5 ms·

Since there seem to be some IntelliJ folks here, I'd like to bring up my pet peeve: please take advantage of modern, gigantic _wide_ monitors. It makes no sens

Since there seem to be some IntelliJ folks here, I'd like to bring up my pet peeve: please take advantage of modern, gigantic _wide_ monitors. It makes no sense for code to be in a single column on the left of the monitor while 2/3 of the right side is almost completely empty space. Instead of just allowing vertical scrolling, why not allow multiple columns and horizontal scrolling? This will result in the ability to see twice, in some cases three times as much code on screen!

_JamesA_ 13y ago
Multiple columns and horizontal scrolling? In addition to the existing panels you can split the editor window using Window->Editor Tabs->Split Horizontally.
applecore 13y ago
Open the context menu for a tab by right-clicking it, select "Split Vertically", and you'll have two columns for tabs.
- codex 13y ago
  Yes, but it's a PITA to move buffers between the panes. No drag and drop? Horrible.
  - RossM 13y ago
    You can drag and drop but it's a bit picky - grab the file tab and drop it in the other pane's tabstrip. Definitely something that could be improved (as well as splitting to two panes gives you 2 panes of the same file..)
  - electrum 13y ago
    The drag and drop works but it's a bit weird. You have to drag the tab into the other editor window, not on the tab bar.
- paperwork 13y ago
  I don't have intellij installed on my computer here, when you say 'split vertically,' do you mean it basically opens two views of same file next to each other, each view scrolling independently? If so, that isn't what I want -- almost every IDE and text editor already does that. What I want is similar to how MS Word takes a single blob of text and reflows it in multiple columns.
  - aviraldg 13y ago
    Interesting idea. Don't think it's been done with an IDE before. Expanding code based on context would be cool too. (eg. second column shows the implementation of whatever the first column's cursor is on - super handy when stepping through code)
    - ArnoVanLumig 13y ago
      Not sure if it counts as an IDE, but emacs has follow-mode which does this. http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html%5Fnode/emacs/Follow-Mode.html http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html%5Fnode/emacs/F...
    - Alphasite_ 13y ago
      Interestingly enough Xcode tried that as well, and its had mixed reviews.
  - krisdol 13y ago
    Huh, that's interesting. I can't say I've encountered that need before though; it's much more valuable for me to have many panes of different files open at the same time (or two locations of one file), rather than an "extended buffer" of a single file. Most of the context outside the immediate method is not immediately important, and most methods are just a few lines long -- enough to fit in a pane.
  - electrum 13y ago
    No, it creates an additional editor area that can have any number of files open in it. You drag files between the areas or open the same file in multiple areas. You can continue splitting any area vertically or horizontally to create a configuration that fits your working style or the code you're currently writing.
- hrabago 13y ago
  Yeah I've been doing this for a while now, until I switched to a dual monitor set up where one monitor is landscape and the other, containing my IDE, is portrait.
shiftb 13y ago
I worked with Pivotal for a little bit and learned some keyboard shortcuts for splitting windows and moving tabs from one to the other. It's definitely possible.
VMG 13y ago
Or rotate your wide-screen monitor by 90 degrees
- paperwork 13y ago
  I recently bought one of those large Korean monitors (2560x1440). Even with 90 degree notation, I can easily fit two columns of code on screen (well, there is space for two columns, no IDE actually does this)
  - VMG 13y ago
    Would you mind telling me which one? I have had trouble finding a monitor that doesn't have weird colors when rotated
    - paperwork 13y ago
      This is my second one. Haven't had any problems. The one I'm using now is Crossover 27QD-P. I bought it because it pivots, ironically it doesn't work when pivoted on my older model macbook pro. However, it worked perfectly on a similar (slightly newer) macbook pro so the problem seems to be with my laptop. Make sure you have the correct connectors, I had a buy a displayport-dual-linkdvi adapter from monoprice.
      - VMG 13y ago
        Thanks!
mark_l_watson 13y ago
I pull tabs out to separate windows.
egeozcan 13y ago
If you could open the same file twice and stack them vertically, your problem would be solved and it doesn't sound so hard to implement.
- Walkman 13y ago
  you can.
pivo 13y ago
Please don't do that! Wide lines are my pet peeve! It doesn't make sense to use width just because you can. In fact it's a bad idea because it's much, much harder to read really wide text and code should be written to be read. You don't see (good) web pages, books or magazines with really wide text because it's really hard to read. Also people sometimes work on small screen laptops and there you are constrained by width. e.g: http://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/em/ http://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/em/ http://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability http://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability I know there are actual studies that show reading comprehension based on line length, I've read them before, but I can't find them now.
- paperwork 13y ago
  I think you misunderstood my point. I don't want long lines of text, I want multiple columns of short lines.
  - pivo 13y ago
    Ah, yep I misunderstood. Sorry! Unfortunately at my company people insist on writing code in 130+ columns, I'm a little over sensitive about it I guess.
- bjeanes 13y ago
  Multiple columns is not at all the same thing as long lines. See: newspapers.
ScottBurson 13y ago
This is a major reason I still do my editing in XEmacs even though I use IntelliJ for debugging. On a 1920-wide screen, using the standard X11 "6x10" font, I can split an XEmacs frame into three 100-column windows horizontally. I also split vertically, for a total of six. Add a second monitor, and I can see a lot of code! For complex tasks involving changes across multiple files, it's a big help.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
svachalek 13y ago
You can also move the run/debug tabs from the bottom to the right side; it gives you more vertical space for editing and a LOT more room for logs, watches, etc.

_JamesA_ 13y ago

Multiple columns and horizontal scrolling? In addition to the existing panels you can split the editor window using Window->Editor Tabs->Split Horizontally.

applecore 13y ago

Open the context menu for a tab by right-clicking it, select "Split Vertically", and you'll have two columns for tabs.

codex 13y ago
Yes, but it's a PITA to move buffers between the panes. No drag and drop? Horrible.
- RossM 13y ago
  You can drag and drop but it's a bit picky - grab the file tab and drop it in the other pane's tabstrip. Definitely something that could be improved (as well as splitting to two panes gives you 2 panes of the same file..)
- electrum 13y ago
  The drag and drop works but it's a bit weird. You have to drag the tab into the other editor window, not on the tab bar.
paperwork 13y ago
I don't have intellij installed on my computer here, when you say 'split vertically,' do you mean it basically opens two views of same file next to each other, each view scrolling independently? If so, that isn't what I want -- almost every IDE and text editor already does that. What I want is similar to how MS Word takes a single blob of text and reflows it in multiple columns.
- aviraldg 13y ago
  Interesting idea. Don't think it's been done with an IDE before. Expanding code based on context would be cool too. (eg. second column shows the implementation of whatever the first column's cursor is on - super handy when stepping through code)
  - ArnoVanLumig 13y ago
    Not sure if it counts as an IDE, but emacs has follow-mode which does this. http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html%5Fnode/emacs/Follow-Mode.html http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html%5Fnode/emacs/F...
  - Alphasite_ 13y ago
    Interestingly enough Xcode tried that as well, and its had mixed reviews.
- krisdol 13y ago
  Huh, that's interesting. I can't say I've encountered that need before though; it's much more valuable for me to have many panes of different files open at the same time (or two locations of one file), rather than an "extended buffer" of a single file. Most of the context outside the immediate method is not immediately important, and most methods are just a few lines long -- enough to fit in a pane.
- electrum 13y ago
  No, it creates an additional editor area that can have any number of files open in it. You drag files between the areas or open the same file in multiple areas. You can continue splitting any area vertically or horizontally to create a configuration that fits your working style or the code you're currently writing.
hrabago 13y ago
Yeah I've been doing this for a while now, until I switched to a dual monitor set up where one monitor is landscape and the other, containing my IDE, is portrait.

shiftb 13y ago

I worked with Pivotal for a little bit and learned some keyboard shortcuts for splitting windows and moving tabs from one to the other. It's definitely possible.

VMG 13y ago

Or rotate your wide-screen monitor by 90 degrees

paperwork 13y ago
I recently bought one of those large Korean monitors (2560x1440). Even with 90 degree notation, I can easily fit two columns of code on screen (well, there is space for two columns, no IDE actually does this)
- VMG 13y ago
  Would you mind telling me which one? I have had trouble finding a monitor that doesn't have weird colors when rotated
  - paperwork 13y ago
    This is my second one. Haven't had any problems. The one I'm using now is Crossover 27QD-P. I bought it because it pivots, ironically it doesn't work when pivoted on my older model macbook pro. However, it worked perfectly on a similar (slightly newer) macbook pro so the problem seems to be with my laptop. Make sure you have the correct connectors, I had a buy a displayport-dual-linkdvi adapter from monoprice.
    - VMG 13y ago
      Thanks!

mark_l_watson 13y ago

I pull tabs out to separate windows.

egeozcan 13y ago

If you could open the same file twice and stack them vertically, your problem would be solved and it doesn't sound so hard to implement.

Walkman 13y ago
you can.

pivo 13y ago

Please don't do that! Wide lines are my pet peeve! It doesn't make sense to use width just because you can. In fact it's a bad idea because it's much, much harder to read really wide text and code should be written to be read. You don't see (good) web pages, books or magazines with really wide text because it's really hard to read. Also people sometimes work on small screen laptops and there you are constrained by width. e.g: http://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/em/ http://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/em/ http://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability http://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability I know there are actual studies that show reading comprehension based on line length, I've read them before, but I can't find them now.

paperwork 13y ago
I think you misunderstood my point. I don't want long lines of text, I want multiple columns of short lines.
- pivo 13y ago
  Ah, yep I misunderstood. Sorry! Unfortunately at my company people insist on writing code in 130+ columns, I'm a little over sensitive about it I guess.
bjeanes 13y ago
Multiple columns is not at all the same thing as long lines. See: newspapers.

ScottBurson 13y ago

This is a major reason I still do my editing in XEmacs even though I use IntelliJ for debugging. On a 1920-wide screen, using the standard X11 "6x10" font, I can split an XEmacs frame into three 100-column windows horizontally. I also split vertically, for a total of six. Add a second monitor, and I can see a lot of code! For complex tasks involving changes across multiple files, it's a big help.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

svachalek 13y ago

You can also move the run/debug tabs from the bottom to the right side; it gives you more vertical space for editing and a LOT more room for logs, watches, etc.