Audiotool board archive

Why not? Unless there's a better option, I think that this would be good.

I don't think that anyone will try to "Save as..." the page while in the Audiotool tab. But if it's a problem, "S" could be substituted by "P" or something else.

I'm experiencing a few problems with these shortcuts:

• Ctrl+0 works on the time-line on hover, but I need to click the desktop for it to work there.
• Ctrl+Plus and Ctrl-Minus work as expected on the time-line, but on the desktop, they get caught by the browser: Chrome zooms the whole page in or out, in addition to the app, leading to mayhem on the screen (image jitters, jumps, etc.)

Additionally, isn't Ctrl+Cursor redundant? The mouse can do those by itself already, and the idea of a shortcut is not to involve anything but the keyboard. Unless you mean the -keypad- cursor, which doesn't seem to be implemented.

Can't you double-click empty space on the desktop to reset the zoom? And you can do the same thing with the timeline selector, so I don't really see much purpose in these shortcuts, in fact it's more keys to press rather than less. But I guess you could save "time" in a sense by not moving your mouse at all... I dunno
In any case, I like the idea of Ctrl + +/- to zoom because I often accidentally use Ctrl + Scroll to zoom since that's the default shortcut for most apps and webpages.
Regarding the other new shortcuts though, Ctrl + Cursor doesn't make much sense to me, it doesn't seem to be changing any behaviours practically... (unless I'm using it wrong, could use some clarification)

I don't like the idea of Ctrl+ +/- for the desktop and timeline. Personally, I'd prefer Ctrl + Scroll to achieve the same function. Scrolling carries greater sensitivity and thus better precision, notwithstanding it being graphically smoother (over continuously using Ctrl + +/- choppily to get to the desired zoom distance). Perhaps, however, it's just opinion. But the option should be made available for both cases to appease both standpoints.

I agree with the redundancy of interaction, but I think that there is a bit of confusion between the concepts of keyboard shortcuts and modifiers keys. In my opinion, keyboard shortcuts execute the same action that is also available through graphic means (clicking buttons, menus, etc.) but without the intervention of anything else other than the keyboard. In other words, the keyboard shortcut is a -substitution- of an action with mouse on graphic interface elements. On the other hand, modifier keys change the behaviour of a mouse action. They don't do anything on their own and the graphic action is still necessary. They -expand- the action of the mouse. That's why Ctrl+Pointer doesn't make sense as a "shortcut". Ctrl would be a modifier key in this case but, as it is now, it doesn't seem to be modifying anything, like it does when you Ctrl+click-drag regions for virtual copies or device controls for higher resolutions. That's why I found it redundant. In the same way, Ctrl+Scroll isn't a keyboard shortcut. Ctrl in this case is a modifier key to (it changes or expands the behaviour of) the scroll wheel function. A true keyboard shortcut should achieve the same action the scroll wheel does without using it at all. About the zoom (Ctrl+Plus, Ctrl+Minus), they work now, but I still think that, being keyboard shortcuts, they could lose the Ctrl key and be just Plus, Minus and Zero. I'd be using them all the time.

@apollo "I don't really see much purpose in these shortcuts, in fact it's more keys to press rather than less." I'd say that, ideally, the whole functionality of the interface should be accessible both through the pointer acting on graphic elements -and- the keyboard. It can make interaction very fast, because while you just have one mouse to point and click at things one after another, you have five fingers on the other hand to launch actions instantly. Think of keyboards specifically designed for gamers, who don't even bother to click anything on the screen. Also, there are 3D programs (Maya for example) where you can hide the -whole- interface, just leave the 3D scene on the screen and interact exclusively through the keyboard. You can never have too many keyboard shortcuts!

Another keyboard shortcut suggestion: "F2": rename. This would work for selected devices on the desktop and regions on the time-line. I use it all the time on my OS desktop and other software to rename things very quickly.

I have another suggestion for a keyboard shortcut, inspired by my Ubuntu interface: when pressing and holding the "Windows" key ("Command" key on a Mac), an informative rectangular area (it isn't really a window because it doesn't have icons and cannot be modified) appears in the middle of the desktop with a list of all available keyboard shortcuts, listed alphabetically and grouped in categories (windows, menus and so on). This rectangle vanishes as soon as you release the Windows key. Something similar could be useful in Next as a quick "cheat sheet" to remember shortcuts and what they do.