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Today it occurred to me that the only way I know to get the "Find Text" dialog is to press ctrl+f. That makes it hard to find if you don't already know that it exists. I would recommend adding this to, say, the view menu.


If I knew now what I will know then... maybe things will have been different...
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Hoopy frood
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Yeah, it might also make sense to have it on the switchbar context menu.

By the way it's also accessible via the command-line with /findtext.


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Vogon poet
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control+f
is the default key combination in just about every program in existence to 'find' something. If someone using mirc doesnt know that, frankly they shouldnt be using mirc.

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Must you continually voice your opinion as if newbies to the Internet/IRC are some sort of sub-species? They are not. Everyone has to learn. I was 12 when I started chatting, 14 when I started using IRC. Many would disapprove of that in itself, but look where I am now helping others out with what I myself have learnt from observation and a little bit of experience.

Plus, sometimes the simplest of options can evade people's notice because they've never had to use something like it before. Whilst this is unlikely with CTRL+F for someone who's been using computers for a number of months, to someone who, say, bought a computer last month and downloaded mIRC via a friend's suggestion (this DOES happen), they may not have known about it.

Not knowing a (simple) feature, even if it's part of most programs, does not prevent people from being intelligent, nor does it render their fingers useless - they could be the nicest people you ever met, and in a couple of years, be here helping others, passing their knowledge on.

As for the original suggestion, I think it's a nice idea, no problems with it myself smile

Regards,


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While I agree that he can be a bit of a jerk while gnawing away at peoples souls.. He actually has a point in a way. But not for the reason he meant. More for the reason that if they aren't aware of certain common/standard features and functions, then they shouldn't be on IRC just yet, as it is dangerous for them..

But to argue against his point, if that's his logic about using any software, then no one could ever use any programs because you shouldn't use it until you know how to use it, but you can't get to know how to use it without first using it.

I make that point to only backup my reason for my agreement - that it's a matter of safety rather than being insulting.
cool

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I fail to see why ignorance of "standard" features is dangerous for new IRC users. When I first started using my first IRC client, which happened to be Pirch, I had no idea of what it contained. Sorry to say, but your second argument answers the first one in every detail. Soul eater has a bit of growing up to do.

Not knowing what CTRL F does in mIRC (or any text programme in Windows) is the same as not knowing how to run a car's air conditioning system and no-one loses their licence for that do they...

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Quote:
Not knowing what CTRL F does in mIRC (or any text programme in Windows) is the same as not knowing how to run a car's air conditioning system and no-one loses their licence for that do they...


Exactly. But if you live in Arizona and don't know how to use a car's air conditioning system, youre SOL. I hope you can get this analogy.

Quote:
Must you continually voice your opinion as if newbies to the Internet/IRC are some sort of sub-species? They are not. Everyone has to learn. I was 12 when I started chatting, 14 when I started using IRC. Many would disapprove of that in itself, but look where I am now helping others out with what I myself have learnt from observation and a little bit of experience.


This has nothing to do with IRCers/Internet users. Just the simple Microsoft user. Provided youre using IE, press Control+F right now. What happens? The Find Dialog Box comes up. Control+F is fairly univeral.

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Quote:
I fail to see why ignorance of "standard" features is dangerous for new IRC users. When I first started using my first IRC client, which happened to be Pirch, I had no idea of what it contained. Sorry to say, but your second argument answers the first one in every detail. Soul eater has a bit of growing up to do.


Hitting the last sentence first - yes, I agree, a bit of growing up is an obvious necessity for Soul_Eater.

Onto the other comments - I never said "shouldn't be allowed on IRC" - I said "shouldn't be on IRC"
Meaning that they can if they want to but for their own concerns, until they are more aware of common computer functions and features, they should refrain from using it. All it takes is for someone who is not computer savvy to be in there, be told to type something (and they do it, not realizing that computers can be their worst enemy when they are not careful).. Then suddenly they are getting hacked, credit card or other personal info is getting obtained and their life is turned upside down.

You made a comment about refusing to let someone drive just because they don't know how to work the A/C.. Let's flip that around some.. Someone who doesn't even know the street signs or some of the more obvious rules of the road (obeying the speed limit, following 2+ seconds behind the vehicle in front of you, etc).. Ignoring the obvious danger they would present to other people, and only paying attention to their self inflicted danger.. Wouldn't you agree that they shouldn't be driving until they learn a little more about how dangerous things can be and how to read the signs or some of the less obvious signs?

True, even the best of drivers make mistakes, but as with using things like IRC, it's not something you should just hop into and start doing without some sort of understanding first.

Again, *I* never said that newbies shouldn't be allowed - only that they shouldn't be on IRC - for their own safety, not as a form of punishment.

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Yea, i agree. Many people don't use keyboard shortcuts at all, and are used to Find in the menu. Almost every other pogram i know of have an icon or menu option for it.

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I disagree. I (and most people) use keyboard shortcuts all the time, control+c (for copying) and control+v(for pasting) for example. Keyboard shortcuts are provided SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO use the menu, because that takes time. We are a fast-paced society, and hate wasting time, keyboard shortcuts are more efficient.

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I forgot to mention that I agree that a find option in a menu would be nice for those that use that method... Because while I agree that those who are unaware of common shortcuts/functions shouldn't get onto IRC (yet), there are those who are very comuter literate but don't know the things you do, just as they may know things that you don't, but to them, they are very common and well known. My agreeing that some people shouldn't get on IRC wasn't to say they shouldn't be allowed, but more of self restraint and self protection. Your reason is to feel superior as though they are mindless creatures who cannot comprehend the concept of using CTRL-F. That's a bit rude and arrogant.

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Just because you use shortcut keys doesn't mean everyone else does. Most non-power users from a Windows background (ie. 95% of them) are much more comfortable and familiar with using a GUI than shortcut keys. And even if 99% of people used shortcut keys it still wouldn't be a reason for the Find dialog to be innaccessible via GUI.

If nothing else, it might not even occur to people that there would be a Find dialog for mIRC windows. Seeing as it's not listed on any menu and most people won't just randomly type key combinations to see what features are available it's entirely possible that someone wouldn't ever know it was there.


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You misread my post. Let me quote it.

Quote:
I (and most people)


Not everyone. The majority. Anyways, just because its not spelled out for you doesnt mean its not there. There are many identifiers not even listed in the help file. $lof for example
The best way to find out if a program has something is trial and error. Just go down the keyboard.
Contro +A, Control+S, Control+D, Control+F, etc...

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* zack waits for them to get to ALT+Z...

Really, stop being so arrogant about everything. My mother never uses keyboard combinations, she'd rather use the menus for copy/paste/find/etc. Even when I made some Macros for her to use on her screenplays that used keyboard combinations she asked me where the menu items were.

You're not the majority, in fact, mentally and personality-wise, you're by far in the minority.


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A lot of ppl simply find its easier for them to use a menu rather than shortcuts. I dont know which is the majority, but it really doesnt matter. Ppl get the job done in the way they find easiest or prefer for whatever reason, nothing wrong with that.


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$lof is deprecated in favour of $file()[.size], that's why it's not documented.

Quote:
The best way to find out if a program has something is trial and error.

- You've got to be kidding...


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Most people? You've conducted an independent survey of this I suppose?

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I actually find using the menu's quicker than keyboard combinations.


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(general response to all):

Users are expected to read the help file in order to discover all of a program's features. It would be impossible for Khaled to menu-link each of mIRC's little features, including Find.

/help Key Combinations

PS. I learned about Shift+Copy and Ctrl+Connect from looking just now. Never ceases to amaze me.


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Good philosophy, see good in bad, I like!

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