(I searched for this (’“rename keyboard shortcut”), apologies if I missed it).
UX Problem
It’s great that I can create and delete files/folders using only the keyboard, but a mouse is required to rename file or folder: you have to double-click it to be able to edit the name.
UX Solution (proposed)
In the OSX finder, you can rename using the keyboard with just Enter. In Scrivener, this creates a new file/folder – which is why I’m constantly creating new file/folders by accident when I actually want to rename one.
So one solution:
Allow some combo of option, command, and/or shift with Enter to rename a selected file/folder.
In Preferences, allow user to swap this with “Create new File/Folder”, to closer parallel the Finder.
Scrivener is designed to work more like an outliner than a file manager. Using the enter key to edit and seamlessly add new items is more like what you’ll experience in OmniOutliner or similar. A common toggle in these types of programs is Esc, and you’ll find that the most reliable way to toggle editing in Scrivener, all around. For those that have the habit of hitting return for something else, return for creating new items can be disabled in the Navigation preference pane, right about in the middle.
Note this will also disable return editing in most other contexts. For example if you like how you can add keywords with just the keyboard, by hitting return after each one, you’ll lose that if you disable this feature.