Command Line Options - Consistent Characters

[Tom_P]

I love to access Command-Options via single key.

But the interface is inconsistent:

_offest
→ Cap → a

_pipe
→ Cap → c

those cases of same option, different key is not consistent.
There is many examples.

Also if options get added between Version, those keys might change.

My Wish:
it should always be the first Character.
If there are multiple Options for the same Character multiple Presses of this character should cycle through those Options. Some UI-Feedback like a small flash-up Text, or highlighting the chosen Option.

An older topic - motivation was more from a developer perspective, trying to set the Keys for plug-ins / commands:

@Tom_P

Tolerance, Trim, Throughpoint… maybe pressing the key multiple times ? this would allow a more consistent workflow for different commands. - Does not make sense if Tolerance most times is T, sometimes is O or even L.
thanks, best, Tom

somehow related

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[wim (Wim Dekeyser)]

Hi Tom -

@Tom_P

it should always be the first Character.

That’s the default, yes.

@Tom_P

If there are multiple Options for the same Character multiple Presses of this character should cycle through those Options.

Personally, I’d rather not have to hit a key multiple times to get the option I need but just simply hit that one key that does that.

Changing this would break the muscle-memory of a lot of users that, like us, prefer to start commands on the command line.

@Tom_P

Also if options get added between Version, those keys might change.

When this happens, as was answered in a thread that was linked in the first post that you linked to, this needs to be fix per command, as here:

Something weird with keyboard input

Hi Peter - I see that, thanks. I do not see a good reason for this so far… looks like a mistake. @Normand - the switch from T to H is not ideal but at least explainable – it gets bumped over with the appearance of the Trim option. I think this can be fixed by moving Trim to the far side of ThroughPoint. There are several of these - CurveOnSurface in MatchSrf is the one that breaks my workflow the most. That once is hard because ChainEdges seems like it should always be “C” - perhaps we should …

-wim

[Tom_P]

@wim

Personally, I’d rather not have to hit a key multiple times to get the option I need but just simply hit that one key that does that.

Changing this would break the muscle-memory of a lot of users that, like us, prefer to start commands on the command line.

Dear @Wim thanks for having a look at this. I am an everyday command line user too, and use those one key characters nearly for all options.
I am only talking about Options that are not linked to the first Letter - see “Cap” example and many more.
For my brain-muscle coordination it seems strange to type different Letters for the same thing.
;-(

[Tom_P]

@stevebaer
I imagine some visualisation / feedback while pressing the keys …
for example like this:
the cap copy cornerstyle overlay should appear as soon as users start pressing c…
or of course it could be a command line flyout similar like the standard command suggestions …
with the same conent… (i like this second option more - even if I do not have a visualisation)
(dall-e did not help much, but reinvented a nice interface with fantastic display mode)

EDIT:
Version 2 as flyout for the commandline - I like it more like this: