Feature request: Go to line

[vogelsgesang]

From time to time, I am using simple ad-hoc scripts to search for more complicated patterns in log files. E.g., recently I had to write a small script which gave me a list of all threads which did acquire locks but did not release them again. I keep those scripts very simple, and they usually output only line numbers of interesting events.

It would be perfect if I could enter the obtained line number in a Go to line dialog.
Usually, I would just go ahead and implement that feature. However, Go to line is usually associated with the keyboard combination Ctrl+G - and this one is already used for the highlight dialog.

Hence, I wanted to start a discussion first: Do you consider Go to line useful? Do you think we should reassign Ctrl+G to Go to line and find some other shortcut for Highlight?

[terencesoh]

I would find it useful. In fact, I added that feature in the original C++ TLV and assigned it to Ctrl-G as well.
However the original Ctrl-H for highlight does not translate well to Mac when we moved to Qt, as Cmd-H is used on macOS system-wide to hide windows, so it got the Ctrl/Cmd-G. We may reassign Ctrl/Cmd-T or other keys to Highlight, though that may trip some users who are now used to current keys.

[luiseeo]

Terence, does that mean that there's an implementation for Go to line already?
I was never totally happy about using Ctrl+G for the highlight dialog and sometimes I still press Ctrl+H as that one made more sense.
The highlight dialog is probably the one the I use the most, what if we assign it to a function key? F8 or F9 maybe. Not sure if these have a convention attached to them (like with F5 that is normally refresh)...

[terencesoh]

Correction - I added Go to line in the original C# TLV.
We could assign both a Ctrl shortcut key and a function key to the highlight dialog. Just need to make sure they work well on both Windows and Mac. Maybe we can have an internal vote on the preferred keys.

[alv53]

Also, what do you guys think should happen if someone does the following:

1.) Turns on highlight only mode, which hides line x from view
2.) User attempts to go to line x.

Should we give an error and not go to the line, go to the line but have it hidden, or maybe go to the nearest line?

[vogelsgesang]

I think going to the closest line is the most intuitive thing we can do in that case