Desktop: Fixes #12355: Auto-scroll to selected note from 'Go to Anything' search results

[chadcrum]

Resolves

• Resolves When selecting note from "go to anything" search results, joplin doesn't scroll note list to show selected note #12355

Summary

When selecting a note from the "Go to Anything" search results, Joplin was not automatically scrolling the note list to show the selected note. This made it difficult for users to see which note was selected, especially in large note collections.

This fix adds a smart auto-scroll feature in that automatically scrolls to newly selected notes only when they are not currently visible in the viewport.

Implementation

The solution uses a pending auto-scroll pattern with three ref-based state trackers:

• ****: Tracks the previously selected note ID
• ****: Tracks the previously selected folder ID
• ****: Tracks which note needs auto-scrolling

Auto-scroll triggers when:

1. New note selection (different note selected)
2. Folder change (switching folders via "Go to Anything")

Auto-scroll behavior:

• Only scrolls if the target note is outside the visible range ()
• Only triggers for single note selections (preserves multi-selection behavior)
• One-time action: Each selection change triggers auto-scroll at most once
• No manual scroll interference: Manual scrolling doesn't set pending flags

Key Features

✅ Smart scrolling: Only auto-scrolls when the selected note is not visible
✅ Cross-folder support: Handles "Go to Anything" navigation between folders
✅ Manual scroll preservation: No interference with user scrolling
✅ Multi-selection support: Preserves existing multi-selection behavior
✅ Performance optimized: Uses existing function and visibility calculations

Testing

1. Go to Anything within folder:

   • Use Ctrl+G to search for a note in the current folder that's not visible
   • Verify the note list scrolls to show the selected note

2. Go to Anything across folders:

   • Use Ctrl+G to search for a note in a different folder
   • Verify both folder switch and note scroll work correctly

3. Manual scrolling:

   • Scroll the note list manually
   • Verify no unexpected auto-scrolling occurs

4. Arrow key navigation:

   • Use arrow keys to navigate visible notes
   • Verify no unnecessary scrolling for visible notes

5. Multi-selection:

   • Select multiple notes using Ctrl+click
   • Verify auto-scroll doesn't interfere with multi-selection

This solution provides reliable auto-scrolling for "Go to Anything" while maintaining all existing navigation behaviors.

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Screencast show the problem

joplin-without-fix.webm

Screencast with the fix

joplin-with-fix.webm

[github-actions]

CLA Assistant Lite bot All contributors have signed the CLA ✍️ ✅

[chadcrum]

I have read the CLA Document and I hereby sign the CLA

[chadcrum]

recheck

[chadcrum]

I have read the CLA Document and I hereby sign the CLA

[chadcrum]

recheck

[mrjo118]

Please change the title of the PR to the following so that it matches the naming convention:

Desktop: Fixes #12355: Auto-scroll to selected note from 'Go to Anything' search results

[mrjo118]

FYI while probably acceptable in draft stage, it's best not to force push. Once this is ready for review it's not helpful to reviewers if you keep on replacing the history. It's unnecessary to clean up the history on the branch because if it gets merged it will be squashed anyway

[chadcrum]

FYI while probably acceptable in draft stage, it's best not to force push. Once this is ready for review it's not helpful to reviewers if you keep on replacing the history. It's unnecessary to clean up the history on the branch because if it gets merged it will be squashed anyway

Right - sorry about that. I will keep this in mind in the future.

[chadcrum]

Really really ready for review this time