Make Ctrl+Tab to navigate between tabs in Most Recently Used (MRU) order

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2009-09-13T12:00:46Z

Ideally, Ctrl + Tab could be used to navigate between tabs in Most
Recently Used order.

You can see MRU in browsers or Notepad++ - very convenient to repeatedly
switch between two tabs.

The Matlabesque Ctrl+ PgUP/PgDwn becomes painful if the tabs are not
close, and the Ctrl + Tab is easy to remember, by analogy with the Alt +
Tab.

Original issue: http://code.google.com/p/spyderlib/issues/detail?id=43

[spyder-bot]

From pierre.raybaut on 2009-09-14T08:26:25Z

Status: Accepted
Labels: -Type-Defect Type-Enhancement

[spyder-bot]

From pierre.raybaut on 2009-09-18T11:11:36Z

Status: Fixed

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2009-09-18T15:38:08Z

Trying the brand new version. Begins to look good.

About MRU, we are nearly there.

In tab1, I click tab3, then I click tab2.
Then 2 times Ctrl + Tab -> back to tab1, everything is fine.
Then from tab1, one time Ctrl + Tab -> back to 2. It should be back to tab3, my most
recently used tab before my second access to tab1.

Spyder acts as is the history was updated on "click on tab to access tab" events,
but not on "Ctrl + Tab to access tab" events.

[spyder-bot]

From pierre.raybaut on 2009-09-19T01:38:13Z

Actually no, it should be back to 2: anyway, that's the behavior I have with Google
Chrome for example.

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2009-09-19T02:44:35Z

Damn, you're right. So I formulated the problem badly. One more time :

In tab1, I click tab3, then I click tab2.
Then 2 times Ctrl + Tab -> back to tab1, everything is fine.
Then from tab1, one time Ctrl + Tab -> back to 2. Normal.
Then from tab2, one time Ctrl + Tab -> we go to tab3. We should be going to tab1,
the MRU tab.

Put more simply : with MRU, if you keep on Ctrl + Tab-ing, you should switch between
your two more recent tabs - veeery handy. In this version, this doesn't happen like
this.

... Hope I got this right this time.

[spyder-bot]

From pierre.raybaut on 2009-09-22T08:32:18Z

I understand what behavior you're expecting, but again, when I'm doing this on
Firefox, I get the same behavior as Spyder. And this is very close to the Windows
Alt+Tab feature too.

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2009-09-22T11:16:46Z

The behavior I'm thinking about is indeed Windows' Alt+Tab but it's not what there
is in Spyder, and it's different again from what I get from "safe mode, no plugins"
Firefox tabs (it just cycle trough tabs on my machine).

I realize my example was needlessly convoluted. Sorry for the noise, I'll try again,
with Windows' Alt+Tab as a benchmark :

• in Windows, open 3 apps successively (apps 1, 2 and 3 respectively). Then Alt+Tab,
  then another Alt+Tab. What happens is that you cycle between apps 2 and 3.
• in Spyder, click on tab 1, then 2 then 3. Then Ctrl+Tab, then another Ctrl+Tab.
  What happens is that you go to tabs 2, then 1, then 3 etc.

I hope we are not too far here in "personal preference" territory. The Alt+Tab
behavior is for me the Right One because it allows back and forth fast between the
recent apps (tabs) (which is a Good Thing), and that the current behavior doesn't
allow this.

[spyder-bot]

From pierre.raybaut on 2009-09-22T12:03:54Z

Ok, so in other words, you simply want that when Ctrl+Tab is pressed, the last tab is
selected -- it means that pressing several times Ctrl+Tab won't cycle through
available tabs (that is the behavior I would personnaly expect) because it would
simply cycle between the last two selected tabs.
Even if I was at first thinking of Firefox or Google Chrome's behavior, I understand
that to simply select the last tab would be useful if one has to switch between two
opened files several times.

BTW, when you have several files opened at the same time, remember that the "Opened
files" feature may be useful (that is the toolbox on the right panel below the "Class
browser") to switch quickly to another tab.
The horizontal/vertical splitting feature may also be useful in that context.

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2009-09-22T12:57:58Z

Not exactly. I was using the "cycle between the two last tabs" just because for me,
it is a sign that the "Ctrl+Tab in Spyder like Alt+Tab in Windows" is not there.
Actually, I was thinking about Windows' full app switching feature : if you keep on
Alt+Tab several times, you switch between the two most recents apps, if you Alt+Tab,
Tab, Tab, you go to the next apps in your "focused apps" history.

Note that there is no need to have a special popup (as Windows does) and to switch
on Alt release - you can switch directly on each Tab, it's the order that matters.

I should have begun with the Alt+Tab analogy, I think it clears things up. Others
examples on the top of my mind are Tab Mix Plus addon in Firefox, Np++, or the Ido
mode in Emacs.

Maybe the gain is not worth the pain? If you think so, maybe then a simple
"alternate 2 most recent tabs" would be doable?

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2013-08-01T01:26:32Z

Completely agree with Y. Bonnemay. The aim should be for Ctrl+Tab in Spyder to work like Alt+Tab in Ubuntu or Windows. He explained it best:

"If you keep on Alt+Tab several times, you switch between the two most recents apps. If you Alt+Tab, Tab, Tab, you go to the next apps in your history."

Quickly toggling back and forth between two most recently used scripts in Spyder is not possible without lifting off the keyboard and using the mouse. This is less efficient and productive. This is also how tab switching works with most other applications I've used.

[spyder-bot]

From ccordoba12 on 2013-08-09T20:02:40Z

We'll see what we can to improve the situation in our next release because current Tab behavior also confuses me.

Status: Accepted
Labels: Cat-Editor MS-v2.4

[spyder-bot]

From [email protected] on 2013-10-11T08:58:13Z

It always surprises me when such a detailed discussion occurs regarding a question with multiple correct answers and nobody mentions config options. If at all feasible, the tabbing behavior should clearly be configurable in the preferences. Ideally through the keyboard shortcuts.

As things are now, all I'd need is the ability to rewire the alt tab and control page up/down shortcuts. That should be simple, right? Any future variants of the MRU approach can be added in as further optional keyboard shortcuts.

[holmesb]

Any roadmap for this? Ctrl-tab in horizontal order is useless IMO. MRU would make a massive difference to Editor productivity.

[ccordoba12]

@blink1073, could you take a look at this one?

[blink1073]

Sure, seems feasible to at least provide the MRU capability.

[endolith]

So is there a way to turn this off and make it behave like a web browser? This is the only app I have where tabs behave so strangely. When I press Ctrl+Tab repeatedly, it just cycles between two tabs. Ctrl+Tab should go to the next tab, Ctrl+Shift+Tab should go to the last tab.