Wireshark-bugs: [Wireshark-bugs] [Bug 3059] Marking multiple frames in range at once with button

Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:54:31 -0800 (PST)
https://bugs.wireshark.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=3059





--- Comment #9 from Chris Maynard <christopher.maynard@xxxxxxxxx>  2008-11-17 07:54:28 PDT ---
I applied your patches.  First, I definitely agree that we should avoid having
to keep state, so I like your idea.  But here is some more feedback:

1) Should the key combination be CTRL-M-UP/DOWN instead of CTRL-SHIFT-UP/DOWN? 
People are probably already used to CTRL-M to mark/unmark a packet, so that
could be retained, then just extend the feature with the UP/DOWN?  Personally,
I prefer the CTRL-SHIFT-UP/DOWN though, because I think it's much easier to
reach the required keys.  Basically, you need your right hand to UP/DOWN so
your left hand needs to do the CTRL-? operation.  If it's CTRL-SHIFT, it's very
easy, but CTRL-M is an uncomfortable stretch, or requires the right-side CTRL
key to reach the M.  Perhaps allowing either combination is OK?  What do others
think?

2) The current CTRL-M operation is actually a toggle, so if the packet is
marked, it becomes unmarked and vice versa; however, if you already have marked
packets in a range of packets that you are attempting to mark, those marked
packets do not become unmarked.  I'm thinking that from a usability
perspective, if you're trying to mark a large range of packets, then this would
be the desired behavior, but it does change the existing behavior, so it's
possible it could cause confusion.  If both CTRL-SHIFT-UP/DOWN and
CTRL-M-UP/DOWN are used, then perhaps the CTRL-SHIFT-UP/DOWN can mark/unmark
all packets in the range and CTRL-M-UP/DOWN can toggle all packets in the
range?  That way those used to or who prefer the CTRL-M behavior will get what
they expect.

3) Being able to UP/DOWN to mark packets is nice, but I think having PAGE
UP/PAGE DOWN to complement it would make it even nicer.  Basically use PAGE
UP/PAGE DOWN to mark page-fulls of packets at a time, then UP/DOWN to refine
the packets marked.  It could even be extended to incorporate HOME and END to
mark/unmark all packets from the currently selected packet to the beginning or
to the end, respectively.

OK, so I like the idea of being able to easily mark a large range of packets,
but what do the core Wireshark developers think as to how best to implement it
via the best key combinations?  


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