[Bug 220297] Kmail delete message no longer centers next selected message in message list

[Geert Janssens]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=220297





--- Comment #3 from Geert Janssens <info kobaltwit be>  2010-07-15 15:45:42 ---
(In reply to comment #2)
> I find it annoying that kmail is always shifting the message list to keep the
> selected line in the center.  Not only is it more difficult to keep my bearings
> than if the message list is stationary, but the shifting is not smooth and it
> slows down the window update.  Message display is already slowed down enough,
> compared to a few versions ago.  So rather than see the above behavior as a
> bug, I would like to see it as an option.

My explanation seems to be confusing. From your reaction I understand it's not
necessarily "centering" I require, but that visually the selected message
remains in the same spot. I have quickly tested the behaviour of other mail
clients (Thunderbird, Evolution). All of them make sure the selection is not
moved after a delete.

Let my try to describe the visual behaviour I'm missing a bit better using an
example.

Suppose I have a mailbox with many message in it. The message list is sized
such that I only see 8 message headers at the time. At some point, the 4th
message in this list is selected (highlighted in blue or whatever you have as
higlighting colour). I don't want that message anymore, so I hit the delete
button. What should happen now:
* The highlight remains on the fourth visible message (in other words, the blue
highlight doesn't move at all)
* The message just below the one I just deleted, moves up, into the highlighted
area, and thus becomes the new selected message.
* All the messages below this one just move up the list as well.

If more messages were selected before hitting the delete button:
* The highlight is reduced again to one message. If the beginning of the
original selection was visible, this one message selection should be the first
message that was originally selected (so again the highlight itself doesn't
really move, just reduces in size again). If the start of the selection was not
visible, I would prefer it to become visible, otherwise I would have to search
the message list again to find out where I was.
* The first message below the deleted ones moves up into the single line
highlight. All messages below move up the list as well.

It's written down a bit cumbersome and backwards, but I wanted to stress the
idea that the message highlight is the most important visual clue the user has
in the message list and this should move a little as possible when deleting
messages.

On the other hand, I think what comment #2 refers to is the visual effect you
get when you delete many messages at once. Kmail seems to iterate through the
messages one by one, and with each removal update the message list (which each
time triggers the move-messages-up-the-list animation). This does indeed cause
an unnecessary delay, but for me this is another issue altogether (and perhaps
should be reported in a different bug).

This issue is really about the highlighted area itself moving down after each
delete and has nothing to do with the animations.

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