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Index vs Working Tree - swap places

HGH 5 years ago updated 5 years ago 3

Every tool has the Index on the left and the Working Tree on the right. Why was this configuration designed as the default?

Is it possible to swap their places (The Working Tree on the left, the Index on the right)? This would be more logical for me and also be consistent with other tools I have to use.

Please make swapping the location of these panes easily configurable.

In that regard the compare tools should more clearly display which is the original/older and which the newer version of the file. In some windows there is no indication in others there is an (Before) at the end of the file path, e.g. "directory/directory/filename.cpp (Before)", which is only visible if the full file name can be displayed, which is not always possible. For example:

In TortoiseSVN, TortoiseHG, TortoiseGit and GitLab there is the same layout: left side for "was", right side for "is". I think it's a logical approach for people with native left-to-right languages.

As always feelings are subjective. TortoiseSVN is the most annoying development tool I was forced to use. A piece of software that messes with your Windows and which might cause system instabilities or simply fails to work as expected is hardly the one I would take as an example. In that regard other popular tools do it the way I have described it previously or are configurable. People can be left-handed, right-handed.

Keyboards have the letters on the left and the arrow keys and the mouse on the right and with large monitors it makes it naturally to put the most used tools to the left and the less used tools to the right on the monitor.