Option for the Home key

[abqbill]

Currently, the Home key moves to the first non-whitespace character on the current line. I'd like to request an option to make the Home key always move to column 1.Thanks!Bill

[djlurch]

Bill:I'm sure you realize that hitting the the home key a second time takes you to column 1.I like the current behavior and would probably leave it set that way even if it was an option, but different strokes for different folks.

[abqbill]

Hi djlurch,Yes, I'm aware of that, but I'd prefer not to have to press Home twice. (Old habits, you see.)Bill

[donj]

Personally, my old habits reflect the current behavior - I'm accustomed to working in an IDE rather than something like Notepad; Visual Studio, for example, uses this exact same behavior (and I don't believe it's configurable there, either).
I've been reading through the past few wishes and want to very respectfully make a suggestion: At some point, with something as complex as an IDE, you have to retrain yourself, rather than expecting it to work like other tools. In the case of PrimalScript, for example, I needed to adjust a lot of keystrokes when I first started using it, I had to force myself to use the Snippets, and so forth. Now that I'm "trained," I'm much faster, of course.

Speaking as a *user* (which I am - I don't work on PrimalScript's source code as I don't know a lick of C++), I don't know if I'd like for all these individual keystroke behaviors to be configurable. The Options dialog would be impossible. For things like this I just take it as a given that I need to train myself to use the tool in the way that best utilizes its functionality to make me more efficient - if that means retraining old habits... well, sometimes that's for the best .

I think a slew of options that would allow PrimalScript to behave keystroke-for-keystroke like "Editor X" would... well, just give you "Editor X," which seems redundant.

Purely from a selfish standpoint, I'd also rather see a product development team implement new and cool features, rather than spending time optioning the product to work like something else.

Anyway, that's my personal two cents... the development team reviews all the postings here, so consider your wish "logged!"

[abqbill]

I've been reading through the past few wishes and want to very respectfully make a suggestion: At some point, with something as complex as an IDE, you have to retrain yourself, rather than expecting it to work like other tools.Hi Don,My purpose isn't to be a nuisance, but I respectfully suggest that there could be a wider market for a tool like PrimalScript if some of these options were available. I think providing more options is good, if it meets people's needs.For example, other products that bill themselves as IDEs provide configurable keyboard mappings that allow the IDE to emulate other editors they're used to. One example is SlickEdit, which (IIRC) provides Brief, EMACS, WordStar, and vi emulations. Zeus provides a selectable keyboard emulation as well, which you can customize. UltraEdit and UEStudio let you remap the keyboard fairly flexibly as well.In fact, it seems to me that there's an expectation that IDEs will provide these types of features, in order to minimize the learning curve.Speaking as a *user* (which I am - I don't work on PrimalScript's source code as I don't know a lick of C++), I don't know if I'd like for all these individual keystroke behaviors to be configurable. The Options dialog would be impossible.There are other approaches to this problem than providing a dialog box that shows every possible option -- for example, a configuration file for the keyboard mappings. For users that want it, they can quickly get moving with PrimalScript using keyboard mappings they're used to.I think a slew of options that would allow PrimalScript to behave keystroke-for-keystroke like "Editor X" would... well, just give you "Editor X," which seems redundant.I don't quite agree, because PrimalScript has specialized scripting features that set it apart from its competition. Providing options to allow PrimalScript to behave more like someone's editor removes a potential barrier.

Purely from a selfish standpoint, I'd also rather see a product development team implement new and cool features, rather than spending time optioning the product to work like something else.I think providing more configurability (e.g., the keyboard map) is a new and cool feature.Regards,Bill

[Alexander Riedel]

Hi guys. Thanks for airing all these opinions, this is really worthwhile reading.
In general I can see all points, please consider all your input logged and weighed.

I would like to remark on the learning curve topic though that we have learned by experience that just adding options does not lower the learning curve necessarily,
it has a large potential for raising the bar. It has to be done right and that requires some design work.

At any rate, you will find the next version of PrimalScript to have many additional customization features. I cannot really disclose much more at this point, but have to mention it, so that everyone lurking here understands that we will not make
any major behavioral changes to the current version.

Rest assured again though that we log everyone's input and that we will revisit it in time.

Thanks!

Alex

[abqbill]

Hi Alex,I really appreciate your response. Your responsiveness to suggestions and problem reports adds value to PrimalScript, and I look forward to the enhancements you're going to provide in the future.Thanks!Bill

[mwb1100]

Visual Studio, for example, uses this exact same behavior (and I don't believe it's configurable there, either)Of course you can configure the behavior of the Home key (and pretty much any key) in Visual Studio.

At some point, with something as complex as an IDE, you have to retrain yourself, rather than expecting it to work like other tools. ... I don't know if I'd like for all these individual keystroke behaviors to be configurable. The Options dialog would be impossible.
Nearly every heavy duty editing environment/IDE allow keyboard mappings to be configured. However, you are correct that the UI for performing this configuration is usually pretty messy - but I think it's important functionality.

I think a slew of options that would allow PrimalScript to behave keystroke-for-keystroke like "Editor X" would... well, just give you "Editor X," which seems redundant.For some people it may be a matter of making IDE X behave like IDE Y, but from my point of view it's that I like all of my editing tools to have the same keystrokes used for the basic editing functions - especially cursor movement and searching. Right now I'm using an external hotkey utility (AutoHotKey) to make the Home key behave the way I prefer in PrimalScript.

[cirieno]

I have to support AbqBill in this request. To my mind, if a user specifically opts to turn off AutoIndent then the liklihood is that they do not want any automatic control of the cursor at all. My experience of cursor control in PrimalScript is almost at the purchase-killer stage.To respond to the notion that one should retrain oneself to new IDEs, I respectfully disagree. As mentioned previously, most IDE's now are configurable in one way or another; PrimalScript's main selling point is that it can beat all other IDEs in extended functionality. I agree completely and that's why I want to buy it and use it (Enterprise edition) *however* there are some important configurables that are noticeably missing and the attitude suggested above by DonJ is very much a like-it-or-lump-it attitude and is that really the image Sapien wants to promote?

[Alexander Riedel]

I submit that there are many many items one indiviual or the other would like to change or have as an option. We doing our best to make these options available where we see a broad user base asking for them and time and resources allow for it.
The Home key has worked the way it does in PrimalScript for many years and I have not encountered any editor where it does not work that way. However, I have put the item on the wish list when originally requested, but please be aware that
other items have a much higher priority and we cannot commit at this time
to a specific date as to when and if such an option would be added.

Please keep the suggestions coming and rest assured that we do listen, even if we don't immediately react to them by changes in the current version.

Thanks,

Alex