Suggestion: Run Button

Before I found the shortcut keys, this was really getting on my nerves, so I just thought I'd mention it here. I'm aware the run button runs the last active layout, but I routinely just wanted the whole project to run (which I know F4 does, but at the time I didn't). At first when I kept getting a blank black screen and I was confused as to what was going on. I later realize the run was for layouts. I kept having to re-select the first layout (after editing others) in order to run the project, and having to scroll the project list to find the layout and open it in order to run it was too much. At the time I was right-clicking the project root node to run the project, but I have to scroll up the projects panel to the top to do it. I was losing my hair. ;) I had figured that since the help tips never mentioned a shortcut that there wasn't one, but later on I found it.

C2 really needs something like what Visual Studio has for web design: You select an active project (bolds the name), then you select a "startup" page. It doesn't matter what you are editing - when you select "run", it runs the active project, and launches the startup page (or "layout" in C2's case).

C2 needs two buttons for new comers: Run Layout (as is), and Run Project. At the very least, put the shortcut references in the help tips! ;)

Like +1

Yes agreed

Run Layout

Run Project :)

Isn't the problem just that you didn't look up the keyboard shortcuts sooner? We already have buttons for run layout and run project, they're F5 and F4!

I think the suggestion is to include buttons in the UI rather than just keyboard shortcuts. I'm pretty indifferent to the idea personally, but I can see how it might aid discoverability for beginners.

I would like ui button either for both as well, as I would prefer the preview button would preview the whole project instead of the layout. I often preview the wrong layout by forgetting to open the one I want to preview before pressing preview, making me preview twice - a process that causes increasing frustration as projects take longer to preview as projects get bigger. If I could switch the button so it's run project instead, then I could just set what layout I want to preview with a 'go to layout' action at the start of the game instead.

In theory I could just press f4, but I in practice I just keep forgetting to because I sometimes have the right layout selected and sometimes don't. Sure, I could forget to set the layout the go to layout action is set to - and did when I was still doing that with CC - but I've been finding I preview the wrong layout in C2 way more often. If it's not too difficult a ui button for preview entire project would be appreciated.

Yes, as jbadams reiterated, new beginners will have a hard time knowing what's going on (as I did), so this only helps prevent them from posting about non-issues in the forum. ;)

In practice, since C2 is a point-and-click style development IDE, the whole point is point and click, correct? ;) So, while I'm pointing and clicking, I tend to rather click the button instead of bending over to my laptop keyboard to find the small F4 key - so sometimes it's actually faster than trying to press F4. ;)

Yes, as jbadams reiterated, new beginners will have a hard time knowing what's going on (as I did), so this only helps prevent them from posting about non-issues in the forum. ;)

In practice, since C2 is a point-and-click style development IDE, the whole point is point and click, correct? ;) So, while I'm pointing and clicking, I tend to rather click the button instead of bending over to my laptop keyboard to find the small F4 key - so sometimes it's actually faster that trying to press F4. ;)

I like this idea too. UI buttons in addition to the shortcut keys that already exist.

I've been using C2 for a while now, and I wasn't aware you could run whole project with hotkeys until reading this thread. As well, I was confused as a new user why the run button started on different layouts at different times, until I eventually noticed it was always running the currently selected layout. You shouldn't need to read the whole manual (though it's always a good idea) to understand basic UI functions.

A second UI button for run project from start would remove the confusion for newbs. And we want newbs to stick around and buy the full version, not get confused and quit, right? <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

plus, shortcut tips while placing the mouse over a button would be great.

bending over to my laptop keyboard to find the small F4 key

I'm not on a laptop but not a great fan of F* shortcuts either

My vote for custom shortcuts^^

> bending over to my laptop keyboard to find the small F4 key

I'm not on a laptop but not a great fan of F* shortcuts either

My vote for custom shortcuts^^

Like Word 2003, where you was able to custom your bars? Good idea, also, store the config on a xml to port it would be great too.

+1

configurable keyboard shortcuts would be nice.

Its also usualy the first place I go when looking for the right keyboard shortcut to work with.

I've never used keyboard shortcuts to preview a project. I right click the layout I want in the project tab (if it's not the active one of course) and choose "Run Layout". If I want to preview the whole thing I do the same, just right clicking on the project folder instead of a layout.

Having another button at the top wouldn't be too difficult to implement I figure. Though it'd have to be easy to distinguish between the "run layout" and "run project" buttons. Maybe the current circle design for the layout one and a square one for the project one?

+1 for customizable shortcuts, even if I doubt I'd change them myself.