[Github-comments] [geany/geany] Add features for sorting editor tabs (#1144)

[konsolebox]

> it should use signals rather than riddling the code with additional calls every time a document is opened. Something like :document-new and :document-open

My concern was that: having the sort function called from a one-call-per-file function means that the sort function would be called everytime a file is opened, even in a batch operation when it should only be called once.  But your suggestion made me examine the `document_open_file()` function again, and I got an idea after I checked the call to `g_idle_add()`.  It turns out we could have a function that connects to "document-open", and use that function to connect another function to the "idle" event through `g_idle_add()`.  This other function which would initiate the sorting of tabs would only be connected to the event once in every session.

I chose not to also connect to "document-new" as it would affect the function of `Next to current` or `check_tab_beside`.

> should use Stash for new settings!

I just followed how other things were arranged, but I'll see how that can necessarily be done.

> why not a plugin?

I'm still a beginner when it comes to hacking the UI of Geany, and I can only guess if something like this can be turned into a plugin unless I already see the working product.   Directly modifying Geany first for a feature like this was easier.   I also only started writing this casually.   I never expected it to become complex, although it's already starting to become more simplified.

As I examined it right now, `show_tab_bar_popup_menu()` doesn't even create any hooks or signals that would allow plugins to create their own menu items.   I can consider converting this to a plugin if it's necessary, but personally I'd prefer that it becomes part of Geany and not a plugin, since it directly affects the main behavior of the UI, and not just something that alters the content of the document, or adds another tab in the sidebar.  If this is created as a plugin, the plugin would possibly require to be highly adaptive to changes in the UI code.

> more generically, why? I mean, what is the motivation behind sorting the tabs by file name, what problem does it solve?

It doesn't exactly solve anything, but just like many other features in Geany it makes using the editor more convenient.  It is convenient to have the tabs arranged properly.  One thing: it makes using the shortcut keys when moving from one document to another less confusing.  You get to have an idea what follows another filename even if the current tab is in the end of the screen.  You know that pressing a single key or twice would make you get to other document you wanted.

Sometimes when the documents list is opened, you would expect that the one that follows a file would be the one that's next in the list, but when the tabs are not arranged like how the documents are arranged in the list, using the shortcut key would make you jump to another file instead.  It's confusing to see the selected file suddenly jump from top to bottom or the other way around in the documents list.

Grouping is another thing.  You would want to have x.c and x.h adjacent to each other, so that you could easily switch to them either with a mouse or with a shortcut key.

> so, would be a once-only switch to the Documents sidebar, or a contextual popup showing the same as the Documents popup be better?

That wouldn't help anything about the notebook tabs which we use.  There's a reason why people keep it visible and use it to traverse documents, even if the documents list is already there.


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