Bug 489165 - Selecting multiple files behaves unintuitively when View - Details - "Open files and folders" is set to "By clicking on an icon or name"
Summary: Selecting multiple files behaves unintuitively when View - Details - "Open fi...
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: dolphin
Classification: Applications
Component: view-engine: details mode (show other bugs)
Version: 24.05.0
Platform: Fedora RPMs Linux
: NOR minor
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2024-06-25 09:53 UTC by i
Modified: 2024-06-27 09:34 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Selection box attempting to select files in Dolphin's Details View (29.67 KB, image/png)
2024-06-25 09:53 UTC, i
Details

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Description i 2024-06-25 09:53:26 UTC
Created attachment 170951 [details]
Selection box attempting to select files in Dolphin's Details View

SUMMARY
When selecting a group of files with varying lengths, the user can to fail to select all the files they intended to.  This is one of those things that's easier to show in a screenshot than it is to describe, so please see attached!

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open a folder in Dolphin with Details view
2. Create three files, one with a long name, another with a short name, and then another with a long name. Sort them in a way that the file with a short name is between the other two. (see the screenshot)
2. In Configure Dolphin -> View -> Details, set "Open files and Folders:" is  "By clicking on an icon or name"
3. Attempt to select all three files, but *don't* drag the selection box all the way to the left side to cover the file with a shorter name.

OBSERVED RESULT
The 1st and 3rd file are selected, but not the file between them.

EXPECTED RESULT
All three files are selected.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Fedora Linux 40
KDE Plasma Version: 6.1.0
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.3.0
Qt Version: 6.7.1
Kernel Version: 6.9.5-200.fc40.x86_64 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
System Version: -CF

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Setting "Open files and folders" to "By clicking anywhere on a row" technically fixes the problem, but forces the user to use Dolphin in a way they might not intend. I can't come up a practical reason why you'd only want to select the *longest* files in a directory, even if you prefer to activate files/folders by clicking on the icon/name.
Comment 1 Felix Ernst 2024-06-26 10:26:05 UTC
The selection rectangle used to cover the full width of the view which would solve this bug, but this was changed. IIRC this was done for consistency and because some users thought it was confusing that the selection rectangle was bigger than the area that the mouse was dragged for.
Comment 2 i 2024-06-26 12:31:41 UTC
(In reply to Felix Ernst from comment #1)
> some users thought it was confusing that the selection rectangle was bigger than the area that the mouse was dragged for.

Could it make more sense to have the *visible* selection box keep to what the mouse was dragged for, but have the box still select everything on that horizontal line? It was also initially confusing to select a group of files to delete and have some in the middle get missed!
Comment 3 Felix Ernst 2024-06-27 09:34:46 UTC
(In reply to i from comment #2)
> Could it make more sense to have the *visible* selection box keep to what
> the mouse was dragged for, but have the box still select everything on that
> horizontal line?

I think so, yes. That's actually what I suggested we do in https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/merge_requests/585#note_736366 and which was eventually implemented. It wasn't implemented for the non-default "Open files and Folders: By clicking on an icon or name" though, which is what this bug report is about.