Shortcut to new window resizing method isn't ideal from a usability p.o.v.

[Meanwhile]

Haiku's new (extra) method for window resizing works with a Ctrl-Alt-Leftclick shortcut.

At the same time, Haiku's Team Monitor is (as always) brought up on screen with the key combination Ctrl-Alt-Del, which is a good choice, as it's possibly the best known (or the only one known) keyboard shortcut among many computer users that have worked with Windows, where it's also used in the same situation (when something seems to have frozen or gone wrong).

The Ctrl-Alt-Del combination may in many cases be operated by both hands: the fingers on the left hand are pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys on the left side of the keyboard, while the fingers on the right hand will press the Delete key, which is laid out on the right side of the keyboard.

In cases where the user's mouse happens to be located above a Tracker window during this action, it takes only a fraction of a second in between the action of the left hand (pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys) and the following action of the right hand (pressing the Delete key) to show up a highlighted part of the window edge belonging to the window that happens to be below the user's cursor. This highlighting acts as a visual guide for the window resizing feature.

So, there you have two functionalities interfering (Task manager and window resizing), causing confusion to the user who may already be vexed because he had to resort to the Task Manager, or at least thought he had to do so.

To not potentially add another question mark (or even exclamation mark) above the user's head (See also ​http://echelog.matzon.dk/logs/browse/haiku/1292108400 at 19:35:39), I suggest that another keyboard shortcut be used for the resizing method.

A choice that keeps the advantages and character of the present shortcut would be Ctrl-Win-Leftclick (where Win is the Windows key). Suitable because a keyboard has these Winkeys on the left and on the right of the spacebar, just like the Alt keys exist both left and right of the spacebar.

[axeld]

The only thing one could do to help your confusion is to wait with the highlight until the mouse has been moved. Ctrl+Alt is the window key combination for Haiku, and this has already been the case in BeOS (even though it could just minimize the window using Ctrl-Alt-M), furthermore, the Windows key is not available on all keyboards.

[jscipione]

But I don't have a Windows Key on my keyboard, I have a Mac keyboard with control, option (alt) and command (⌘). So this solution will not work for me. How about ctrl + alt + shift instead?

[jscipione]

I just noticed that ctrl + alt + shift + LMB already has a function, it performs a right click as if the window wasn't there, so unless that is unintentional, my proposed solution won't work. Oh well.

[Meanwhile]

Waiting with the highlight until the mouse has been moved will reduce but not remove the chances that this effect occurs.

[humdinger]

In my opinion, the resize shortcut should not be changed. CTRL+ALT+... is a kind of window management shortcut that should be universal. H,M,Z to hide, minimize, maximize, Cursor keys to move between workspaces, left-click to move and now right-click to resize.
Additional SHIFT is generally used as a modified behaviour, e.g. to take a window with you to another workspace or, looking into a Tracker window menu, to _Force_ identify or Close _all_ windows etc.

Delaying the highlighting until the mouse is moved would work for me personally, but it might provoke another issue: a user may inadvertently some times move the mouse while pressing CTRL+ALT and sometimes not. He may wonder why a border highlights sometimes and sometimes it doesn't...

[Meanwhile]

Replying to humdinger:

Delaying the highlighting until the mouse is moved would work for me personally, but it might provoke another issue: a user may inadvertently some times move the mouse while pressing CTRL+ALT and sometimes not. He may wonder why a border highlights sometimes and sometimes it doesn't...

Since there seems to be no real way to totally avoid confusing situations, what's left is reducing the chances of them happening.

The delay does this for a large part. What you describe isn't so likely, because a user that is doing a Ctrl-Alt-Del action will not touch his mouse or even come anywhere near it, as a mouse is generally positioned well away from the hands that operate the keyboard (even away from the keyboard itself).
The user's mouse might only be inadvertently moved if something hits his desk or similar situations...

In addition to the delay, one could have this extra resize-functionality selectable in Tracker preferences and not on by default to reduce chances of confusing (especially) novice users, but only if that doesn't hurt your ego, Humdinger :)

[humdinger]

The highlighting would occur if you press CTRL+ALT and move the mouse. You could easily press these two keys with your left hand and sometimes move your mouse when reaching with your right hand to the h,m or z key.

An implied insult is still an insult even when suffixed with a smilie.

[Meanwhile]

Replying to humdinger:

The highlighting would occur if you press CTRL+ALT and move the mouse. You could easily press these two keys with your left hand and sometimes move your mouse when reaching with your right hand to the h,m or z key.

In some cases, but I usually don't have my hand on the mouse when doing a Ctrl-Alt with the other hand, because then it will already be in the air and on the way to the Del key.

An implied insult is still an insult even when suffixed with a smilie.

Pff. It's just the fact that the resize method is a helping extra, that it could be a selectable Tracker option, just like having navigation buttons can be a helping extra.

[tangobravo]

Keeping just the Ctrl-Alt shortcut makes sense to me. I haven't played with a Haiku revision that has the resizing feature yet, so I'm not sure what it looks like, but I think the edge highlighting should be subtle - people are unlikely to stumble across the functionality so will already know where to be looking for feedback.

If the edge highlighting is subtle then I don't see novice users being confused when heading for the delete key. Even if they don't know what the highlighting means I think they'd still go ahead and press delete anyway and get the expected response.