Yeah I'm familiar with the Project Tree options. I was asking for a "Disable Alphabetical Sorting" (and enable manual reordering) under Project Tree options. I've found a preference for linearity rather than hierarchy, so I'd rather sort files manually rather than need to use indented, expandable folders to organize things.
Here's some other ideas:
* Sorted sections.
Still sort the items, but only within user-designated sections (seperated by thin horizontal rulers). This would save space and make things look a lot more clean and explicit. I find traversing & maintaining hierarchies time wasting, inapt and anxiously-frustrating. Essentially, this means folders will be visualized as serial sections, so all the sub-folders below a folder with this option enabled will be flattened and replaced by horizontal rulers.
* Unitary Project Tree
Rather than an Open files list or tabs (I only enable file tabs when I want to arrange splitted windows), my ideal paradigm would be:
Everything under the project tree. No tabs. No discrete opened files list.
Unitary Project Tree mode will1.
Enable (new feature): Opened files will have a small close button right-aligned next to their filename. Files can be opened by single click (rather than double click).
Note: The open files list should also have a small right-aligned close button next to each file. You probably should implement that.2.
Enable (involves a new feature, described above as well):
Global Sorted-Sections mode, which renders both
Virtual and
Folders as on Disk as a flat tree, with folders' icons and names replaced by thin horizontal rulers, as well all indentation removed. (All sections are visible; like a completely expanded tree). Expandable/Collapsable project folders still make sense, though.
I guess the Sorted-Sections options should be toggleable per-project, as well. Maybe ever per folder.. so everything below the folder (its subfolders) will rendered in a serial-way while the option is enabled on that folder.
So to condense this, every folder will have a "Sorted Sections" or "Serial View" toggleable option (for however you want to name the option), and
Unitary Project Tree mode will enable the
sorted sections option on the entire project. The project's sub folders' settings won't be affected, but they will be rendered as horizontal rulers rather than indented folders until it is disabled for the entire project. I'm sure you understand what I'm implying, naturally. Subfolder's folder viewing options aren't even processed if their parent folder has this option enabled.
As projects are folders themselves (they're embedded in the
Project Tree), the user may simply deactivate this part of
Unitary Project Tree mode by right clicking the project and un-checking the Sorted Sections option. I hope I'm being as clear as possible.
3.
Disable: Opened File Tabs (i.e. enable "Hide Editor Tabs")
These toggles may be re-manipulated by the user however they prefer. I guess
Unitary Project Tree is more like an
aggregated-setting than a mode. When toggled on, it simply sets these 3 settings to their corresponding configuration. When toggled off,
Unitary Project Tree restores them to however the user had their settings configured previously.
Hmm. I guess it will enable the flattened view (sorted sections) for any projects opened after
Unitary Project Tree mode is applied. i.e.
OpenProject()
{
if (unitaryProjectMode)
{
set the project's folder setting to the sorted-sections option thing;
}
}
I don't know. If you people like these ideas, I'm sure you will find the best way to implement them.
I also suggest giving a toggle-icon somewhere to quickly toggle the opened files list. Maybe on the management panel (perhaps right-aligned to the Workspace
home node) , or possibly better on the
Main toolbar.
