Selecting 2 files + right-click selects 3rd file

[halifax80]

I noticed a confusing but not fatal behavior in MC. Here is the way to reproduce it:

• Navigate to a folder where you have at least 3 files: File1, File2 and File3.
• Select File1 and File2 with the Insert key. This way the cursor will be on File3.
• Right-click on File1 to display the Windows context-menu. Immediately File3 becomes selected.
• If now you select and operation it will only be carried out on File1 and File2 which is correct. But it is confusing that File3 is shown as selected.
• Close the Windows context-menu, for example, with the ESC key. You still see all 3 files as selected. The cursor is on File1.
• Press the Insert key to deselect File1. This will also deselect File3 and only File2 remains selected. If instead of the Insert key you press the Cursor down key, File3 will be deselected and File1 and File2 remain selected.

I'm not sure if I miss something here but the expected behavior would be to never show File3 selected because the user never selected it. Showing File3 as selected suggests the user that the operation in the Windows context-menu will be carried out on 3 files although the user has only selected 2 files.
Sorry if this is a duplicate post but it was very hard to come up with keywords to search for a similar post.

[Mathias (Author)]

I'm not able to recreate that.
What default key/mouse setup are you using  WinExplorer Styled or CommanderStyled ?
Have you done any special customization around mouse/key / selection ?

Normally when you right click on an item that item would also be the item in focused
So if "cursor" (item in focus) is on file3 and you right click on file1 then focus should have moved to file1 and it then should make sure it was selected.
Also by default if you select using the 'insert' key it will go to next and select it. so it should have selected File3 or have you change how the default 'insert' action work ?

[halifax80]

I looked at the problem more closely and I have a more streamlined example:

• Navigate to a folder where you have at least 3 files: File1, File2 and File3.
• Select File2 with the Insert key. The cursor is now in File3. After this there are two possibilities:
  
  • If you right-click on File1 which is deselected then the following 4 steps happen very quickly: File3 is selected then deselected, File1 is selected and the context menu appears. In this case the filename of File1 and File2 are both passed to the command selected from the context menu. If you close the context menu with ESC then only File2 remains selected. All this seems okay to me.
  • The problematic part is when you right-click on File2 which is already selected. This creates a lot of unexpected behavior. First of all, File1 becomes selected which is not expected. Second, if you select a command from the context menu, only the name of File2 is passed to it. This is expected but confusing, because MC shows File1 as selected as well. Third, if you close the context menu with ESC and then press the DOWN or UP arrow keys, click on any file, press the INSERT key then File1 is deselected. However, if after pressing ESC you press CTRL+D to deselect all files File2 is deselected but File1 isn't. This is spooky. If now you press the DOWN or UP arrow keys or click on any file then File1 is deselected. This is even "spookier". 

I made an animgif of case 2 below to show you what happens. It shows the events in the order I described them above.
I use CommanderStyled setup. I can make a backup of my config and send you one or more XML files from inside the backup ZIP file. Which XML file do you need? I don't want to send my full config publicly or privately.

[Mathias (Author)]

It might be that you changed some config or mouse action that creates a conflict. Because normally with commander styled you do not have context menu on right click. (it is on right click and hold and on right button double click, since toggle selection is on right button)
But whatever I configure it to, I don't find any issue, so must be in combination with some other setting

Try to download the portable version (Just unpack into any folder and run, it is using its own separate config and will not mess with installed) and see if the default commander styled setup works for you. If it does configure the keys and mouse like you done and see when it break.

[halifax80]

I could reproduce the problem fairly easily:

• I downloaded the Portable version MultiCommander v6.9.1 (Build 2306) (64 bit)
• I extracted and started MC. During the initial setup I selected ”Commander style” setup.
• Then from the Configuration menu I selected Explorer Panel Settings -> Mouse configurations tab -> Right mouse button -> Click -> Shell context menu
• Restarted MC
• Voilá, MC exhibited the problem.

[AlanJB]

I could reproduce the problem fairly easily:

I cannot reproduce this.

I followed your download & setup instructions exactly, navigated into a folder with 8 text files in, then:

Action: down-arrow to File2 & hit Insert
Result: File2 is selected, File3 has focus (as expected)

Action: right-click File2
Result: File3 loses focus & context menu opens (as expected)

Action: select "Edit" from the context menu
Result: only File2 remains selected & editor opens File2 only (as expected)