Tips on docking editors

General questions regarding the usage of CodeLite
sdolim
CodeLite Veteran
Posts: 69
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:29 pm
Contact:

Tips on docking editors

Post by sdolim »

Here are some usage tips on docking editor windows.

First, if you didn't know already, you can detach an editor window from the main frame. The command to do it is under the editor's tab right-click menu, called "Detach Tab". Then you can either leave it floating free, or dock it in the main frame alongside other panes.

Second, good places to put detached editors are:
- let them float off to the side of CL's main frame (if you have enough screen space), or
- dock them ABOVE the main editor area (just below the toolbar).
Depending on where you drop it, the editor will be right of the Workspace Pane, or above it.

Not a good place: at the bottom of the main editor area, because the editor will get pushed up whenever the Output Pane appears. However, you can dock below even that, so the editor extends across the full width of the CL frame. In that case, the Output Pane appears above it.

One thing I like to do if I'm working on class Foo in files foo.h and foo.cpp:
- Dock foo.h above the main editor area.
- Leave foo.cpp in it's normal location.
- Sometimes, if Foo has base class Bar, I will put bar.h up above too, either left or right of foo.h, so I can see them both at once.

If you want more than about two extra editors visible at once, dock the first one at the complete top, or complete bottom, so the editor extends the full with of the CL frame. Then drop the other editors on the first so they go side by side.

Another note: the Quick Find and Nav Bar controls still work on whichever editor the caret is in, even though the bars themselves always stay put in the main editor area.

Last, when you click the little 'x' in a docked or floating editor top right corner, it just sends the editor back to the main editor area. It does *not* close the file.

Scott
captain_b
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 1:46 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: all
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by captain_b »

Hi sdolim,

I tried to follow your advice, but without success. Right clicking on an editor tab gives me [ Close, Close All, Reload, Save, etc etc]
but no 'Detach' option ????

I'm workling with CL v2.5.2.4031, by the way (this one came with Ubuntu 10.1)

I also worked with a previous version before, something like 3376 or so, and in that version one could compress the OutputView pane
very much, which was nice, as often only one or two lines are of immediate interest. Now, in version 4031, there seems to be a minimum size, you can't make the pane smaller than that, which is sad thing. Personally, the old version suited me better .... hmm.
Is there a special reason for imposing such a limit on mimimum pane size ?

Another question on docking: I know it from programs like Gimp, which consists of several floating windows, that you can move these windows freely around, even to another desktop, i.e. move them out of your current working area on the screen. The multiple desktop feature is one of the things I like most on Linux :-)
CL docking windows instead cannot be moved outside of the borders of your current desktop, so they can't be easily pushed away when they of lesser interest for the moment and drwan back into view later. Also, the OutputView always stays on top when detached, blocking the other content. Is a bit a pity, as it makes handling with several panes (editor, output,debug) a bit awkward.

Greetz
-c_b
abdd0e77
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:54 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by abdd0e77 »

Can someone expand on how to view multiple source files at once? That's kind of a showstopper for me if I can't do that.

When right click on editor tabs like captain_b I don't get any detach option. Using v5.4
User avatar
eranif
CodeLite Plugin
Posts: 6367
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:29 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by eranif »

This option was removed in previous versions of codelite (5.4 included)
It is restored in the current head version (aka 6.0) and it will be available again soon

Eran
Make sure you have read the HOW TO POST thread
marinara
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:50 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: c++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by marinara »

I just upgraded to 8.2.1 and can not get multiple source editors docked. The right click Detach Editor feature is there, how do you dock it in a new view?

In a previous version, I could just drag the tab and create new tab groups. Is this feature gone?

Is there a place to download older releases for linux?
User avatar
eranif
CodeLite Plugin
Posts: 6367
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:29 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by eranif »

marinara wrote:In a previous version, I could just drag the tab and create new tab groups. Is this feature gone?
This feature is gone since we dropped the use of wxAuiNotebook and switched to another control which performs much more stable and faster

You can probably build CodeLite from sources by downloading the proper tar.gz from GitHub

Eran
Make sure you have read the HOW TO POST thread
yvesdm3000
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 3:39 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by yvesdm3000 »

Is this feature coming back, or maybe through some other means like a split view as seen in VisualStudio, QTCreator or XCode ? Having it in multiple windows is really a hassle and not at all very useful.

-Yves
User avatar
eranif
CodeLite Plugin
Posts: 6367
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:29 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by eranif »

No
Make sure you have read the HOW TO POST thread
yvesdm3000
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 3:39 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by yvesdm3000 »

Hello,

Is this because you don't see value in the feature, you lack time or are working on something else that would be an even better solution ?

Yves
jg_telensa
CodeLite Curious
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2017 6:05 pm
Genuine User: Yes
IDE Question: C++
Contact:

Re: Tips on docking editors

Post by jg_telensa »

yvesdm3000 wrote:Is (multiple tabbed panes) coming back, or maybe through some other means like a split view as seen in VisualStudio, QTCreator or XCode ? Having it in multiple windows is really a hassle and not at all very useful.

-Yves
eranif wrote:No
I loved CodeLite when I started using it about a day ago. It combined much of the functionality and keystroke-compatibility of CLion with almost the speed of startup of CodeBlocks. I managed to persuade myself that I couldn't drag tabs into (creating) a second tabbed pane because the functionality was hidden, or I was being a dolt and fumbling my spot-obvious roll. Although, with over 30 years' commercial software development experience, it was a bit of a blow to come to that conclusion.

I'm afraid that this missing feature alone is why I'm going to have to find something else instead; probably go and pay JetBrains molto bucks instead of making a donation here. It's hard to believe that anyone who's used a modern IDE in the past ten years (at least), or worked on any large codebase, could believe that multiple tabbed panes is something that coders don't actually need, and lots of little independent windows is the way to go.

Sorry to be so negative, but this is customer feedback, and you need to hear it, Eran. Please find a way to do this, and properly. CoreLite is too neat not to have it.

~ Jon
Speaking entirely on my own behalf, not my company's, nor my client's.
Post Reply