Arctus Blog

Certain software applications have features that infurate the user. I often wonder why such features remain, despite their obvious fault. The companies that create the programmes are often silent or dismissive of reports from users of such annoyances.

In these short articles I shall point out a few of the bug-bears that I have come across. If I know of a fix or workaround, I will post it. Quite often, there is no fix (or at least if there is I don’t know about it).

By publishing details of the problem, I hope that maybe the companies who produce the software might start taking notice.

Problem with Solution Explorer in Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2005 (and previous versions) allow you to move folders and files by dragging and dropping. It should be possible to turn this behaviour off in the options.

Usage patterns typical to the area that encompasses the solution explorer in VS2005 (in particular, the act of moving the mouse over an object, clicking it once to select it and then quickly clicking it again to open it (a double click)) has an inherent likely-hood, no matter how competent the user, of being performed incorrectly. For example, the mouse may move between the first and second clicks.

When mistakes are made it often leads to folders and files being moved. In these instances, it is impossible to know where the folder came from and, in some cases, where it went to.

By allowing the user to disable drag and drop management of files in the solution explorer (and bearing in mind that standard cut/copy/paste operations are also available for advanced users) this problem could be completely resolved.