This post is a rewrite of “Typewriter Line Visual Cue” previously posted on this ‘Wish List’ topic. Board members lunk, Silverdragon and JimRac have convinced me to try again by rewording my suggestion. Here goes…
I like ‘Typewriter Scrolling’ mode, (Menu: View=>Text Editing=>Typewriter Scrolling) I suggest a visual cue indicating the fixed position of the ‘Typewriter Scroll Line’ in each editor.
Background: When writing/editing a line of text, the current line highlight works as expected on the typewriter line. When scrolling the page, the highlighted line rolls up with the text, as it should, because the entry point is still on that line.
If a key is pressed the text will enter on the current line whether the line is visible. This key press causes the highlighted line to snap back to the typewriter input position. All works well.
Problem: However, as the page and current line highlight scrolls up, lost is any visual reference for the fixed location of the typewriter line position in the editor. No matter how the current line is highlighted, the problem persists. As is, it causes a moment of disorientation finding that line again. This is an annoying nit.
Suggestion: Place tick marks–much like hyphens–in all the editors’ frames one on each end of the typewriter line.
Expected Result: Just subconsciously knowing how far and in which direction the highlighted current line is from the typewriter line should reduce that moment of visual searching for the line after it snaps back.
It would be even more helpful in Composition mode: a discreet but clearly visible indication of where the typewriter platen is located, so if I scroll the text (like scrolling the paper in a typewriter), I know where in the display the current, highlighted line will end up when I continue writing.
I’d prefer something where the text is, not in the window edges as the window might be a lot wider than the text, especially in composition mode.
It might be even more helpful in non-typewriter mode. Once I’ve scrolled my insertion point off the screen, I have no idea where my text will end up on my screen if I start typing. Of course, this wouldn’t be a fixed location as in typewriter mode, so it would be harder to implement. If this were implemented in typewriter mode, it might encourage me to use typewriter mode more.
However, I know that with the impending release of Win Scriv 3, additional features are rather on hold, so I wouldn’t expect to see this for a while…
Still, I think it is a fairly simple thing, code-wise, as it is a fixed place in the window and the position is already known as it is where the typewriter line will end up. Not super-simple, but at least not super-complicated.
Wait folks, how can this be? This sputtering of text is the first thing I did for the rewrite and it was not supposed to be published… and yet here it is. the real rewrite is on another post of the same name… grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
