https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=385228
Bug ID: 385228
Summary: alphanumerical vs. unsorted ordering in outline
navigator and open file dropdown menu
Product: kdevelop
Version: git master
Platform: Compiled Sources
OS: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: UI: general
Assignee: kdevelop-bugs-n...@kde.org
Reporter: rjvber...@gmail.com
Target Milestone: ---
I'm a firm believer in (the benefits of) spatial memory and find myself
handicapped in using the outline navigator (and to a lesser extent, the open
file drop-down menu).
Most of the time I will have a better idea of where in a file I'm going to find
a piece of code I want to jump to than the name of the nearest method
declaration. This is especially useful with files containing lots of methods
and other listed "landmarks". When it lists items in file-order (= unsorted)
one can scroll the outline drop-down to a rough estimate of the position in the
file, and only then start reading. This is much faster for me than having to
read all listed text to find what I'm looking for, esp. when it is often in a
completely different location in the file. Example: class FooPrivate and its
method will be listed *after* the corresponding public class Foo while they
will probably be coded earlier in the file.
Alphanumerical sorting can be useful in unknown code but even then that code is
probably ordered the way it is for a reason and in that case the outline should
probably preserve this order.
The same reasoning applies to the open files drop-down although there I find
myself relying on the alphanumerical sorting a bit more often because there
tends to be less logic in open tab layout.
I think that ideally both drop-downs would have a configurable default order
(whatever works best for the user), and a way to open it in the other order on
the fly (control-click, alt-click, etc). Or a control like in the Quick Open
drop-down that toggles the mode (session duration?).
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