Bookmarks

This is probably answered somewhere but I couldn't find it.

Here's my quip:

OK, so --it seems-- I can bookmark a folder/directory. This is great.

But..

1) How do I go that bookmarked folder again?

I can't find any 'Bookmarks' menu anywhere.

2) How can I (re)name that bookmark?

I mean, say I want it display 'My Home' instead of (say) '/home/me'

adem0x wrote:

1) How do I go that bookmarked folder again?

https://winscp.net/eng/docs/task_navigate#bookmarks

2) How can I (re)name that bookmark?

Bookmarks cannot have a name. Though location profiles can.

Thank you.

From user's point of view, I think it would be much better if we had a top-level (main) menu item called 'Bookmarks' and under it two hard-wired submenus: 'Local' and 'Remote'.

And, since every other app out there let's us give a name to bookmarks, I think you should also consider 'nameable' bookmarks.

One more thing, if I may:

Could you add something like 'Bookmark This' to the context menu; or better still change the name of 'Open Directory/Bookmark' to 'Bookmark This'.

Actually, when I sit back and think about it, it seems we need a 'Manage Bookmarks' functionality (submenu) as well as 'Bookmark This'.

adem0x wrote:

From user's point of view, I think it would be much better if we had a top-level (main) menu item called 'Bookmarks' and under it two hard-wired submenus: 'Local' and 'Remote'.

And, since every other app out there let's us give a name to bookmarks, I think you should also consider 'nameable' bookmarks.

Will consider this.

adem0x wrote:

Could you add something like 'Bookmark This' to the context menu; or better still change the name of 'Open Directory/Bookmark' to 'Bookmark This'.

This request has been added to tracker.

adem0x wrote:

From user's point of view, I think it would be much better if we had a top-level (main) menu item called 'Bookmarks' and under it two hard-wired submenus: 'Local' and 'Remote'

Btw, are you aware that this would involve more clicks than the current approach?

martin wrote:

Btw, are you aware that this would involve more clicks than the current approach?

Yes, I am aware of that. But, that comes about because WinSCP 'explore's both the local and remote machines, as a result of which there has to be 2 different categories of 'Bookmarks' (local/remote) in order to eliminate any potential ambiguities.

One more thing:

ATM, this is what I am having to do:

A) When using the context menu

1 - Left click
2 - Select 'Open Directory/Bookmark'
3 - Do some mental processing and guesswork since some paths are longer that what's displayed in the listbox, I have to select each candidate to see what exactly they are.
4 - Click OK or press Enter.

B) When using the main menu

I don't know how to access the 'Open Directory/Bookmark' functionality.

C) When using the main menu

1 - Press Ctrl+O
2 - Opens 'Location Profiles'. For 'Bookmarks' you need to click the 'Bookmarks' button. OK, I know this is nit picking a bit, but we're talking about user interfaces.

3 - Do some mental processing and guesswork since some paths are longer that what's displayed in the listbox, I have to select each candidate to see what exactly they are.
4 - Click OK or press Enter.

All in all, it is the 'step 4' that is the most expensive: Displaying (truncated) paths and not their user-given aliases make life harder for user.

Having said all that, don't get me wrong: I am more than grateful for your efforts with WinSCP. I can, of course, live without Bookmarks in WinSCP.

I'm bit confused by the your post, so I may not answer all the issues raised, but will try:
1) Are you aware of the "open directory/bookmark" icon on the toolbar?
2) The functionality in the main menu can be found under "Local / Remote > Go To > ..."
3) The size of bookmarks dialog should be expanded with long path. Though it never exceeds 700 pixel. I may raise this limit if it is not enough.
4) Clicking "Bookmarks": Expectation here is that you either use bookmarks or location profiles, not both. So WinSCP remembers what mode did you use the last time and when running "open directory/bookmark" command it opens the respective dialog. So in general you do need to do this "step".
5) Again: You can give a custom name to the location profile!

martin wrote:

I'm bit confused by the your post, so I may not answer all the issues raised, but will try:

Sorry about that. I kind of guessed my last 2 posts were confusing because they didn't seem to arrive at a clear conclusion/suggestion. But, I noticed that after I wrote them and didn't want to confuse things even more with a 3rd post..

1) Are you aware of the "open directory/bookmark" icon on the toolbar?

Actually, I wasn't. The icon is 'open directory' icon; didn't think it would be related to bookmarks/shortcuts.

Now that I know what it does, it sort of answers my "I don't know how to access the 'Open Directory/Bookmark' functionality". But, that's about it --IOW, other issues still stand.

martin wrote:

2) The functionality in the main menu can be found under "Local / Remote > Go To > ..."

Again, 'Go To' is an inconsistency; IMO, it should have been called 'Open Directory/Bookmark'.

3) The size of bookmarks dialog should be expanded with long path. Though it never exceeds 700 pixel. I may raise this limit if it is not enough.

How ever wide you may make that dialog, there will always be a need for a wider one. This is basically due to the fact that you have no control on the length of path strings.

And, unfortunately, the most interesting part of a path string is the last part (the actual directory the user wishes to go); and if the user cannot see that last part, s/he will have to either horizontal scroll or do some guess work.

IOW, widening the dialog or adding a horizontal scrollbar to the listbox, IMHO, is user-friendly enough or long-term solution.

To me the most optimum solution (wrt user-friendliness) is to look a how browsers handle bookmarks in menus:

-- Let the user give a name (alias) to the path and display this a (sub)menu caption.
-- When a user moves the mouse over the (sub)menu caption, display the actual path on the status bar.

4) Clicking "Bookmarks": Expectation here is that you either use bookmarks or location profiles, not both. So WinSCP remembers what mode did you use the last time and when running "open directory/bookmark" command it opens the respective dialog. So in general you do need to do this "step".

Actually, IMO, 'location profiles' (bookmark pairing) is also confusing and doesn't need a separate dialog. All of it could be handled with one bookmark dialog.

Here is what I would suggest.

Suppose you have a bookmark dialog with these fields:

-- Alias. (The name the user wishes to refer to this bookmark. Textbox. The user sees this as sub menus to the propsed Bookmarks menu.)
-- Remote path. (A memo)
-- Local path. (A memo)
-- Explanation (A memo. Useful if the user wishes to store some personal information about this alias.)

This dialog comes up when the user issues a 'Bookmark this' command and s/he has only to fill the 'alias' field.

Now, if 'Remote path' and 'Local path' are present, it is then a 'paired bookmark'; otherwise local or remote only.

An menu item icon hinting at whether this bookmark is paired/local/remote would of course be nice.

5) Again: You can give a custom name to the location profile!

That may be so, but it still is a little too convoluted I think.

First, I don't see a need for 'location profiles' if it only means 'paired bookmarks'.

Secondly, in my 'location profiles' dialog I see entries I know that aren't 'paired'; so it kind of defeats the 'paired bookmarks' logic.

Thirdly, it isn't very intuitive as to what will happen if I rename an entry: Will I remove the path information, or will it simply re-alias it?

[Having tried it now, I know that it will only re-alias it, but I sill find it too convoluted/unintuitive. User should be given one dialog at the time of creating the bookmark (see above) and there s/he should be able to give that alias.]

{BTW, if you feel I am being a pain by appearing to be a back-seat driver, please tell me so. I will stop pestering you about this :) }

Thanks for your suggestions.

One last comment, note that the location profile may include only one of the paths.