I create an automation envelope for some parameter. I select a portion of the envelope and copy it to the clipboard. Next, I open the instrument editor to tweak an instrument’s volume envelope a little bit. Renoise automatically changes focus from the automation envelope to the instrument envelope when I do this. Now I switch back to the automation envelope and try to paste in the data I copied a moment ago.
The problem is that Renoise does not automatically change the focus back to the automation envelope, so when I try to paste in the data it actually goes into the instrument envelope which still has the focus.
Just a little usability bug I guess. Moving between the volume/panning/pitch envelope and the cutoff/resonance envelope is not a problem - the focus correctly follows you as you work. But moving between the instrument envelopes and the automation envelope is a problem.
Edit:
Of course, after spending a few more minutes playing around with this I had a “d’oh!” moment and found the answer to my own question. After toggling the middle-frame-view-focus-behaviour thingy, the automation envelope did correctly get focus and the paste operation was performed normally.
However, I still think this behaviour could perhaps be considered as buggy or confusing. When I right-click somewhere and get the context menu with options for copy/paste/etc., I naturally expect those options to apply to whatever I right-clicked on, rather than where Renoise is currently focused.
Maybe the focus behaviour needs to be changed a bit so that the functions we call from the mouse cursor are disconnected from where the keyboard is currently focused? I think that would be useful.
That one wants to copy someting in the InstrumentEnvelope and paste it into a TrackEnvelope is really something that only happens when hunting for bugs
The rule for the focus is quite easy, and I dare that if we make it more complex (as you proposed - switching between envelopes, where ever they are, should bypass the global focus option) just makes things a lot more complicated.
The only solution I see for this is: Use this for a while and you will know how it works and not make this mistake again…
EDIT: Maybe that was a bit to fast. After playing around with the envelopes again, it might indeed be a good idea if setting new selections via the envelope ruler, would always set the keyboard focus to the envelope. Touching adding/points would behave as it is now, What else do you want to do with the selection? Using the contextmenu with the mouse really sucks…
But this would indeed make the rules a bit (too?) complex.
For what i know currently and i have experienced this drag a few times myself and it can be irritating… but it was a matter of pressing ctrl-z to undo the wrong paste, middle-click the automation ruler at the position i wanted to add the contents and then simply paste again.
Just remember:get used to the middle-mouse button if in doubt.
It’s just a small issue really. When I’ve right-clicked something to bring up the context menu, I naturally/logically expect any option I choose from the menu to be related to the area I right-clicked on. That’s the whole point of a “context menu” afterall, isn’t it?
I don’t think the focus behaviour needs to change really… just the behaviour of where you click the mouse and choose functions such as copy/paste.
Yeah, gi think the problem lays in the part where the right-mousebutton seems linked to the left one in some manner.
But it should be possible to use rightmousebutton context menu related to the area the icon is hovering above… the scroll-wheel also scrolls lists that do not have focus.
