Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

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Drdrdaddeo
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:02 pm

Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Drdrdaddeo »

The updated track editing function lends itself to accidental track highlighting with unwanted drag and drop errors when simply trying to scroll horizonatally. Personally, I prefered the old track editing selector button which facilitated track scrolling without the possibility of any unwanted drag/drop errors. Importantly, horizontal track scrolling used to be possible by scrolling at the bottom of the GUI (rather than just over the tracks themselves). Thus no accidental highlighting of track regions could ever occur while simply scrolling through non-edit-activated tracks. For whatever reason, off-track GUI scrolling is no longer possible. This is currently really vital to prevent accidental touch-related track highlighting. Related, under the old track editing system, highlighted areas destined to be dragged and dropped would change colors, clearly indicating that the drag and drop function was activated. Under the present system, track editing touch actvation highlights areas destined for both drag and drop AND resize depending on where the area is subsequently touched (edge = resize, center = drag and drop). Areas destined for drag and drop NO LONGER CHANGE COLORS indicating that they are actually in the drag and drop mode. This color change is absolutely vital to prevent subsequent accidental drag and drop. Related, highlighted areas in the resize mode can still be touched and scrolled in either direction to allowing extensive resizing, and this is proves very useful in defining large areas for editing. However, it currently is very easy to unwittingly activate drag and drop instead of just scrolling because there is no informative color change. This results in major unwanted drag and drop error and the need for an undo function to correct the problem. Thus, the new track edit activation system saves a button click on the front end, but introduces dangerous drag and drop errors and the need for undo corrections, on the tail end. Similarly two-finger track zooming can now easily highlight track areas (not a problem with the old track edit activation button).
In summary, my request would be to bring back the old track edit button activation sysem (which also allowed off-track scrolling from the information bar at the bottom of the GUI). Alternatively, retain the new track edit activation touch system, but restore the color change to designated drag and drop regions......and reactivate off-track scrolling through the bottom of the GUI. The latter two minor modifications would greatly obviate many touch-activation related movement/edit errors.

Thanks
Drdrdaddeo
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Support »

Drdrdaddeo wrote:However, it currently is very easy to unwittingly activate drag and drop instead of just scrolling
In what circumstances does this happen? I can only make this happen by scrolling really, really slowly. Is that what you do?


Giel Bremmers
Drdrdaddeo
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:02 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Drdrdaddeo »

I am a sloppy musician so I am very heavy on track editing. Since I opt for the simplest and quickest way to implement edits, I set the editor selector to O.25 seconds to be able to quickly highlight areas for editing. Unfortunately this also results in my frequently activating the editor by mistake when I am simply trying to scroll, or zoom. And a second quick touch to eliminate the highlighted area, or to resize, often accidentally activates drag and drop (with no informative color change) so that my attempts to unhighlight, or resize actually result in dragging and dropping. Without the ability to bottom bar scroll, I am now having to do active in-track scrolling, so I'm constantly activating track editing, highlighting unwanted areas and dragging data away by accident. I never had those problems using the old combo of edit activation button, special dark colored areas designating dragging and dropping, and bottom bar scrolling.

Drdrdaddeo
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Support »

Drdrdaddeo wrote:I set the editor selector to O.25 seconds to be able to quickly highlight areas for editing.
I see. This gives you only 0.25 seconds to move your finger enough to make MTS think you're scrolling rather then pressing. Looks like your scrolling gestures don't start that quick, so it would be better to increase the delay time. This makes editing work slower than you'd like it, but at least it's reliable.
Drdrdaddeo wrote:with no informative color change
The gray mode selector tells you whether you'll be dragging, resizing or selecting. But you can no longer see that once it's gone of course.


Giel Bremmers
Drdrdaddeo
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:02 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Drdrdaddeo »

Correct. So for now our editing is slowed down and error prone. Why introduce all these problems when the old editing button, scrolling, zoom, highlight, and drag/drop functions worked perfectly even at lightening fast editing speeds? What advantage is there to the new multi-touch activation system? And why did we loose the information bar (off-track) scrolling/zooming option....which would have at least obviated many of the present problems with the new touch editing system? Restoring that single option would still at least prevent unwanted track highlighting when scrolling/zooming, while permitting continued high speed track edit activation via short (0.25 sec) editor selection. I love MTS, but it seems like we've taken a step backward here.....and for no apparent gain.

Drdrdaddeo
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Support »

Drdrdaddeo wrote:So for now our editing is slowed down and error prone
IMO it's not error prone if you set the selector delay back to 0.5..0.6 seconds.
Drdrdaddeo wrote:Why introduce all these problems when the old editing button, scrolling, zoom, highlight, and drag/drop functions worked perfectly even at lightening fast editing speeds? What advantage is there to the new multi-touch activation system?
People are used to being able to scroll content by touching the content itself, that's how phones and tablets work. The old system wouldn't let you touch an editor without unexpected things happening (unless you checked what mode it was in first).
And it was really error prone: if you forgot to check the mode before touching it you'd be doing something else instead. MIDI and automation editors suffered more from this than audio editors, as they had more modes.


Giel Bremmers
Drdrdaddeo
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:02 pm

Re: Track Editing Drag and Drop Errors

Post by Drdrdaddeo »

I understand, and appreciate the rational. By increasing the editor selector latency to o.35 sec, the problem is not as bad, and the increase in delay is negligible. I can live with the upgrade, but would surely appreciate the return of bottom bar scrolling to make the scrolling readjustment a little more bearable.

Thanks,
Drdrdaddeo
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