Subject: Re: UI Hit Squad
From: Randy Kramer (rhkramer@fast.net)
Date: Wed Nov 22 2000 - 09:24:20 CST
Martin,
I will (try it out and give you feedback), but will wait until 0.7.12 is
released.
I assume you've seen (or will see) the notes from Thomas Fletcher -- he
seems to have a good understanding of outline mode.
Randy Kramer
Martin Sevior wrote:
>
> HI Randy,
> One of the challenges for me in writing ABiWord is that I haven't
> actually used many features of MS Word. I'll have to find out exactlywhat
> an outline is.
>
> Here is what you can do with lists. You can create an ordinary list like
> this
>
> 1. First one
> 2. Second one
> 3. Third one
>
> Where 1. 2. 3. can be a) b) c) or A) B) C) or (i) (ii) (iii) or
> <<<<<1>>>>-->> <<<<<2>>>-->> <<<<<3>>>->> ... or anything like that.
>
> You can have regular bullet point lists or a number of interesting
> replacements for bullet symbols like "-" or squares, triangles, boxes,
> hands, hearts...
>
> You can also have sub lists like:
>
> 1.
> 2.
> 2.1
> 2.2
> 2.3
> 3.
>
> These can be nested indefinately
>
> 2.1
> 2.1.1
> 2.1.1.1
> 2.1.1.1.a
>
> You can set each "." seperator to anything you like: eg
> 2--1>>>1<<<<1))))a
> as well as encapsulate each sub element in its own enclosing text. eg
> (2).<1>.<<1>>.1).(((a)
>
> The font and style properties of each paragraph with a list element are
> inherited by the next list element.
>
> The paragraphs following a list element initially aquire a new list
> element but this can be deleted and the next element will be updated to
> account for this.
>
> Anyway, please try out the feature and give us your feedback. Tell us if
> it does what you want and if doesn't tell us the behaviour you expected.
>
> That would be very helpful.
>
> Cheers
>
> MArtin
>
>
> On Wed, 22 Nov 2000, Randy Kramer wrote:
>
> > Martin,
> >
> > (I use Office (Word) 97.)
> >
> > I'm more familiar with outlines than lists. I know that Word 97 has
> > increase / decrease buttons on the outline tool bar which serve to raise
> > or lower the level of a heading. In Word, toolbars can be created and
> > customized, so a user can leave these increase / decrease buttons on a
> > toolbar or take them off. I'm sure AbiWord does not have that feature
> > yet, but I'm hoping that there is nothing being built to preclude that
> > possibility in the future.
> >
> > Even though I use outlining a lot, I generally don't use the increase /
> > decrease buttons on the toolbar, I use the keyboard shortcuts. On my
> > customized toolbar, I don't include those buttons, there are buttons
> > (and controls -- like the font size combo box) that are more useful to
> > me.
> >
> > Digression: I am confused about how lists relate to outlines. I think
> > that lists and outlines are almost the same -- outlines use heading
> > "paragraphs" with formatable styles designated Heading 1 thru Heading 9.
> > Ordinary text can be interspersed between outline headings and is
> > associated with the outline heading above it.
> > Among other things, you can go to the Format | Bullets and Numbering
> > menu and set it so that numbers are automatically applied to those
> > headings based on their position in the outline and the heading level.
> > (That may not be very clear -- level 1 headings might be numbered 1, 2,
> > 3, the first level 2 heading under the second level 1 heading might be
> > numbered 2.1, and so on.)
> > If lists use the same Heading 1 thru Heading 9 styles, you've got a lot
> > of the outlining feature already built, and you can provide a
> > collapsible outline by giving the user options to make some headings
> > (and associated text) temporarily invisible. (For example, if all
> > headings (and text) at heading level 2 or above (higher numbered
> > headings) are made invisible, the outline is "collapsed" to level 1 (the
> > top level).)
> >
> > I guess a list does not have to use the styles "Heading 1" thru "Heading
> > 9" but can use other styles with "outline levels" (1 thru 9) associated
> > with them.
> >
> > In your opinion, is your implementation of lists a step on the road to
> > implementing collapsible outlining?
> >
> > Randy Kramer
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Martin Sevior wrote:
> > >
> > > One thing that MS Word has that would be easy to add for Abi are buttons
> > > to increase and decrease the indentation level of lists. I could do this
> > > before 0.7.12 if people want it but it will take up another two spots in
> > > our valuable toolbar real-estate. Are there opinions on whether we want
> > > these buttons?
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > >
> > > Martin
> > >
> > > PS. Dom, can you describe how you get cursor dirt with Lists? I can
> > > probabally fix it quickly.
> > >
> > > On Tue, 21 Nov 2000, Dom Lachowicz wrote:
> > >
> > > > Please read this. Ken and I spent some good amount of time discussing some
> > > > UI problems/enhancements that we'd like to see in AbiWord. Please comment on
> > > > this, suggest more stuff, etc... Feel free to drop by on IRC
> > > > (irc.gnome.org#abiword) I'm going to start fixing a few of the Gnome-only
> > > > items now. Perhaps we need a UI hit-squad team? Anyway, here are some intial
> > > > suggestions.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > Dom
> > > > _____________________________________________________________________________________
> > > > Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
> > > >
> >
> >
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