Tinderbox Forum

Two features I'd like to see in Tinderbox

Off the Wall
#1

Back when I used to work with 3d modelling software, there was an endlessly useful feature implemented in everything that would focus the view on the selected items, or focus the view on everything (avoiding the change of a selection set). I notice in many Tinderbox users’ videos and images the use of a huge screen, which is a fine solution, but when working with dense maps on a 15" laptop screen, I find myself endlessly panning around and adjusting zoom levels to try to find where my top-level nodes are. Am I alone in thinking a couple of menu items under View, ‘Recenter view on selected’ and ‘Recenter view on all’ would be welcome new features?

I often find that I’m looking at the same things in a document in two different windows, which works well. However, the selection seems to be linked across views; I change the selected items in one window, and the selected items in the other window will update - even if they’re not visible in that view. Would it be possible to isolate - or provide greater user control over - this behaviour? Part of the reason (at least in my head) about having two windows open on the same data is that I can work on one thing in one without it affecting what I’m seeing in the other window.

Curious as to whether I’m missing anything fundamental here, or if others would find these features useful.

#2

FWIW, I can confirm that at present different windows share the same selection but different tabs (in the same window do not). This has already been raised as an issue, but I’m not sure if any change is proposed as yet.

#3

Ah, I did not realise this. There’s something interesting about the user intent of having multiple tabs and multiple windows; My gut assumes a better approach would be the oppose of the current behaviour. I can see two windows simultaneously, but tabs in a window are only visible individually. I’d almost expect the tabs in the same window to update their focus to reflect the changes in the visible tab in that window, and that views and selections would be isolated across windows, with the window borders a reminder of the bounds of a view and selection. Of course, this take will come apart under any scrutiny…

Thanks for the extra detail, Mark.

#4

Stumbled upon the linked window selection some time ago, back then I found it quite annoying. However, recently I made use of this behavior to navigate a map view via an outline view and now I like it. Not sure whether it’s a bug or a feature :slight_smile: