Open topic in new tab without affecting the current tab

[Oliveira Market]

The ability to open topics in new tabs is awesome, but it would be great if current tab was preserved.

Illustrating: I open 3 tabs, different topics (A, B, C), current topic is A; then I want to open another topic (D) in a new tab, so I right-click it to choose first option "Open topic in a new tab". However, at the very moment I right-clicked I missed A topic in current tab because D topic was open there. After clicking the option, a new tab is open with D topic in it. Finally, I have 4 tabs but not 4 topics open: 2 D topics, no A topic.

As it is important to me having A topic open, I have to search for it again to re-open it.

It would save time (and seems to be more correct to me) not changing current tab when I right-click a topic.

Thanks

[Simon Dismore]

It would save time (and seems to be more correct to me) not changing current tab when I right-click a topic.

I entirely agree. Thanks for suggesting it.

Simon

[Aitch]

This is something that was noticed during beta testing.

See the response to the wish list here:
http://helpman.it-authoring.com/viewtop ... tab#p45500

Hope this helps

[Simon Dismore]

See the response to the wish list

But that's a top secret document, far too sensitive to be visible to more mortals like wot we are.

[Tim Green]

Hi Simon,

Actually it was just a very normal discussion of the pros and cons of various approaches on the beta forum. The right-click issue is well-known to the developers. Unfortunately, they say that changing it is a lot more difficult than one might think at first glance. Preventing topic loading and selection on right-click in the TOC, and that in the right context opens up a bevy of new problems, and apparently dealing with all of them would be a little like herding cats. It's definitely on the radar, but it's not something you can fix by turning a switch.

[Oliveira Market]

See the response to the wish list here:

Thanks Heidi... unfortunately I have no access to that post...

Unfortunately, [developers] say that changing it is a lot more difficult than one might think at first glance.

I perfectly understand, Tim, because I'm a developer too! Sometimes I have to deal with customers who think everything's a matter of turning switches... But also sometimes I have to agree that my system isn't satisfying them anymore in some aspect and then I never let an implementation dificulty level take me apart from good procedures that make my system smarter, more useful... It really worth...

[Mark_Hazeldine]

Just bumping this one up the list and adding my own thoughts:

Now I've had time to play with the tabs a bit, there are a couple of things that really bug me that would be nice to improve:
1. When all my tabs are docked and I click in the TOC, it's always the left-hand "special tab" that changes and not the one I have in focus. Annoying!
2. I really wish I could minimise/maximise undocked tabs

To summarise, here's how I think it should work:
1. Right click in the TOC and select "Open in new tab"
2. The any existing tabs stay where they are and don't change and a new tab opens for the new topic
3. Left-clicking in the TOC changes the topic of the tab currently in focus
4. All tabs can be un-docked and moved
5. Any un-docked tabs can be minimised/maximised on their own
6. Un-docked tabs should not minimise with the parent window by default
7. You should be able to un-dock two tabs and then dock those two (or more) tabs into another tabbed window

All the features listed above (apart from No.3) come as standard in the Dev Express dock manager product, so it should be possible to implement tabs like this once you've untangled the right-click code.

I appreciate that sorting out these tabs is a pain, but really it should be a priority because the new tabs "feature" that was shouted about, SHOULD be a major productivity benefit and was one of the main reasons I upgraded. However, I don't consider the current version to be properly implemented.
When I see that tabs have been added into a product, as a user of lots of software applications and a UI product manager in my own company, rightly or wrongly, I make certain assumptions about how these tabs will work (i.e. like most other apps!), however yours do not work like that. Therefore it seems to me like a bit of a half-baked, non-feature. It doesn't really have many of the advantages of tabs for me. If anything, the feature is a bit pointless and gets annoying because it doesn't do what I expect it to. Therefore I'm reluctant to use it in its current state.

Can anyone on the EC team provide an update on progress please? It's been about a year since right-click issue was first flagged, which should be plenty of time to untangle some code.

Sorry to have a moan, but it's quite disappointing.

Thanks, Mark