When in Edit Scrivenings mode, or even in Outliner Mode, I wish that Scrivenings had the same single-hand key-combinations for manipulating the outline.
Currently, when in Edit Scrivenings mode:
When I press , the document title is selected for modification - WHICH DOESN’T MAKE MUCH SENSE. Usually on Macs, one expects to click on the title to edit it.
If the document is selected, pressing creates a new document - PERFECT.
If the document title is being edited, pressing ends editing, pressing again creates a new document - THIS IS REDUNDANT.
If the document is selected, pressing deselects everything - NOT GOOD.
Pressing left arrow and right arrow moves the document left or right within the hierarchy - WHICH REQUIRES TWO HANDS.
I wish the following key combinations instead were available (or optional, as with Inspiration 9):
moves the document right in the hierarchy.
moves the document left.
creates a new document, even when the title is open for editing.
These key-combinations, which are standard for doing outlining - or at least commonly used since the beginning of outlining - makes it far simpler, easier, and faster to brainstorm. One does not need to use redundant s to close a title and create a new document. One simply presses return. One does not need to use two hands to shift the document within the hierarchy, one simply uses one hand - with natural key combinations - and .
At the very least, these changes can be implemented with very little effect on workflow within Scrivener when in Edit Scrivenings mode.
When in Outline Mode, these changes can be implemented either optionally or can be active when the Title column is the only column shown (the others are unchecked).
It would be supremely confusing if keyboard shortcuts changed depending upon whether or X column was visible or not, or if you were in one part of the interface but another (there are some exceptions to the latter, but for identical functions in similar metaphors, that would be a mess). For people used to using outliners, the stuff you bring up is all true, but you have to keep in mind that not everyone is—and not everyone uses Scrivener like an outliner. Some actually disable enter key for making new items altogether, it’s annoying to them, and would be even more annoying if it made new items while editing.
Maybe this just isn’t “common,” but I find over and over again that I highlight an item in the Binder and hit the Return key to rename it — just like one does in the Finder. Yet, when I do that, a new document is created.
Is creating a new document in the Binder using the Return key just the way it has to be? I understand the Return key creating a new line or item when Outlining, but in the Binder? It’s more like a Finder… they even rhyme!
Anyway, just a thought… I know I can double-click to rename in the Binder… I just can’t get used to it because I do the Return key thing so much with the Finder.
Have you tried disabling the option in Navigation preferences, toward the bottom, entitled, “Return creates new item in list, outline, and corkboard view”? With that turned off, it works precisely as you want: return starts editing the name. I see you want to treat the Binder as somehow different from the other views, but I’m not sure if such a distinction will ever be made. To some, the Binder is more like an Outliner than the Finder. Consider that files can be stacked in files, converted to folders at whim and so on. You can’t really do the kinds of things you can do in the Binder with the Finder—but you can in an outline.
