Navigating folders and files in a project sidebar from the keyboard?

Discussion:

Brian Christiansen

2018-03-05 23:07:15 UTC

Hello,

After searching the user manual (love that thing) and this group, I can't
find anything on getting around within the sidebar without taking my hands
off the keyboard.

What I am picturing is,

1. Key combo to shift focus to the sidebar
2. Keys to move through the hierarchy, in the manner of navigating the
Finder from the keyboard.
3. Perhaps CMD-O to open a file
4. Key combo to shift focus back to the editor pane.

Am I just missing it? I've wanted to do this for years, and have never
gotten around to asking. The majority of my work is within Projects, so for
me the Sidebar is there 95% of the time.

Thank you,
~brian
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F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-06 03:08:55 UTC

Permalink

Hello Brian,

I use Keyboard Maestro with great success for these kinds of challenges.

Enjoy!

Alfredo

Post by Brian Christiansen
Hello,
After searching the user manual (love that thing) and this group, I can't find anything on getting around within the sidebar without taking my hands off the keyboard.
What I am picturing is,
1. Key combo to shift focus to the sidebar
2. Keys to move through the hierarchy, in the manner of navigating the Finder from the keyboard.
3. Perhaps CMD-O to open a file
4. Key combo to shift focus back to the editor pane.
Am I just missing it? I've wanted to do this for years, and have never gotten around to asking. The majority of my work is within Projects, so for me the Sidebar is there 95% of the time.
Thank you,
~brian
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Patrick Woolsey

2018-03-06 19:50:31 UTC

Permalink

There is an expert pref which you can set to allow the file list
to gain keyboard focus. Cribbing from the "Expert Preferences"
page of the Help book:
========

Projects

* In project windows, the file list does not accept keyboard
focus by
default, unless the editing view is hidden. You can modify
this so
that the file list gets the focus whenever you click on it:

[ by issuing the following Terminal command on a single
line ]

defaults write com.barebones.bbedit
ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES

========

Regards,

Patrick Woolsey
==
Bare Bones Software, Inc. <http://www.barebones.com/>

F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-06 22:33:39 UTC

Permalink

Thanks, Patrick for the useful cribbing.

Any tricks for getting the focus on the [project’s] file list WITHOUT having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)?

We want to save EVERY calorie that we can.

Alfredo

Post by Patrick Woolsey
========
Projects
* In project windows, the file list does not accept keyboard focus by
default, unless the editing view is hidden. You can modify this so
[ by issuing the following Terminal command on a single line ]
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES
========
Regards,
Patrick Woolsey
==
Bare Bones Software, Inc. <http://www.barebones.com/>

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Christopher Stone

2018-03-08 00:52:02 UTC

Permalink

Any tricks for getting the focus on the [projectâs] file list WITHOUT having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)?

Hey Alfredo,

Control-Tab

Control-Shift-Tab

--
Best Regards,
Chris
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F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-08 02:34:40 UTC

Permalink

Hey Chris,

These two shortcuts work great.

Thanks!

Alfredo

Post by Christopher Stone

Any tricks for getting the focus on the [projectâs] file list WITHOUT having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)?

Hey Alfredo,
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab
--
Best Regards,
Chris
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Brian Christiansen

2018-03-09 23:11:00 UTC

Permalink

Post by Patrick Woolsey
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES

Patrick, thank you. Now I have to struggle with whether I actually like
this or not. Because the Project sidebar is instant-activation, by which I
mean, it opens the file as soon as it's highlighted. So if I want to arrow
down 10 files to open the 10th, I wind up opening 1â10. On first
experiment, I opened 30 files in 1.5 seconds, unintentionally. ("This is
why it's not enabled by default behavior", Patrick thinks to himself.)

However, playing with this in the Currently open documents pane, that I've
liked a lot.

Post by Patrick Woolsey
CMD + OPT + Left or Right Arrow Key

David! How are you. Do you write your books in BBEdit? Thanks for the note.
I had this set to Opt+Cmd+ [ & ] -- mimicking the browser shortcut to
switch between open tabs. I just switched it to use the arrow keys after
realizing that combo is not a text control combo like opt+right-arrow or
cmd+right-arrow. I'll try this for a bit and see how it feels. Thanks!

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Any tricks for getting the focus on the [projectâs] file list WITHOUT

having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)? We
want to save EVERY calorie that we can.

Yes, sir, Alfredo! Ever since I read this one StackOverflow post about Vim
years ago, I've been on a quest to use BBEdit in a similar fashionâŠ when
I'm in code, I want to pretend the mouse does not exist (or in my case,
trackpad.)

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab

Thank you, Chris! This one is completely new to me.

I appreciate everyone's input.

Best,
~brian
@briandigital

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Hey Chris,
These two shortcuts work great.
Thanks!
Alfredo
Any tricks for getting the focus on the [projectâs] file list WITHOUT
having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)?
------------------------------
Hey Alfredo,
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab
--
Best Regards,
Chris
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DavidWeinberger

2018-03-07 14:38:12 UTC

Permalink

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but CMD + OPT + Left or
Right Arrow Key moves around the Currently Open Documents pane in the
Projects list. No need to shift focus to it first.

Note that if you use that keyboard shortcut, the list of projects in the
top pane does not update to highlight the file currently in the editor, but
the name in the Currently Open Docs pane does. I'd missed that until I
asked Support about it. D'oh!

- David W.

Rich Siegel

2018-03-10 16:34:10 UTC

Permalink

Post by F. Alfredo Rego
Any tricks for getting the focus on the [project’s] file list
WITHOUT having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands
off the keyboard)?

If you have a project open, try "Open File by Name" and type the
first few characters of the file name. You can drive the entire
process from the keyboard.

R.
--
Rich Siegel Bare Bones Software, Inc.
<***@barebones.com> <http://www.barebones.com/>

Someday I'll look back on all this and laugh... until they
sedate me.
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F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-10 17:07:15 UTC

Permalink

Rich,

Nice, BUT the file opens in a new window. How about just “activating” it within the Project’s “Currently Open Documents”?

I appreciate discovering all of these no-so-obvious jewels.

Thanks.

Alfredo

Post by F. Alfredo Rego
Any tricks for getting the focus on the [project’s] file list WITHOUT having to click on it (i.e., without taking our hands off the keyboard)?

If you have a project open, try "Open File by Name" and type the first few characters of the file name. You can drive the entire process from the keyboard.
R.
--
Rich Siegel Bare Bones Software, Inc.
Someday I'll look back on all this and laugh... until they sedate me.
--
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Patrick Woolsey

2018-03-10 17:12:55 UTC

Permalink

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by Patrick Woolsey
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES

Patrick, thank you. Now I have to struggle with whether I
actually like this or not. Because the Project sidebar is
instant-activation, by which I mean, it opens the file as soon
as it's highlighted. So if I want to arrow down 10 files to
open the 10th, I wind up opening 1–10. On first experiment, I
opened 30 files in 1.5 seconds, unintentionally. ("This is why
it's not enabled by default behavior", Patrick thinks to himself.)
However, playing with this in the Currently open documents
pane, that I've liked a lot.

Apropos of when BBEdit opens files, there is an accessory pref
as follows:

=======
Projects

[...]

* Project windows will ordinarily open an item in the file
list for
editing when you click on it and the editing view is
visible. To
require a double-click:

[ please issue the following Terminal command ]

defaults write com.barebones.bbedit
ProjectsOpenItemsOnSingleClick -bool NO

=======

so you may wish to apply it as well. :-)

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab

Thank you, Chris! This one is completely new to me.

FWIW you can use these key shortcuts to switch between panes
within a window in (nearly) every Mac application.

Regards,

Patrick Woolsey
==
Bare Bones Software, Inc. <http://www.barebones.com/>
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F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-10 17:24:30 UTC

Permalink

Very Nice, Patrick.

Is there a compact/terse list of all of these great “accessory prefs” somewhere?

Thanks.

Alfredo

Post by Patrick Woolsey

Post by Patrick Woolsey
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES

Patrick, thank you. Now I have to struggle with whether I actually like this or not. Because the Project sidebar is instant-activation, by which I mean, it opens the file as soon as it's highlighted. So if I want to arrow down 10 files to open the 10th, I wind up opening 1–10. On first experiment, I opened 30 files in 1.5 seconds, unintentionally. ("This is why it's not enabled by default behavior", Patrick thinks to himself.)
However, playing with this in the Currently open documents pane, that I've liked a lot.

=======
Projects
[...]
* Project windows will ordinarily open an item in the file list for
editing when you click on it and the editing view is visible. To
[ please issue the following Terminal command ]
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsOpenItemsOnSingleClick -bool NO
=======
so you may wish to apply it as well. :-)

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab

Thank you, Chris! This one is completely new to me.

Lee Hinde

2018-03-10 17:29:31 UTC

Permalink

Look for Expert Preferences in BBEdit Help (under the Help Menu).

Post by F. Alfredo Rego
Very Nice, Patrick.
Is there a compact/terse list of all of these great “accessory prefs” somewhere?
Thanks.
Alfredo

Post by Patrick Woolsey

Post by Patrick Woolsey
defaults write com.barebones.bbedit ProjectsListCanAcquireKeyboardFocus -bool YES

Patrick, thank you. Now I have to struggle with whether I actually like this or not. Because the Project sidebar is instant-activation, by which I mean, it opens the file as soon as it's highlighted. So if I want to arrow down 10 files to open the 10th, I wind up opening 1–10. On first experiment, I opened 30 files in 1.5 seconds, unintentionally. ("This is why it's not enabled by default behavior", Patrick thinks to himself.)
However, playing with this in the Currently open documents pane, that I've liked a lot.

Post by Patrick Woolsey
Control-Tab
Control-Shift-Tab

Thank you, Chris! This one is completely new to me.

FWIW you can use these key shortcuts to switch between panes within a window in (nearly) every Mac application.
Regards,
Patrick Woolsey
==
Bare Bones Software, Inc. <http://www.barebones.com/>

F. Alfredo Rego

2018-03-10 18:17:36 UTC

Permalink

Thanks, Lee, but thatâs not a âcompact/terse listâ. Nonetheless, following your hint, I decided to extract the espresso (using BBEdit as my espresso machine, of course) and here it is.

To suit your taste(s), you can add your preferred amount of textured milk to produce a macchiato, a cappuccino, a latte, or a venti. I hope itâs useful to everyone.

Enjoy.

Alfredo
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