Exiting Output-ConsoleGridView GUI is too hard

[tig]

To exit the user has to press F9 then accept the confirmation.

Is there a reason this was made so multi-step?

Why not just have a keyboard shortcut (like ESC)?

[TylerLeonhardt]

It's because I copied from an example 😅I'm not apposed to a single click button or single keyboard shortcut at all.

[potatoqualitee]

Escape would be great to escape and then perhaps a double enter to make a selection? Or let's see how suse does it. Accept down at the lower right similar to GUI with no confirmation.

[gwojan]

I think the default should be just like how Out-GridView works...

[tig]

Yeah. Out-GridView uses ESC to exit and ENTER to send selected items out.

Imma gonna look into doing it... Hold my beer.

[corbob]

The way I would expect it to work would be: ESC returns nothing. If you're selecting multiple items, you select them with Space, and finally Enter would return whatever is selected (or under the cursor if nothing is selected).

[tig]

Here's what I have working. I like it; seems very natural:

// Regardless of whether the item was already marked, if the user presses
// ENTER, mark that item. This feels the most intuitive. The alternatives are:
// (a) Assume the user means to choose the item that's selected and mark it
// (b) Act like ESC except Pass Through an marked items.
// (c) Toggle the selected item
//
// Option (c) violates the principle of least astonishment: If the user has an item marked, and selected
// and hits ENTER s/he would be surprised to see it not returned. Esp in the single choice (most common) case.
// Option (b) means in the most common case (a single item is wanted) ENTER does nothing. Again surprising.
// It seems a) is the most intuitive so that's what's implemented.
```

[potatoqualitee]

Boooooom so fast! Rad

[TylerLeonhardt]

ESC is tough because it's typically used to close out of menus and whatnot. My ideal option would be:

• With PassThru (which will probably be the default behavior soon Out-ConsoleGridView should always have passthru #71), two buttons at the bottom:
  • Accept (<some keybinding>) & Close (<some keybinding>).
• Without PassThru (which might not exist if we go with Out-ConsoleGridView should always have passthru #71), one button at the bottom:
  • Close (<some keybinding>)

These would be buttons you could click or use a keybinding to trigger that way we have both mouse and keyboard scenarios handled.

I would prefer that keybindings be at least 2 keys or a function key that way you can be absolutely sure you mean what you type.

Keep in mind, I'm doing some refactor work in #74 so we should hold off on implementations until that's done.

[TylerLeonhardt]

A good first step to shave off some keyboard strokes is to keep the menu we already have and just delete the Quit method code:

https://github.com/PowerShell/GraphicalTools/blob/0406f50c1ca2bdff80917cbf979cbb4f1e7f56de/src/Microsoft.PowerShell.ConsoleGuiTools/ConsoleGui.cs#L61

This would mean it would be:

F9 -> Enter

[gwojan]

Honestly, @TylerLeonhardt what's your objection to using the same keybindings as Out-GridView? It just seems so natural to me -- especially in passthru mode.

[tig]

Honestly, @TylerLeonhardt what's your objection to using the same keybindings as Out-GridView? It just seems so natural to me -- especially in passthru mode.

On Windows the keybinding to exit out-gridview is alt-F4. Not sure what it is on mac.

alt-F4 in a Windows Terminal session will close it, not the contained out-consolegridview.

On Mac and Windows, enter is the standard keyboard idiom for exiting (accepting) a modal dialog. A console Cmdlet is a modal dialog.

On Mac and Windows, esc is the standard keyboard idiom for cancelling a modal dialog. A console Cmdlet is a modal dialog.

Are there very many other Powershell cmdlets that are doing gui.c stuff? What norms are they following?

I choose ESC/ENTER because it matches what happens with other modal dialogs and is simple for the thing that out-consolegridview does. If -passthru were default it'd be even more natural:

• As a user I want to select one item from a list in a console grid view with as few keystrokes as possible (without using the mouse). --> ENTER
• As a user I want to select multiple items from a list in a console grid view with as few keystrokes as possible (without using the mouse) --> SPACE SPACE ENTER
• As a user I want to abort a selection using console grid view with as few keystrokes as possible --> ESC

The menu is required only for mouse usage. There it shouldn't be a menu, but just 'buttons' like a modal dialog as @TylerLeonhardt suggesed with:

With PassThru (which will probably be the default behavior soon #71), two buttons at the bottom:

Accept (ENTER) & Close (ESC).

[TylerLeonhardt]

Yeah ok that sounds good. The refactor work is done for now so feel free to send a new PR!

I'd say the PR should either:

• Just add the keybindings and leave the menu as it is
  or
• Add the keybindings and replace the menu with buttons

[TylerLeonhardt]

The only problem I have with that proposal is that the -OutputMode parameter is suppose to control that single ENTER behavior:

#79

[tig]

I don't think #79 will be a problem.

I now have things working with your new code, however it depends on the new StatusBar that is now in gui.cs as of version 0.80.0.

https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs/blob/49cd29853f5de55547c9011996ed982040607b5c/Terminal.Gui/Views/StatusBar.cs

But version 0.80 .0 has not dropped to nuget yet.

StatusBar makes this all so much better:

PS> gci | Out-ConsoleGridView -PassThru

gci | Out-ConsoleGridView

Implementing -OutputMode Single (#79) will simply require the item selection code to only allow one item to be connected, I think. -OutputMode Multiple is identical to -PassThru.

Side note: In the above, I've disabled your filter code because it's exposing a bug in gui.cs 0.80.0 (I think), where Pos.Right(...) calls are causing an invalid cast exception deep in gui.cs. You'll see this as soon as you try to use 0.80.0.

[tig]

FWIW, I found where the bug in gui.cs is that was causing the filter code to crash:

gui-cs/Terminal.Gui#356

Looks nice!

Workaround is this:

            // Workaround for https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs/issues/356
            filterFieldWidth += 2;
            var filterApplyButton = new Button(APPLY_LABEL)
            {
                // Pos.Right(filterField) returns 0
                X = Pos.Right(filterLabel) + filterFieldWidth,
                Y = Pos.Top(filterLabel),
                Clicked = () =>
                {
                    filterChanged.Invoke(null, filterField.Text);
                }
            };

[TylerLeonhardt]

looks a lot nicer in Windows Terminal too!

[TylerLeonhardt]

Are Accept and Close clickable?

[TylerLeonhardt]

My only concern is that Space to select is not very discoverable.

[tig]

Are Accept and Close clickable?

Not yet as StatusBar doesn't support that. I've added it as an issue to gui.cs: gui-cs/Terminal.Gui#360

[TylerLeonhardt]

Seems like we should wait until StatusBar is a bit more stable (and released 😅) before moving to that.

We can keep the top menu for now - but support the keybindings you've suggested.
Or
we can wait on gui.cs to get StatusBar out but from experience, the project does take time to do releases.

This is awesome work @tig. I'm a big fan!

[TylerLeonhardt]

This is fixed now pending a new release