Consistent scroll position for "Auto-reveal active file"

Feature requests
1

Use case or problem

More consistent UX pattern for users who use the “Auto-reveal active file” feature for the File Explorer.

Currently the way this feature works appears to be that it scrolls up or down and then stops when it finds the current file. If the file is already visible within the File Explorer then no scrolling happens and it is simply highlighted.

This means that the vertical position that the user’s eye has to focus on in order to see the active file is always different. Sometimes it will be at the very top of the pane, sometimes at the very bottom, and sometimes at any possible position between those two extremes.

The problem is that there is no consistent location in the File Explorer that they can look to in order to see the active file, instead they have to scan through the entire pane. The larger the monitor / smaller the font-size, the more cognitive overhead involved in this scan.

Proposed solution

After file is highlighted in the File Explorer, have the view scroll towards it so that its final position is always consistent (preferably at the very top of the File Explorer unless otherwise not possible).

Current workaround (optional)

None

Related feature requests

None

1 Like
2

I don’t like this request. The current implementation scrolls when needed and if scrolling happens the position is consistent. I don’t want scrolling to happen if scrolling is not needed. This will introduce unnecessary visual clutter.

I personally use this left sidebar layout:

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This means no cognitive overhead if highlighting changes place slightly.

3

On my setup I have the file explorer filling the entire left sidebar, and so the highlighted file will often jump from being either the item at the very top or the item at the very bottom, and it is quite disorienting.

It seems that by setting the file explorer like you have you get slightly closer to the result of the feedback request. From that pov I could understand your not “liking it” since you already get the result. But for people with different settings than yours the experience is difference.

Perhaps it could be a setting for the file explorer, how the active file highlight positioning works.