Select, unselect and reselect files

[Scard]

Select with Ctrl + A -> select all files OK
Unselect with mouse CLIC on window where it's empty -> unselect files OK
Reselect with Ctrl + A -> !!! SELECT ALL FILES NOT OK !!! [ BUG ???]
Reselect with Ctrl + A an other time -> select all files OK

[David Howell (david-dynmeth)]

Currently Ctrl + A is toggling between select_all and unselect_all.

Shouldn't it just select_all regardless?

Checking other file managers confirms that Ctrl + A should just select all files, regardless of whether files are/are not currently selected.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Thunar for example unselects all using Ctrl-Shift-A

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

In Files, Shift-Ctrl-A inverts the current selection (which only clears the selection if it is currenty all selected). Thunar always clears the selection with Ctrl-Shift-A. The UX team will have to decide what is the desired behaviour for elementaryos - it will not necessarily be the same as other OSes.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

The invert selection behaviour was implemented following lp:1228483

[Zarni Wang (zarnimng)]

what is the desired behavior? Always do select_all or toggle?

[Sam Hewitt (snwh)]

It seems to me this bug isn't about behavioral changes, it's about the fact that it requires pressing Ctrl+A twice to re-select all items in a folder after clicking to de-select all. That is what needs fixing.

[Zisu Andrei (matzipan)]

Intended behavior:

If I use my mouse to select everything and then I press ctrl+a, the action should be deselect.

If I press ctrl+a, and then I deselect everything by clicking next to the selected items, if I press ctrl+a again, the action should be select all.

If I press ctrl+a, and then press ctrl and use the mouse to click on an item, if I press ctrl+a again, the action should be select all.

[Herb Miller Jr. (herbmillerjr)]

Also noticed:
- Clicking in the search/path bar then hitting ESC, then CTRL+a causes the same behavior.
- CTRL+SHIFT+A operates correctly, it's only lowercase a that's problematic.

I see in AbstractDirectoryView.vala where Gdk.Keys.A is being handled, but I can't for the life of me seem to find Gdk.Keys.a or whatever is handling CTRL + lowercase a. Is there some function outside of on_view_key_press_event() or perhaps even outside of AbstractDirectoryView that's also handling keystrokes?

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Herb: THanks for your comments. You are right that Files does not explicitly handle CTRL+a - this is passed to the parent Gtk.TreeView or Gtk.IconView to handle. It maybe that to fix this bug, Files will have to intervene.