[Read aloud] Add option to hide the Highlight Popup

PaulS42

When you use the H key to highlight something while the Read aloud function is active, the pop up with the mnemonic key descriptions appears. This is useful the first few times, but once you find what works for you, this gets in the way, especially because it appears right on top of the text you're highlighting.

Would it be possible to add an option to hide this popup, or maybe to at least move it into the gutter beside the text, and not appear right where you're highlighting?

Thank you!

dstillman

We can probably at least make it moveable and remember its position.

To be clear, it exists to show clearly what was just annotated and allow adjustments if necessary:

1) We try to be smart about annotating what the user reasonably intended, even if they, say, hit H just after the end of a sentence, so it's not necessarily the current sentence. But that means it could potentially annotate the wrong thing.

2) Sentence-boundary detection isn't always perfect (periods could be used in unpredictable ways, etc.), so there are times when you might need to expand or contract the annotation.

3) It lets you change the color of the annotation you just made without having to select it.

The shortcut keys only work when the popup is open, so it has to appear to allow those things.

PaulS42

I truly appreciate that it's trying to help, and it's great to learn the shortcuts this way, but after a while it feels cumbersome because it's right above the text I'm processing. But I get what you're saying.

dstillman

It's not about learning the shortcuts — it's that they don't and can't work when the popup isn't showing.

PaulS42

Ah, OK. That makes sense. But in that case, I would still appreciate a way to at least move it away from the centre of the screen.

Either way, the tool is neat.

dstillman

We'll make it movable.

PaulS42

Thanks :)