Good idea for a feature request.
 
This could help in the meantime:http://forum.cakewalk.com/AutoHotKey-Great-Sonar-helper-m3026412.aspx
 

 

No, it doesn't - it looks deliberately long winded.

 
It is long winded.  You are combining steps, and are assuming that the inspector is already open (which it isn't for me):
 

2) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector (as it's always open when I am doing this sort of work)
3) Swipe over the old name or Ctrl+A and type new name and return

 
The fact is, Sonar 8.5.3 required much less work in terms of mouse clicks, mouse movement, and typing.
 
Here are the steps again, adjusted for maximum efficiency:
 
Sonar 8.5.3:
 
1) right click on the clip [1 click]
2) select Clip Properties...  -- this will open the Clip Properties popup, with the name already highlighted [1 click]
3) type the new name for the clip [N keypresses]
4) hit RETURN [1 keypress]
 
TOTAL:  2 clicks, N+1 keypresses

Sonar Platinum:
 
1) left click on the clip [1 click]
2) hit I to open the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
3) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector[1 click]
4) click inside the Clip Name value [1 click]
5) hit CTRL-A to select old name [2 keypresses]
6) hit delete [1 keypress]
7) type the new name for the clip [N keypresses]
8) hit RETURN [1 keypress]
9) hit I to close the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
 
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector open: 3 clicks, N+4 keypresses
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector closed: 5 clicks, N+4 keypresses


Note that each click requires mouse movement as well.  So, each click takes significantly more time then each keypress.
 
Regardless of whether or not you have the inspector open to begin with, 8.5.3 is significantly faster at renaming clips.
 
So why did Cakewalk make clip renaming more cumbersome in Platinum?  Why did they decrease the usability of this feature, that many of us use multiple times each day?

Tripecac
 

No, it doesn't - it looks deliberately long winded.

 
It is long winded.  You are combining steps, and are assuming that the inspector is already open (which it isn't for me):
 

2) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector (as it's always open when I am doing this sort of work)
3) Swipe over the old name or Ctrl+A and type new name and return

 
The fact is, Sonar 8.5.3 required much less work in terms of mouse clicks, mouse movement, and typing.
 
Here are the steps again, adjusted for maximum efficiency:
 
Sonar 8.5.3:

1) right click on the clip [1 click]
2) select Clip Properties...  -- this will open the Clip Properties popup, with the name already highlighted [1 click]
3) type the new name for the clip [N keypresses]
4) hit RETURN [1 keypress]
 
TOTAL:  2 clicks, N+1 keypresses

Sonar Platinum:

1) left click on the clip [1 click]
2) hit I to open the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
3) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector[1 click]
4) click inside the Clip Name value [1 click]
5) hit CTRL-A to select old name [2 keypresses]
6) hit delete [1 keypress]
7) type the new name for the clip [N keypresses]
8) hit RETURN [1 keypress]
9) hit I to close the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
 
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector open: 3 clicks, N+4 keypresses
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector closed: 5 clicks, N+4 keypresses


Note that each click requires mouse movement as well.  So, each click takes significantly more time then each keypress.
 
Regardless of whether or not you have the inspector open to begin with, 8.5.3 is significantly faster at renaming clips.
 
So why did Cakewalk make clip renaming more cumbersome in Platinum?  Why did they decrease the usability of this feature, that many of us use multiple times each day?

 
You're doing it again.
 
For one, you don't need to hit delete, you can type the new name once old one is highlighted.
 
You remembered this when writing steps for 8.5, but conveniently forgot this when referring to Platinum.
 
If using your example of old name being "Record 1" or "Take 1", you do not need to used Ctrl+A, you can just swipe over the name.
 
That is three fewer keystrokes than you use.
 
Also, the Inspector remembers which Tab was last open, so you can make it so inspector always opens with Clip Tab open.
 
That is another click fewer.
 
This then gives
 
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector open: 2 clicks, N+1 keypresses
TOTAL if you usually have the inspector closed: 4 clicks, N+1 keypresses
 
Doesn't seem quite so bad now, does it?
 
Anyhow, as you appear to me to be becoming increasingly obtuse, I will bow out of this thread.
 
Good luck.  I hope you find what you're looking for.
 

jb101

Tripecac

Wouldn't it be great to right click on a clip, and select "rename clip" . . . perhaps someday.

 
This, to me, would be the most intuitive UI.
 
For Sonar 8.5.3 here are the steps to rename a clip:
 
1) right click on the clip
2) select Clip Properties...  -- this will open the Clip Properties popup, with the name already highlighted
3) type the new name for the clip
4) hit RETURN (or click OK)
 
For Sonar Platinum here are the steps to rename a clip:
 
1) left click on the clip
2) hit I to open the inspector
3) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector
4) click inside the Clip Name value
5) repeatedly hit delete and/or backspace to erase the current clip name (16 times for "Record 1, Take 1")
6) type the new name for the clip
7) click on the track pane outside of the clip to apply the change
8) hit I to close the inspector
 
Does that look correct?
 
 
 
If so, then why, if Cakewalk felt that clip renaming was common enough to make it the default behavior when opening Clip Properties in 8.5.3 (as evidenced by the fact that the clip name is automatically selected by default), did they make it so much more cumbersome in Platinum?  How is that considered "improvement"?

 
No, it doesn't - it looks deliberately long winded.
 
Mine looks like:
 
1) left click on the clips
2) click the Clip tab at the top of the inspector (as it's always open when I am doing this sort of work)
3) Swipe over the old name or Ctrl+A and type new name and return
 
Even adding "Press I before and after" (if Inspector not open) still makes it far less complicate than yours.
 
edited for clarity

you can also use F2 for step 3 I believe (to substitute for swipe / CNTRL+A).
as F2 is a rename tool in tracks, busses, ext.
 
these 3 steps you have here seems like the fastest possible way.
 

or one, you don't need to hit delete, you can type the new name once old one is highlighted.

 
Ah, correct. 
 

If using your example of old name being "Record 1" or "Take 1", you do not need to used Ctrl+A, you can just swipe over the name.

 
Swipe is for touch screens, right?  Like on a tablet?  I don't have a touch screen for my DAW. 
 
Swipe would be 2 actions anyway: touching at the beginning of the old clip name, and then dragging your finger to the right until the entire name is selected.  CTRL-A is a lot faster if your hands are already on the keyboard; it certainly is more accurate.
 

you can also use F2 for step 3 I believe (to substitute for swipe / CNTRL+A).

 
This doesn't work for me.  Even when I have clicked inside the Clip Name value, F2 doesn't do anything.  It would be awesome if we could simply hit F2 when a clip is selected to rename it, since that's what works in Windows Explorer.  However, in Premium, if you hit F2, it renames the currently selected track, not the currently selected clip.
 

Also, the Inspector remembers which Tab was last open, so you can make it so inspector always opens with Clip Tab open.

 
Yes, it does seem "sticky", which is nice.  However, if you're dealing frequently with track properties as well (e.g., track colors or transposition), then you'll be frequently switching between the Clip and Track tabs.  So, sometimes, we can skip this step, but other times, we cannot.  I'll change it to half a click, as a compromise.
 
So here is the next revision:
 
Sonar Platinum:
 
1) click/touch the clip [1 click]
2) hit I to open the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
3) click/touch the Clip tab at the top of the inspector [0.5 click since sometimes Clip is already selected]
4) click/touch inside the Clip Name value [1 click]
5) hit CTRL-A (or swipe to the right) to select old name [2 keypresses or 1 swipe]
6) type the new name for the clip [N keypresses]
7) hit RETURN [1 keypress]
8) hit I to close the inspector [1 keypress if you usually have the inspector closed]
 
TOTAL:
- touch screen, inspector open: 2.5 touches, N+1 keypresses, 1 swipe

- touch screen, inspector closed: 2.5 touches, N+3 keypresses, 1 swipe
- no touch screen, inspector open: 2.5 clicks, N+3 keypresses
- no touch screen, inspector closed: 2.5 clicks, N+5 keypresses  <-- my setup
 
Does that look correct?
 
 

Tripecac

or one, you don't need to hit delete, you can type the new name once old one is highlighted.

 
Ah, correct. 
 

If using your example of old name being "Record 1" or "Take 1", you do not need to used Ctrl+A, you can just swipe over the name.

 
Swipe is for touch screens, right?  Like on a tablet?  I don't have a touch screen for my DAW. 
 
Swipe would be 2 actions anyway: touching at the beginning of the old clip name, and then dragging your finger to the right until the entire name is selected.  CTRL-A is a lot faster if your hands are already on the keyboard; it certainly is more accurate.
 
 

Also, the Inspector remembers which Tab was last open, so you can make it so inspector always opens with Clip Tab open.

 
Yes, it does seem "sticky", which is nice.  However, if you're dealing frequently with track properties as well (e.g., track colors or transposition), then you'll be frequently switching between the Clip and Track tabs.  So, sometimes, we can skip this step, but other times, we cannot.  I'll change it to half a click, as a compromise.
 

I meant swipe/drag the mouse pointer over the name. No touch screen involved.
 
Also, if I were "frequently switching between the Clip and Track tabs". I would probably have the inspector open..
 
You're seriously talking about half clicks?
 
Is it just me or is this getting just a little silly?

Fastest way for me is " copy track name to clip name" found in tracks menu in track
view .

What I'm trying to get at is this:
 
In Sonar 8.5.3, renaming a clip was fast.  2 clicks, type the name of the clip, hit ENTER.  It would be faster if you could replace with second click with a keypress (such as F2), but aside from that it's about as fast as you can get, and consistently so.
 
In fact, I just bound F2 to Clip Properties in Sonar 8.5.3, so for me, the steps for renaming a clip are these:
 
1) right click on the clip
2) hit F2 (to open Clip Properties with the clip name selected)
3) type the new name for the clip
4) hit RETURN (or click OK)
 
TOTAL: 1 click, N+2 keypresses
 
Since there is only 1 click (to select the clip), mouse movement is minimal.  I don't think renaming can get any more efficient than that! 
 
In Sonar Premium, however, renaming a clip is clearly less efficient.  It now requires the inspector to be open, and it requires clicking inside of the Clip Name value, and selecting that value (either by swiping, click-dragging, or ctrl-A).  Also, if you don't already have the Clip tab selected, you have to select that.  Those are all extra steps, making renaming less efficient than it used to be.
 
So why did Cakewalk do this?  Why did they make renaming less efficient in later versions of Sonar?  Did they think the need for clip renaming is less now than it was in the days of 8.5.3?  I am trying to understand WHY Cakewalk made that change.  Maybe understanding their motivation will help me accept the extra steps.  Maybe.
 
 
From my perspective, when Cakewalk revamped the UI for X1/2/3/Platinum, they made Sonar harder/slower to use. This topic started out as an "innocent" question about how to quickly rename clips in Platinum.  However, when it became clear that renaming clips in Platinum was clearly not designed to be as efficient as in 8.5.3, my usual frustrated tone resurfaced: "Why Cakewalk, why?  Why did you make the Sonar UI less usable [for me] than it was in 8.5.3?  And when will you add back that lost functionality?"  Sorry, I can't help it.  Sonar X1/2/3/Premium's UI problems grate on me.  Every single day.  If you think it's painful to ready my posts on this forum, just imagine how I feel, when using Platinum.  Every single time I use it I get frustrated.  Why, Cakewalk, why???  Why did you mess up a good thing???  And when will you fix it???
 

At this point I don't remember how one renamed multiple clips in 8.5, but it's easy in the X series versions and I'm much more likely to want to rename multiple clips than a single clip. The steps are:
 
1. Select the clips you want to rename (there are several ways to do this, which range from 1 click on the track header to choose all the track clips or click+drag, either in the timeline or by click-dragging across the clips).
2. Assuming like most people one has the Inspector open, click the Clip tab if it isn't already.
3. Click+drag across the word "multi."
4. Type in the new name.
5. Hit return.
 
The great part about centralizing in the Inspector is how easily you can change multiple parameters for multiple clips.

Tripecac
This topic started out as an "innocent" question about how to quickly rename clips in Platinum.  However, when it became clear that renaming clips in Platinum was clearly not designed to be as efficient as in 8.5.3, my usual frustrated tone resurfaced: "
 

 
I don't understand how you can innocently ask a question and be frustrated by the response when you have asked exactly the same question, received the same answers and made exactly the same complaints 5 years previous:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Rename-clip-without-opening-inspector-m2381900.aspx?high=Clip+rename
 
As with some of your other threads, you are not describing functions that do not work, rather functionality that doesn't suit you personally. As Craig pointed out there are advantages to the new method.
 
At some point you need to accept that Sonar has evolved and functionality has changed. Rehashing the same old gripes really isn't an effective strategy, particularly when the points of contention are arguably fairly trivial. If the issue really is that important to you, you can always sacrifice the feature improvements of the last 8 years and return to Sonar 8. You do seem quite taken with it:)