Keep the item unchanged while switching collections

autobots
Hi, I often need to compare items within different collections, and I realize that the current item will be closed while I switch the collection, i.e. no item in the middle pane will be selected and the right pane will only show the count of the items in this collection.

I feel this is not very convenient, and I would prefer to keep the item showing in the right pane. Accordingly in the middle pane, the item should be selected and highlighted. It would be even better to give the user a default option to place the item at the top/middle/bottom of the middle pane after switching.

I believe this behavior is even more user-friendly. Thank you for your consideration!
  • dstillman
    No, that doesn't make sense. The three panes form a hierarchy. By selecting something to the left, you're clearing to the right and starting a new hierarchy. There's no guarantee that the selected item exists in the new collection, and we're not going to unpredictably change the selection based on whether it does.

    If you want to compare items quickly, do it in the library root, perhaps with a search active. And if you have duplicates, you can resolve them in the Duplicate Items view.

    There are also plans to make it possible to keep a search active while switching collections, for cases where you search for something and then realize you want to search elsewhere.
  • autobots
    Yes you are right, it doesn't make sense if the item doesn't exist in the new collection. I forgot to mention the precondition that the item DOES exist in the new collection, otherwise the default behavior is fine. Sorry for my negligence.
  • autobots
    The last item viewed should carry some importance, we can call it the Active Item. Every time the user switches the collection, we can search for the Active Item and highlight it if it exists, even the user randoms clicks all the collections one by one. The Active Item shouldn't change until the user decidedly clicks another item.

    I believe this helps to emphasize the location of the item in all relevant collections, and this feature may be useful to many users. Thanks!
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