[plt-scheme] Scrolling in DrScheme

From: Matthew Flatt (mflatt at cs.utah.edu)
Date: Fri Aug 5 09:37:09 EDT 2005

At Thu, 4 Aug 2005 11:44:02 -0700 (PDT), nishad at ptolemy.tlg.uci.edu wrote:
> I'm using DrScheme v299.108 (svn 25 July) on Windows XP.  When I
> scroll around in the definitions window, the cursor moves along with
> me when I use arrow-key up/down and page up/down, but not when I use
> the sidebar or the mouse wheel.  
> 
> I often scroll several dozen lines up or down with the wheel, and then
> reach for the arrow keys to move around locally in the screenful I'm
> looking at.  Of course, when I do this, I'm transported back to
> wherever the cursor last was.  May I request that the cursor always
> move with scrolling text?  Or are there people who like it like this?
> 
> Also, I've seen editors where clicking in the side scroll bar area can
> be configured to mean either "go up/down one page" or "jump to here".
> Could DrScheme offer choice this as well?

Ah - items #1,745 and #4,365 on the list of 10,362 ways that people would
like to tweak the GUI. :)

We try to pick a GUI mode (on each platform) that satisfies the most
people, and then we stick with it --- until enough people complain that
it's clear we picked the wrong thing, and then we pick something else.
Our early experience suggests that we can't manage 10,362 different
configuration options, because we can't keep them all working right.

DrScheme lets you customize most anything though the tool interface,
though. In this case, you could extend DrScheme's text-editor class to
remap the scroll behavior. Adjusting the scrollbar behavior is likely
more difficult, since that's really defined at the widget level. (You'd
have to intercept mouse actions before they get to the widget.)

Meanwhile, your message may provoke others to suggest that we change
the default behavior, and we'll pay attention.

Thanks,
Matthew



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