--Raul Miller wrote: > I have been frustrated with the J new file UI. > > Example: I am thinking about creating a new script. I am not > sure if I have already created it. Let's call this script 'noise.ijs' > > Possible interaction with J for this case: > > Control-N > wait for window to appear (for example, if my J session was > swapped out) move mouse then select File->Save As... > (or use platform dependent key sequence) move mouse then > click on parent directory icon move mouse then [double] click > on user directory name check for 'noise.ijs' > If name does not exist: > replace 123.ijs with noise > hit enter > If name does exist: > ESC > move mouse and close edit window (or system dependent key strokes) > Control-O > move mouse then [double] click on noise.ijs > > That's a lot of work what should be a simple operation -- > "open a script which is probably new on this machine (but > might not be)". > > Note also that at this point I have created a bogus empty > file which has no relation to what I wanted to accomplish. I > could rearrange those steps, by first checking if the file > name does exist, but that would not eliminate these bogus > files for all cases. This probably leads to some additional > steps, such as: > Control-O > move mouse then click on parent directory icon > move mouse then [double] click on Temp directory name > find the most recently created numbered file > right click on it and delete it > ESC > > I wish I could hit Control-O and if the file name I type in > does not exist I get an "are you sure?" prompt? (Which would > either cancel the operation or create the newly named file, > depending on how I answer.)
What locations should the system look in to see if the file name I type already exists? Or do you envisage typing in the full path for the (maybe) new file? Assuming that the file isn't found and that the full path hasn't been specified, where should the new file be created? Depending on how those issues can be dealt with, this may be nice although unconventional (IME) way of creating new files. > I also wonder at the utility of the "Delete numbered file" > popup which shows up at window close time but not at save as > some other file name time. It seems to me that logically > speaking this popup should appear at file abandonment time -- > and Save As... should be treated as one of those times if its > new name is different from the old numeric name. I agree that this takes some getting used to. I understand the logic behind trying to keep the temp files cleaned up, but think that on balance it might be better to stick with a "Save changes to" dialog in all instances with "Yes" as the default action but perhaps have a "Delete" button available on the dialog for temp files. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
