Media Playback with Arrow Keys

[Zinabat]

So I remember a few versions back you used to be able to change the hotkeys so that you could play next/last with the arrow keys. This feature is probably the most standard in media players, even iTunes has it right. That feature has since been removed from MediaMonkey, as the arrow keys are apparently meant for navigating through the media tree now for usability.

You should at the very least be able to turn that silly usability feature off. Nobody uses arrow keys to navigate through their media tree. If you open a media player out of the box, you expect the arrow keys to change the now playing song, but for whatever reason this isn't even possible in version 4.07.

I've been waiting for this feature to come back for a long time now. It's the only reason why I haven't bought Gold. It seems like such a basic feature and yet it's not possible.

[Lowlander]

Already discussed: http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewto ... =1&t=64835

[nohitter151]

I think it's a problem too if you're trying to edit a text field somewhere and you press an arrow key, expecting to change the cursor position. But instead you go to a next/prev track.

[Zinabat]

I wouldn't really call that being "discussed." I know why they aren't in version 4, it still doesn't make sense to me. If you're editing a text field then that would be an exception where the arrow keys wouldn't work for switching songs, but it's not like that's difficult to program. Why can't the precedence of the media tree navigation by given to the user, and not be decided for us? I realize that media tree navigation was supposedly broken in version 3 and that's why we can't have our arrow hot keys, but the number of users that tree nagivation is even used has -got- to be smaller than the number of people who wish there was a default ability to change the song by use of arrow keys.

It's not like this is a weird request. This is a standard UI thing in literally all other media players I've ever used.

[Frugen]

The discussion you linked is hardly conclusive against this issue. It has people on both sides of the debate and no clear resolution or explanation as to why it can't be done.

Personally I don't understand why the standard keys used for skipping songs in other media players are the only ones you can't allow re-assigning to that very use in MM. Usually when a bunch of users want/expect an interface to do something it's the interface that should accommodate them, not the users accommodating the shortcomings of the UI.

Blind users should of course have the current implementation available to them... But why not allow everyone else an option to override that and do what they want?

[Lowlander]

Forum rules state you should post in existing discussions and not start a new thread.

Although I have nothing against the arrow keys being available as hotkeys the problem is that nearly everywhere you can have focus in MediaMonkey they serve another purpose. This causes a conflict when using they arrow keys and that's the rationale given for not having them available. As you can see from the existing discussion it hasn't been closed by the developers: http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=7886

[Zinabat]

I'm aware that it hasn't been closed by developers, and I apologize for not seeing the other thread but I did do a search and it didn't come up.

However it also hasn't been posted in since March. This just seems like such a basic functionality to have and yet there hasn't been any movement toward it because of usability, mostly. That's the only reasoning I can see for arrow keys being used while focused in parts of MediaMonkey. The exception is editing metadata, but that's an easy exception to make in programming. The majority of people who use MM do not need to use their arrow keys to scroll through the media tree, or the playlist for that matter. Nobody does that. It would be fine if it was a default assignment for the arrow keys, but it isn't. You simply can't change them.

[Lowlander]

The majority of people who use MM do not need to use their arrow keys to scroll through the media tree, or the playlist for that matter. Nobody does that.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people beg to differ.

The same goes for the Filelisting where it is used for scrolling horizontally. Additionally selecting Toolbar/Titlebar/Player/Art & Details currently leaves focus on Media Tree/Filelisting/Now Playing which still allows the arrow keys to be used. Thus currently the arrow keys are always having a function.

This becomes apparent when selecting for example A as hotkey (this is allowed). The hotkey works when not in editing/typing mode, but doesn't when in editing/typing mode. However the arrow key always does something.

This is why a solution isn't easy. I personally have no issue if the arrow keys were assignable, but I do understand the problem behind this as it would be challenging to define when they would work as hotkey and when as arrow key.

PS. for those seeking single key next/previous can assign a letter as that will work.