[Rant] File explorer tabs UI interaction

fruh · Nov 9, 2022

I don't usually like opening threads like this, but anyway.

If you are trying to click on a tab but you move your cursor just ONE pixel too far you end up in that blank space above the tabs where nothing happens. You then have to realize and move your cursor back onto the desired tab so that something actually happens, all for the sake of a completely function-less, purely aestethical blank space.

It's such a small detail that it's even more infuriating given how many decades MS has been making PC UIs. Even the very start menu button does not have this issue, you can just plop your cursor in the corner of the screen and click and the start menu will come up although you have completely missed the button's graphical interface.

It really shows how fragmented, poorly thought out and unorganized Microsoft's engineering is.

End of rant

spapakons · Nov 10, 2022

I could not replicate your issue. Maybe you have to fix some system files. Right-click the start button and select to open the Terminal or Powershell as Administrator. Then execute the command sfc /scannow to fix any issues. Also install all latest Windows updates just in case they fix your issue.

Winuser · Nov 10, 2022

The only place that I see a small area to click on is if I want to open a new tab. Is your problem because you are using a laptop with a touchscreen?

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

fruh said:
If you are trying to click on a tab but you move your cursor just ONE pixel too far you end up in that blank space above the tabs where nothing happens. You then have to realize and move your cursor back onto the desired tab so that something actually happens, all for the sake of a completely function-less, purely aestethical blank space.

So, let me make sure that I get this right: You are NOT clicking on the tab. You are clicking OFF the tab, yet you expect Windows to know that you actually meant to click on the tab? Besides, File explorer gives you visual queues to show when you are on target and when you are not.

Note in the samples below the look of the tab when you are over it vs when you are off target.

kelper · Nov 10, 2022

I see what OP means. There is a narrow gap above all the tabs. So if you move the cursor to the top and then left or right, none of the tabs is clickable. It's poor design.

dbartenstein · Nov 10, 2022

kelper said:
I see what OP means. There is a narrow gap above all the tabs. So if you move the cursor to the top and then left or right, none of the tabs is clickable. It's poor design.

Methinks choice of colors and such plays a role too....

kelper · Nov 10, 2022

dbartenstein said:
Methinks choice of colors and such plays a role too....

Try maximising the window!

dbartenstein · Nov 10, 2022

kelper said:
Try maximising the window!

Maximized:

kelper · Nov 10, 2022

fruh · Nov 10, 2022

Don't try to defend Microsoft at all costs.

I'm aware that taking photos of the PC's screen with a smartphone is quite an immoral feat but here I am. As you can clearly see, the start button is "selected" even though the cursor is not actually on the graphical button interface (I would have liked to put the cursor completely in the corner but then it would have been just one black pixel; it is exactly the same, don't bother arguing without at least trying yourself), while the explorer tab is not (no pop-up). You can't even drag the window etc :/

It is downright impractical no matter how many clues you give the user; and the Taskbar team seems to know it better than the Explorer team

My system is fully updated and scanned, should have no issues; some users having that gap and others not having it is a whole new level of MS madness I think

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

The second image showing the mouse pointer off of the start button, but the button being shown as if it is active is interesting. I've tried 5 machines now and I don't have that problem on any of them. This makes me think that there is something "out of the norm" in your configuration.

Out of curiosity, do you have any sort of shell enhancement programs installed? Is your display driver current? Does this same thing happen in safe mode?

I'm not saying that this might not be some sort of bug, but clearly there must be a specific set of circumstances causing it because I don't see this issue on any systems running Win 11 22H2.

fruh · Nov 10, 2022

hsehestedt said:
The second image showing the mouse pointer off of the start button, but the button being shown as if it is active is interesting. I've tried 5 machines now and I don't have that problem on any of them. This makes me think that there is something "out of the norm" in your configuration.

Out of curiosity, do you have any sort of shell enhancement programs installed? Is your display driver current? Does this same thing happen in safe mode?

I'm not saying that this might not be some sort of bug, but clearly there must be a specific set of circumstances causing it because I don't see this issue on any systems running Win 11 22H2.

It's NOT a problem, I don't even know how it would be a problem, it should be designed to do so for ease of use anyway

Well, it's definitely strange you don't have that behaviour on your machines, do you mean you can actually miss the start button? That must be hell on earth

I've noticed you can throw you cursor in the corner of the screen without the start button being higlighted, but if you then click you hit it anyway, maybe that's why you don't see it

Seriously though, I didn't expect inconsistencies between different machines on things like these. My shell is as mama MS made it and everything is fully updated, no issues on that side

kelper · Nov 10, 2022

My Start button behaves as fruh's does. Edge browser tabs reach the top of the screen, as to tabs in other browsers. File Explorer is the odd one out.

Even if I slide the cursor down the left edge of the screen, I can still click on the Start button even though I am not on it.

MisterEd · Nov 10, 2022

I can clearly see where the tab border is. If you are having problems just be more careful and click somewhere near the middle of the tab.

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

fruh said:
It's NOT a problem, I don't even know how it would be a problem, it should be designed to do so for ease of use anyway

I guess that our opinions on the matter simply differ. In my opinion, if you are even one pixel off the target, then you it should not register. After all, what happens if you have two clickable elements immediately adjacent to each other. You wouldn't want item 1 selected when you are actually on item 2.

To my mind, the whole point of the highlighted area is to show "this is the area within which a click will be registered" not, "this is roughly where to click but we don't care if you fudge it". That seems completely stupid to me

. Again, my opinion only. Otherwise, what it the point of the highlight in the first place when you can just ballpark it?

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

hsehestedt said:
I guess that our opinions on the matter simply differ. In my opinion, if you are even one pixel off the target, then you it should not register. After all, what happens if you have two clickable elements immediately adjacent to each other? You wouldn't want item 1 selected when you are actually on item 2.

To my mind, the whole point of the highlighted area is to show "this is the area within which a click will be registered" not, "this is roughly where to click but we don't care if you fudge it". That seems completely stupid to me . Again, my opinion only. Otherwise, what it the point of the highlight in the first place when you can just ballpark it?

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

I just realized another reason for having this work the way it does. First refer to this screenshot:

Item #1 - You can clearly see the border of the tab highlighted.
Item #2 - This is the FRAME on top of which the tabs are displayed. You definitely DO NOT want this area because this area is used for another purpose. Refer now to this screenshot:

Note that this area is reserved for the resize handle. You want to be able to click and drag on this area to resize the File Explorer frame.

kelper · Nov 10, 2022

hsehestedt said:
I just realized another reason for having this work the way it does. First refer to this screenshot:

Item #1 - You can clearly see the border of the tab highlighted.
Item #2 - This is the FRAME on top of which the tabs are displayed. You definitely DO NOT want this area because this area is used for another purpose. Refer now to this screenshot:

Note that this area is reserved for the resize handle. You want to be able to click and drag on this area to resize the File Explorer frame.

But Edge does not have that frame when it is maximised!

fruh · Nov 10, 2022

hsehestedt said:
I guess that our opinions on the matter simply differ. In my opinion, if you are even one pixel off the target, then you it should not register. After all, what happens if you have two clickable elements immediately adjacent to each other. You wouldn't want item 1 selected when you are actually on item 2.

To my mind, the whole point of the highlighted area is to show "this is the area within which a click will be registered" not, "this is roughly where to click but we don't care if you fudge it". That seems completely stupid to me . Again, my opinion only. Otherwise, what it the point of the highlight in the first place when you can just ballpark it?

Of course sharing and comparing opinions is only a good thing. I do actually agree with you, otherwise everything would be a mess, also given that in this case we are using a cursor on the screen rather than, let's say, our fingers.

In this case though the matter is that there is nothing beyond the explorer tabs or the start button, they're right at the edge of the screen, so discerning something from the actual nothingness is kinda useless to me. If an element is not at the edge of the screen (the very same explorer tabs when the window is not maximised for example), I completely agree with you

I opened this thread assuming we were talking about the tabs in a maximised window, so the resize handle wouldn't be available anyway. Also, that blank gap above the explorer's tabs doesn't allow to drag down the window when maximised and stuff like that, even worse

@MisterEd I will happily decline your destructive criticism, but thanks for your suggestion anyway

hsehestedt · Nov 10, 2022

kelper said:
But Edge does not have that frame when it is maximized!

Oh course it doesn't - it's maximized so there is no need for a handle to size the Window. You can only resize a window that is NOT maximized.

[Rant] File explorer tabs UI interaction

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

Attachments

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Similar threads