Subject: Re: About the 0.7.12 deadline and the list's dialog box
From: Mike Nordell (tamlin@algonet.se)
Date: Wed Nov 22 2000 - 16:48:58 CST
Martin Sevior wrote:
> I think we just need to implement the concept of a dirty
> preview. If the preview is changed due to User interaction in the dialog
> moving the cursor in the main window won't update the dialog preview. We
> need an extra button "clear" to sync the preview with the current list
> behaviour in the document. Then the preview is "clean" and should update
> as the user moves about the document. If the user changes something in the
> dialog it won't update until either "apply" or "clear".
>
> I can whip this up in an hour or two I think.
Please stop and think for a moment.
Doesn't this display that we might have a problem with the non-modality of
this dialog?
For any non-modal dialog, I - as a user - would expect that "view" of the
document to display info about the current selection or cursor position.
In the case of the lists dialog, it has a number of inconsistent behaviours
that is possibly to confuse users.
1. It displays the state of the currently selected list.
2. It displays the state of the currently entered new data.
3. It does change this display when switching from this dialog to another
document if no new data has been entered.
4. It *does* change this view if the user didn't enter anything in the
dialog.
Besides these problems, think about the following (not unreasonable)
scenario:
- User opens two documents.
- It creates a bullet list in doc1 and a number list in doc2.
- It selects the list in doc1, selects the lists dialog, and selects to
continue on the existing list. The list displays a bullet list. User makes
one change to the indentation of this existing bullet list.
- Before pressing Apply, User now activates doc2.
See the *serious* problem?
I think it boils down to responsibilities. When a dialog have these
responsibilities:
1. Display currently selected document state.
2. Allow the user to change the document from this dialog *and* the dialog
has at least one choice that is not immediately reflected to that document.
That dialog should be modal.
What do you think?
/Mike - please don't cc
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b25 : Wed Nov 22 2000 - 16:48:57 CST