Talk:Edit Menu

JamesCrook 12:14, 29 November 2009 (UTC) There is a lot on the Edit Menu, and for future editions of Audacity we should consider restructuring the menu so that it has submenus. When we've done this I'd be inclined to end the Editing: Cut, Paste, and More page (which partially duplicates this) just before the commands and make the link to this page more prominent. This would solve the problem that if we do that right now there is 'information overload' for someone new to Audacity (Editing: Cut, Paste, and_More is for beginners), and that if we don't we have duplicated information. One to think about...
 * Peter 28Aug12: Manual Team decided that the page "Editing: Cut, paste and more" should be deleted

Discussed table styles for a table based on the style of Index of Effects, Generators and Analyzers
Version D4 was chosen for use.

A: Prettytablerows with headings removed
 * {| class="prettytablerows" rules = "rows" border = "2" width="300px"


 * Copy
 * Paste
 * Paste Text to New Label
 * Duplicate
 * }
 * Paste Text to New Label
 * Duplicate
 * }
 * Duplicate
 * }
 * Duplicate
 * }
 * }

B: Side-by-side, equalize padding at end of shortcut for longest item, wraps for longer phrases without line break
 * B1: Reading left to right (not like Index of Generators)

   Copy  Paste  Paste Text to New Label Duplicate 


 * B2: Reading top to bottom (like Index of Generators)

   Copy  Paste Text to New Label <td width="21%"> Paste Duplicate </dl>

C: Top to bottom, border between cells: Saves 5px vertical height versus A <dd> </dl>

D: Top to bottom, no border between cells:  Saves 10px vertical height versus A <dd><table width="300px" style="border-color:#B7CEEC; border-style: solid; border-spacing:0px" summary="This is a table listing the Audacity effects in alphabetical order. The order is downwards, starting from the first column."> <tr valign="top" style="background-color:#ddeeff"> Copy Paste <tr valign="top" style="background-color:#ddeeff"> Paste Text to New Label Duplicate </dl>


 * '''D2: No alternating row colors

<dd><table width="300px" style="border-color:#B7CEEC; border-style: solid; border-spacing:0px" summary="This is a table listing the Audacity effects in alphabetical order. The order is downwards, starting from the first column."> Copy Paste Paste Text to New Label Duplicate </dl>


 * D3: more space round the cells - adjust cellpadding to suit

<dd><table width="300px" style="border-color:#B7CEEC; border-style: solid; border-spacing:0px" cellpadding="2em" summary="This is a table listing the Audacity effects in alphabetical order. The order is downwards, starting from the first column."> <tr valign="top" style="background-color:#ddeeff"> Copy Paste <tr valign="top" style="background-color:#ddeeff"> Paste Text to New Label Duplicate </dl>


 * D4: more space round the cells - adjust cellpadding to suit - AND white inner border 1 px
 * To achieve the "inner border" with "border-spacing:0px" so as to hide the cell border between command and shortcut, "padding" must be used in the table style declaration, rather than nest the table in another table or a div.
 * As screen readers read out "list" if the table is wrapped in <dd></dl> (which prevents a Wiki bug when using colon to indent HTML tables), we use  margin-left:1em  in the table style declaration, instead of the colon.


 * D5: more space round the cells - adjust cellpadding to suit - AND white inner border 2 px

testing colors this heading is just for simplification of editing

 * D5ed: more space round the cells - adjust cellpadding to suit - AND white inner border 2 px - other cells' background non-white (color chosen at random) so the borders show

<dd> </dl> <dd> </dl>

Labeled Audio
Labeled Audio commands apply standard Edit Menu commands to the audio of one or more regions that are labeled. To use, drag a selection in the Label Track that fully includes (or extends beyond) each region label whose audio is to be affected. Labeled Audio Split can also mark an audio split at each point label where the selection touches (or extends beyond) the point label. Ed 27Jan13: in the above sentence "Splits are also made…" (my emphasis) we reference a subordinate case in which splits are "also" made but we have not made previous mention of a case in which splits are made. We either need to make the original case or remove the "also". The following Edit commands can be applied to labeled audio:
 * Peter 28Jan13: Is that better now Ed?
 * Ed 28Jan13 : Not completely; at least now I think I understand what we are trying to say. Still, we have an "also" case without a previous reference case - just get rid of the word "also" and the sentence will still be logical and grammatical (I think).
 * Gale 28Jan13' This is supposed to be a summary. Forbidding "also" makes it very hard to say this concisely and intelligently. The split page itself had "Labeled Audio Split also applies to point labels." I now made that say "Labeled Audio Split can mark audio splits at point labels as well as at region labels." For this page I suggest "Labeled Audio Split can also mark an audio split at each point label where the selection touches (or extends beyond) the point label." The "also" refers by implication to the previous sentence. I think it parses far better with also.
 * {| class="prettytablerows" rules = "rows" border = "2" width="40%"


 * Cut
 * Delete
 * Split Cut
 * Split Delete
 * Silence Audio
 * Copy
 * Split
 * Join
 * Detach at Silences
 * }
 * Split Delete
 * Silence Audio
 * Copy
 * Split
 * Join
 * Detach at Silences
 * }
 * Split
 * Join
 * Detach at Silences
 * }
 * Join
 * Detach at Silences
 * }
 * Detach at Silences
 * }
 * }
 * }

Select
The commands in this cascading menu select ranges of audio.
 * {| class="prettytablerows" rules = "rows" border = "2" width="50%"


 * All
 * None
 * Left at Playback Position
 * Right at Playback Position
 * Track Start to Cursor
 * Cursor to Track End
 * In All Tracks
 * In Sync-Locked Tracks
 * }
 * Right at Playback Position
 * Track Start to Cursor
 * Cursor to Track End
 * In All Tracks
 * In Sync-Locked Tracks
 * }
 * Cursor to Track End
 * In All Tracks
 * In Sync-Locked Tracks
 * }
 * In All Tracks
 * In Sync-Locked Tracks
 * }
 * In Sync-Locked Tracks
 * }
 * }

Find Zero Crossings <font size="-1">
This command helps to avoid clicks at the edit points when making cuts and joins by moving the edges of a selection region (or the cursor position) slightly so they are at a rising zero_crossing point.

Move Cursor
These commands move the cursor directly to the start or end of the selection or the track.

<div id="region_save">

Region Save
Stores the position of the current selection region or cursor as observed on the Timeline. The position of this region or cursor can then be recalled by using Region Restore (see below). Using this command again will overwrite the previously stored position information. The command is grayed out if there are no audio tracks.

Region Restore
Moves the selection region or cursor to the position stored by the last Region Save command (see above). If a region is restored, this is only explicitly placed inside those tracks which are currently selected.

<div id="play_region">

Play Region
Lock: Locks playback to the current position of the editing cursor or playback region (or to the current position of the Quick-Play region or Quick-Play cursor). This Timeline position is then always used when starting playback with a play button or with, instead of starting from the cursor or region position in the waveform. See the Timeline page for details. This menu item is only active when the editing cursor, playback region or Quick-Play region in the Timeline shows in gray color (unlocked).

Unlock: Removes the Play Region Lock. This item is only active when the Lock is already active (the locked cursor or region shows in red color in the Timeline).

Preferences... <font size="-1">
Displays the Preferences dialog. Preferences enable you change most of the default behaviors and settings of Audacity.

Bill Sept 14 2010: Comments on Select Left/Right at Playback Position when Audacity is stopped.

I was originally going to post this to -quality, but as I investigated further I think this is mostly a documentation issue.

When Audacity is stopped, the commands Edit > Select > Left at Playback Position and Edit > Select > Right at Playback Position pop up dialogs that duplicate the functionality of the Selection Bar, but have a potential bug.


 * In the selection bar, set the selection display to seconds, but leave Snap To off
 * Click somewhere in the waveform
 * Edit > Select > Left at Playback Position
 * a dialog pops up with a time selection widget displaying seconds
 * change the widget to display hh:mm:ss + samples
 * the time selection in the widget does not change to correspond to the actual selection point; i.e. it displays hh:mm:ss+00000
 * OK the dialog
 * a very short range of audio is selected
 * for example, if you clicked at 48s + 10000 samples the selection would be from 48s to 48s+10000 samples

Change the selection bar display to samples or hh:mm:ss+samples and repeat the steps and the problem goes away.

Also:
 * In the selection bar, set the selection display to seconds, but leave Snap To off
 * Click somewhere in the waveform
 * In the selection bar, set the selection display to hh:mm:ss+samples
 * the actual selection point is displayed

So, when using the Edit > Select > Left/Right at Playback Position menu items when Audacity is stopped, the actual cursor position is truncated to whatever resolution is set in the selection bar, and cannot be recovered by changing the selection format in the dialog. This is potentially confusing to users, who may execute these commands thinking they can create a selection using them when in stop mode.

Three solutions come to mind:
 * 1) Disable the commands when in stop mode. The user can use the Selection Bar, which gives immediate visual feedback of the selection as the widgets are changed.
 * 2) When in stop mode change the commands to read "Set Left/Right Selection Point" or something similar. I don't like changing menu text.
 * 3) Don't change anything, but improve the documentation.

This may just be a documentation issue, as the ability to use these commands when stopped is not mentioned in the manual. The retention of the words "Playback Position" when in stop mode implies that they are meant to use the current cursor position to set the points, which does not make sense when stopped. Setting either point to the cursor position when stopped is redundant.

Gale: 16 Sep 10: I think that's the point - use this to create a selection region when the track is stopped. If when you executed [ or ] with the track stopped, the Timetext control always displayed where the cursor actually was to sample granularity (including changing when you changed the selection format as Selection Toolbar does), you could never draw a region without adjusting the control. That would be pointless as you say. At least this way you can always draw a region or move the cursor (from the starting point of a cursor) by hitting OK in the dialog (unless the Selection Toolbar is on a "samples" format and you don't change the control in the dialog).

So I think it's as useful as it can be, and should not be disabled when playback is stopped. If your focus is already in the track it's easier than going to Selection Toolbar.(especially if you are VI). My only beef is the Edit > Select menu item. You could equally quibble with Tracks > Add Label at Selection which doubles for "Add label at Cursor" when there is no selection, though I think this is more misleading than that. Objections to current wording "Left/Right at Playback position": a) it applies when stopped; b) ] implies to me selecting rightwards when playing which of course it doesn't. I would call it (whether track playing or not) Edit > Select > "Left Selection Boundary" and "Right Selection Boundary" to match with the dialog when track is stopped.

Thoughts? Bill Sept 16 2010:  I would call it Edit > Select > Set Left Selection Boundary and Edit > Select > Set Right Selection Boundary. Then update the manual to document how they work when playing/recording/paused versus stopped. I'd be tempted to include images of the dialogs, if that didn't intrude too much on the page.

Gale 17 Sep 10: Yes but you can't select a verb "Set" can you? "Select" is a synonym for "set" or "choose". You could have Edit > Select > "To Left/Right Selection Boundary" but that isn't a better description in all cases. I think a description and images are needed.

Bill Sept 16 2010: (EDT) LOL, got me! If we're concerned about the grammatical correctness of cascading menus, then you're right. But the dialogs are titled "Set Left Selection Boundary" and "Set Right Selection Boundary". I'm fine with removing "Set" and the menu items reading "Select > Right/Left Selection Boundary". Although one is then "selecting a selection". ;-)