GoBack function

[LurfysMa]

The GoBack function causes the insertion point to "go back" to the
previous location. I think it has a memory of 4 locations.

It is assigned to 2 different keyboard shortcuts: a-c-z and s-F5.

This is a very useful function, but there is just one GoBack stack for
all open documents. That is, it records the last 4 locations, not the
last 4 locations in this document.

This seems useful, but not nearly as useful as having separate GoBack
stacks for each open document.

If I have been working in A and I alt-tab over B, the GoBack stack
will quickly lose memory for the last 4 locations in A so that when I
return, I can no longer GoBack in that document.

Is there anyway to make this work in each document independently?

Also, is there any way to increase the stack size?

Finally, why 2 shortcuts?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It actually stores only three previous locations, and I agree that they
should be confined to the current document. I have also found this behavior
(jumping to another document) unexpected, illogical, and very annoying.

--
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.

 

[LurfysMa]

It actually stores only three previous locations,

I guess that depends on whether you count or origin 0 or 1. The
current location is a locationm, is it not?

and I agree that they
should be confined to the current document. I have also found this behavior
(jumping to another document) unexpected, illogical, and very annoying.

At least I'm not the only one who is annoyed ;-)

How hard would it be to write a macro to keep track of the last "n"
locations in each document?

I guess we would need to define what a "location" is. I wouldn't want
it to keep track of every backspace.

Alternatively, how hard would it be to write a macro that would (a)
save the current location in a stack of depth N or (b) go back to the
previous location in thay stack -- depending on a parameter?

 

[Terry Farrell]

Yes and No. Think of the users that use the GoBack to switch between edits
in two documents they are currently editing. They would be annoyed if GoBack
only worked on the document in focus.

I guess that the solution would be to have two different commands, shortcuts
and names: one a GoBack command for the current document and the other a
GoBack command for working across multiple documents.

Terry

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I agree. I can see when it would be useful for switching between documents,
though actually just using the built-in command to switch between
windows/documents would put you at the previous insertion point.

--
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.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

To be clear, it's not "locations"; it's "edit points." If you have placed
the cursor somewhere and not made any changes (a backspace would count),
then that is not included. Sometimes I wish it were. If I've opened a
document and found a location just to check on something, then closed it, it
would be convenient if, having forgotten what I just looked at, I could get
back to it more quickly!

--
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.

 

[LurfysMa]

Yes and No. Think of the users that use the GoBack to switch between edits
in two documents they are currently editing.

Alt-tab (task switch) already works perfectly well for that. GoBack is
philosophically wrong for that function.

They would be annoyed if GoBack
only worked on the document in focus.

Yes, users become accustomed to ALL product features -- even poorly
designed and stupid ones, like this one. That's why the developers
should think twice before implementing some geeky feature. Clearly,
that wasn't done here.

I guess that the solution would be to have two different commands, shortcuts
and names: one a GoBack command for the current document and the other a
GoBack command for working across multiple documents.

GoBack is the wrong concept for switching between documents. We
already have task switching, which is what that is. I would make an
exception for two windows of the same document.

If GoBack were implemented properly, it would be a customizable stack.
The user would have options for what is and is not put in the stack
and how deep it is. GoBack would have a couple of ways to be invoked.
One would be just GoBack one step at a time (S-F5). Another (CS-F5?)
would bring up a list of the GoBack locations with some identifying
information such as you get when dragging the scroll bar.

There are so many interesting and useful features that they could have
provided. That they did what they did and left it that way for so long
(despite making billions of dollars) is pathetic.

 

[Terry Farrell]

It would be much better. But it seems the current culture today is not to
think of consequences properly. Governments are especially adept at ignoring
cause and effect of action and legislation.

Terry