[gtk+:3] Restoring the "file to select" behaviour

Dominique_71

All software using the gtk+:3 toolkit suffer from a very strange "feature" of the file widget: When you want to save a file and change its name, most people will first navigate to the wanted folder, change the file name and press Enter. That strange feature is than, when you begin to type the new name after that folder navigation, gtk+ was programmed to think You want to search for a file to replace. Most of the time, it is not the case and you have to reselect the whole original filename in order to change it. That "recursive search" is definitely the most annoying "feature" of that toolkit.

If you want to restore the old and well proven "type-to-select-file" behaviour of that widget, it is a patch at https://bugs.gentoo.org/585092
It is just to put the patch into /etc/portage/patches/x11-libs/gtk+:3 and do an emerge -av1 x11-libs/gtk+

Zucca · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:41 am Post subject:

Moved from "Desktop Environments" to "Documentation, Tips & Tricks".
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downloader · n00b Joined: 09 Mar 2024 Posts: 4

Use Tab Key: Instead of pressing Enter after navigating to the folder, try pressing the Tab key to see if it helps GTK+ recognize that you're trying to change the file name rather than initiating a search.

Double-Click to Rename: Double-click on the file name in the file dialog to select it for renaming. This action might bypass the issue you're encountering with GTK+ interpreting your typing as a search action.

Provide Feedback: Consider providing feedback to the GTK+ development community about this specific usability issue. They might be unaware of it and could potentially address it in a future update if it consistently causes frustration for users.

Explore Alternatives: If the issue persists and significantly impacts your workflow, explore alternative file dialog implementations or consider creating a custom file dialog tailored to your specific needs. This might involve using different toolkits or creating your own solution using GTK+ or another framework.