find/replace box should not move

[Guest]

This is an ease-of-use thing.

When finding/replacing throughout a document, the user should be able to
leave the mouse in place if selecting the same option that was selected last
time (i.e. "find next" or "replace").

What happens instead, though, is that the find/replace box moves (or not)
each time Word searches the document and highlights the next occurrence of
the search query. Sometimes the find/replace box stays put, and the document
scrolls appropriately so that the "found" item is visible. Sometimes,
though, Word moves the find/replace window to make the item visible instead.
I haven't noticed any consistency as to when it does one vs. the other, but I
know it's not out of necessity.

There are cases where Word may NEED to re-locate the find/replace
dialogue... basically, any time a combination of vertical and horizontal
scrolling is insufficient to reveal the "found item." Unfortunately, Word
does not limit itself to these necessities... or, if it is trying to, it is
really bad at figuring out which cases are necessary and which are not.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...823265&dg=microsoft.public.word.docmanagement

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If the button you want to click is the default button (is selected) you can
use Enter instead of a mouse click.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

This is an ease-of-use thing.

When finding/replacing throughout a document, the user should be able to
leave the mouse in place if selecting the same option that was selected last
time (i.e. "find next" or "replace").

What happens instead, though, is that the find/replace box moves (or not)
each time Word searches the document and highlights the next occurrence of
the search query. Sometimes the find/replace box stays put, and the document
scrolls appropriately so that the "found" item is visible. Sometimes,
though, Word moves the find/replace window to make the item visible instead.
I haven't noticed any consistency as to when it does one vs. the other, but I
know it's not out of necessity.

There are cases where Word may NEED to re-locate the find/replace
dialogue... basically, any time a combination of vertical and horizontal
scrolling is insufficient to reveal the "found item." Unfortunately, Word
does not limit itself to these necessities... or, if it is trying to, it is
really bad at figuring out which cases are necessary and which are not.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...823265&dg=microsoft.public.word.docmanagement

 

[Guest]

While you're definitely right, a keyboard-based workaround is no excuse for
crappy window management.

I know it's a little thing, but it's also a simple thing... would it be that
difficult to get it right?

I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but I can't resist... and as a
Mac user who is stuck with a Windows machine at work, I think I have the
right.

Apple cares about the little things, and Microsoft just doesn't. Attention
to details like these is where Apple beats Microsoft every time.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

FWIW, when the Find dialog is moved on my screen, it's usually because I
moved it (because it was covering up the context of the found item). I agree
that Word could do a better job of placing the text *behind* the dialog.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

That's not really the issue I'm referring to.

Here, try this:

1. Open a Microsoft Word document -- any old document will do, as long as
it's at least a few pages long and mostly text.

2. Hit Control+F (or do an Edit --> Find). The Find/Replace dialogue box
will appear.

3. As the query, type "the" or some other common word that you know appears
more than a few times in the document.

4. Remove your hands from the keyboard.

5. Mouse to the "Find Next" button and click it. Word will find the next
occurrence of the query in your document, starting from the cursor location
(or from the beginning, if you haven't yet placed your cursor). If you click
"Find Next" again, Word will find the occurrence after that... as it should.

6. Try clicking "Find Next" quickly, five times in a row.

7. You will find that you were unable to do step 6, because at least once
or twice during your clicking-spree, Word MOVED the dialogue box and you had
to mouse over to the button's new location before you could resume your
clicking. THIS is what I'm talking about.

Did Word need to move the box? No, of course not. Did it move it every
time, or in any other consistent manner? No, of course not. Sometimes it
scrolls the document, sometimes it moves the box. It's arbitrary and it's
annoying. The default behavior should be to ALWAYS scroll the document,
unless Word cannot possibly display the "found item" without moving the
box... which rarely happens.

Did the demo work for you?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If all you're doing is finding (not replacing), then dismiss the Find dialog
entirely and use the Find Next (or Find Previous) button at the bottom of
the vertical scroll bar.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

I think you may be misinterpreting my purpose here.

I did not come here looking for help, and I don't need or want a
"work-around." I am trying to contribute to the improvment of Word by
providing feedback. That is why these comments are filed under "Suggestion
for Microsoft."

This is something that I consider a usability issue with a clear,
straightforward solution, and I wanted to point it out to someone who might
care.

Do you agree that this is a problem? If you agree, then great... pass the
word along or something. If you don't, that's fine too. What's your opinion
on the issue?

Again, thank you for taking the time to correspond with me about this.

 

[Guest]

I agree with cwmacmin. Obviously if you just want to repeatedly click Find
until you get somewhere specific you can use the keyboard or the little
double-arrow thingy. But often I click through a long document and have to
decide on each Find whether I want to change it or not. Maybe I have to check
every hyphen, change some to em-dashes, others to en-dashes, leave some,
delete a space before or after some. This involves a lot of clicking, and it
would be nice if the Find box could stay put - I generally try to move it
away from the text box or window completely.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I find that the Find dialog *does* stay put if I move it.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Suzanne, I don't think we're on the same page. This has nothing to do with
the USER moving the find/replace box... I'm saying that WORD ITSELF moves the
box. I gave very specific instructions in one of my previous posts about how
to duplicate the issue... I can't think of a better way to explain it.

I have a Mac at home and a Dell Laptop at work. The issue we've been
discussing occurs on the Dell but NOT on the Mac, so this seems to be a
Word-for-Windows issue only.

Also, let me point out again that the find/replace box does not move on
EVERY click... but it will move at least once or twice out of, say, every ten
clicks.

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi C.W.,

FWIW, this was added as a 'feature' in Word for one of the reasons you mentioned earlier. A good number of users could not see the
results of the find and often were not familiar with the procedure for dragging the box, so the box now gets out of the way of
seeing the result.

The alternate methods of
-Using the accelerator key, F, for find once you start a search, with the box open using the keyboard works, no matter where the
box moves, (although it seems move more predictably in this case) to continue through to the next 'find' or

-as Suzanne mentions use the vertical scroll bar tools (by mouse or ctrl+page down) to repeat the find without the dialog being
visibel.

-or in the Windows control panel Mouse controls turning on the 'snap to default' choice will jump the mouse pointer to also follow
the box (although this seems to be somewhat dependent on the mouse driver software) [sigh]

- or from Tools=>Customize=>Commands choose 'Find Next' from the Edit category and place it on the toolbar.

How it appears to be moving can also be affected somewhat by what view you're working in.

It could be a nice addition if Word had a 'pin' choice for the dialog or if the dialog were dockable, and there may be a macro
solution to keep it in place or replace the functionallity with a taskpane/toolbar, but I don't recall a built in setting that
allows it to 'lock' in place.


======
Suzanne, I don't think we're on the same page. This has nothing to do with
the USER moving the find/replace box... I'm saying that WORD ITSELF moves the
box. I gave very specific instructions in one of my previous posts about how
to duplicate the issue... I can't think of a better way to explain it.

I have a Mac at home and a Dell Laptop at work. The issue we've been
discussing occurs on the Dell but NOT on the Mac, so this seems to be a
Word-for-Windows issue only.

Also, let me point out again that the find/replace box does not move on
EVERY click... but it will move at least once or twice out of, say, every ten
clicks. >>
--
Let us know if this helped you,

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

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