Still waiting for Bookmarks.