GP tool parameters — Tab into next field in field list

[Bud]

ArcGIS Pro 3.2.2; File Geodatabase

In the Calculate Geometry Attributes tool, there is a list of fields as parameters.

I'm entering a field parameter and I want to use the tab keyboard key to move the the next field in the list. But tabbing brings me out of the field list and into other parameters. 

Video:

Could that behaviour be changed so that tabbing keeps me in the field list?

Related: Tabbing through tool parameters and info tooltips

[Bud]

Side note:

With the workflow/GP tool above, I noticed that somehow the Shape_Length becomes null, even though the shape is not null. I'm not sure how that's possible.

I don't know how to reproduce that issue, but it has happened a couple of times when testing that workflow. So if anyone figures out when/why that happens, let me know and I'll report it as a bug.

[RandyCasey]

As an end user, I totally agree with you; this would be the "user friendly" way to configure this. Putting on my application developer hat for a moment, I think I see what is going on here: the "fields" in the Geometry Attributes, are not true fields, but an array of objects being auto generated each time you enter values in a set. They may look and act like fields, but I suspect that is just a GUI facade for the user's benefit. Geometry Attributes is technically the field here, so when you hit the Tab key, the application does the default action, and makes the next field in the index active, which in this case, is Coordinate Format. I am not going to pretend to know whether or not what you are asking for is possible, it may very well be and will just require some ESRI devs to dig into this a bit more, but this may also be a limitation of the source code too. I would love to see if ESRI can work this problem.

[JonathanNeal]

FYI @Bud @RandyCasey We have the "Enter" key go to the next item in the list, similar to Excel grids.  I think "Enter" feels intuitive, but given your comments maybe not, thoughts?

@Bud Per your video, we press Shift+Tab to navigate to the list item level, then Down/Up to navigate, then tab again to go into the items.

This is the behavior we settled on in 3.2.  (I didn't see any documentation on this behavior, did either of you?)

[JonathanNeal]

@Bud For the Bug comment, yes please send if you find steps.  (Big thanks)

[RandyCasey]

@JonathanNeal I come from the database data entry GUI school of thought, where Tab is used to move from field to field and Enter either submits a form, or in the case of a Text Area field, sends a CR into the field so you can drop a line. But I also get the Excel method too (which also uses Tab to move from cell to cell). Using Tab may be considered "old school", but a lot of applications still use it for data entry, so it might be beneficial to use both (like Excel), if that's possible.

[Bud]

@JonathanNeal 

The enter key inserts a new row/field into the list of fields. That's not the behaviour I'm looking for. I want to move to the next existing row and type text into that textbox.

Down/Up navigates within the pick-list values (and removes the text I entered; not wanted). It doesn't move between list parameters.

Video:

So, if I understand correctly, the enter key and the up/down arrow keys don't help me when it comes to moving to the next field in the field list.

[JonathanNeal]

@Bud In your case use Shift+Tab then the up and down arrows.