[Sugar-devel] [DESIGN] Toolbars review

[Gary Martin]

Hi Gonzalo,

Apologies for the long overdue reply to this old thread!

On 26 Sep 2011, at 04:20, Gonzalo Odiard wrote:

> Hi Gary and team :)
> Here, in SugarCamp Junin, we did a review at the state of the toolbars.
> These are ideas to discuss, if you want in the meeting, or start over mail.
> We don't know if will be available tomorrow to participate in the Design Team meeting.
> Regards, 
> 
> Gonzalo & Manuel
> 
> Toolbar Catalog: http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Design_Team/Toolbar_Catalog
> 
> Browse:
> * Can we move the Next/Previous buttons to the left of the url entry, like in other browsers,
> and may be move the home button to the rigth.

I prefer the URL entry field centred in the toolbar, given the full screen design, but otherwise don't see a strong argument for which side the Next/Previous buttons go. Would such an argument change for right-to-left languages? I'd vote for making no change on this one just for now.




> Finance:
> * Replace the "Period" label and the combo, with a RadioMenuButton with calendar icon.

Would you be able to see the currently selected time period in the toolbar without needing to re-open the menu to see which radio item was active?

> * Add a Edit button and implement copy/paste.

+1

> * Move the transactions buttons to the right of the view button.

+1

> * Move the help bar to the bottom of the screen?

Not sure we have a consensus on help placement yet. In TA, the help feature uses the secondary toolbar UI, though it tries to stick to short concise two line help hint text, rather than large paragraphs of text as found in Finance.

> Fototoon:
> * Check activity icon, looks smaller than the others.

Yea, it is a little on the small side, the stroke is also too thin and the buddy icon circle head is not quite to the right proportions (needs to move up and grow a little larger).

> GetBooks:
> * Move the Journal source option in the combo to separated button in the toolbar?

Agreed that this feature is a little hidden/unexpected at the moment, though I'm not convinced moving it out into the toolbar would be a good move. The current three choices in that combo menu (Feedbooks, Internet Archive, and My Books) are all exclusive view modes for the UI. One simple tweak that may help would be to add the Browse icon to both the Feedbook and Internet Archive menu items to indicate that they refer to remote internet sources (and thus that My Books refers to the Journal as shown by its current icon).

> * Move the language combo to a configuration (spanner) subtoolbar?

I'm fine with it as a text combo, what was the reason for wanting to move this into a configuration sub-toolbar? Not enough toolbar space for new features? Problems with long translation texts?

> ImageViewer:
> * We should standarize rotate buttons in ImageViewer, Paint and FototToon.

+1, Paint looks like it has the nicest rotate buttons, and we should consider adding the final selection into sugar-artwok.

> * Move fullscreen button at the rigth of Zoom buttons, add a separator and next the rotate buttons.

Not sure the reasoning behind this. I do notice that we seems to have two invisible padding separators either side of the current rotate icons which seems a little weird and non standard (either you have a standard vertical separator line or you don't, the only exception is when trying to use an expanding separator to right align some icons in the toolbar e.g. Help, and Stop).

> Implode:
> * The buttons in the main toollbar should be left aligned (Manu has a patch).  

+1! The New and Replay icons could do with some work as well, but that's another todo ;)

>  Infoslicer:
> * The icon used in Publish button, is the Keep button icon and should be replaced 
> by a export icon.

Fixed already in InfoSlicer-10

> Jukebox:
> * We can replace the sound icon, by a icon with a plus sign because is a add sound button.

Could certainly use a help hint. Perhaps an add sign could be overlaid onto this default icon so we keep fairly close to the default audio icon design? Or perhaps take that musical note shape and make it larger & white with an add sign to one side?

> * We can add another button with to add video, opening the object chooser filtering video files.

I guess the ObjectChooser only allows one filter type at a time (otherwise a single 'Add media' button that filtered for audio and video would be simpler).

> * The play button looks bigger than the other media operations buttons.

These are already the correct icons as per sugar-artwork.

> * Can we improve the volume control? May be use the same icons than the frame and a more conventional palette?

I think one confusion is also that the playhead position slider looks like it might be the controller for the volume level. Perhaps have two sliders, each with a icon (one for volume, one for position), and a separator between them to make sure the icon associates with the correct slider? If primary toolbar space is limited, perhaps go with the standard volume device toolbar button and have it open a regular palette with a horizontal slider inside?

> Try standarize the icon with other sound activities, like TamTamSuite.

Yes needs work, TamTam goes with a volume icon design that consists of a dot and two arcs o))

> Labyrinth:
> * Replace the export icons with the icons with the journal badge (Manuel will improve the icons from Write)

+1

> * There changesin the toolbar in git, without packaging.

Last time I tested the version in git the fonts were badly broken due to extra feature the current maintainer was trying to add.

> * Need a help button (for example is difficult discover the move of objects with the right button)

I don't think adding help is so much the issue, just that the original GNOME Labyrinth UI was so randomly designed. There are far too many modes and hidden behaviours that need to be fixed to simplify the interface – unfortunately the current maintainer seem more interested in pilling extra features on top, rather than fixing what is already there to be user friendly :(

> * There are mode buttons in a subtoolbar? May be should be in the main toolbar.

Is this in the unreleased version in git? Ouch! Well I hope at the very least this secondary toolbar is open by default at launch time so a new users at least has some small chance of understanding what's going on :-(

> Log:
> * There are a separator before the copy button?

Looks like an invisible separator, no need for that. Also check for more invisible separators taking up space as there seems to be some odd large gaps in there.

> * The wrap button is using a left align icon and is not the proper metaphore.

I agree, but it works quite well. Any better suggestions?

> * The gear button is not correct for the used subtoolbar. In fact, we can move the two buttons in 
> the subtooolbar to the main toolbar.

Delete log (not really a feature I think we need anyway) can go where the cog icon currently is, and the 'log collector' icon should move into the Activity icons secondary toolbar... that someone removed along with the ability to name a log activity entry and see them recorded in the Journal :( I used to copy and paste trace back information into the Log journal entry description field, so I could quickly search for them later after testing.

> * The log colllector icon should not be the loupe. May be use a export icon.

+1 It should be like a normal export/save as type icon as per other activities.

> * Move the wrap button after the separator next to the search controls.

I don't think this needs to move. Any particular reason to move it?

> Maze:
> * Move the activity name entry to the main toolbar.

+1

> * Move the share button after the activity name entry like in the other activities.

+1

> Measure:
> * Replace the lips icon, with the microphone like in Record.

+1

> Pippy:
> * How can the user save a modification?

Fixed already in Pippy-43

> Read:
> * Use the Next/Previous icons like in Browse?

Yes I think the go-previous-paired and go-next-parired would work a little better here.

> * The index button can use a RadioMenuButton to show the options in the combo,
> and avoid use a subtoolbar only to this combo.

I don't think I've ever seen the index button, but this sounds like a reasonable change.

> * Move the favorite button to the last position.

+1 if you mean to remove the invisible separator before the star icon (it could do with a help hint as well)

> Record:
> * May be replace the combos with the icons by RadioMenuButtons?

Possibly, but I quite like seeing the icons and text in the primary toolbar so I know easily what the current settings are. Obviously this only works if long text translations are not bumping our buttons off the toolbar, but I've not seen this reported for Record.

> Speak:
> * Replace the last icon (robot) by the spanner.

+1 (mainly as it's a little confusing to have two Speak icons in the primary toolbar). FWIW the Eyes and Mouth combos were not working for me when I tested with Speak-33.

> * Improve the mode icons?

I guess the lightbulb icon should be a robot, also there's an invisible separator after the Activity icon, perhaps just make it a regular visible separator?

> TamTamEdit
> * The Record button cen be removed, and move the Save to ogg button to the activity toolbar,
> changing the icon to a export sound icon.

+1 for moving the Record Ogg button to the Activity toolbar and making it the usual export sound icon

> * What is the function of the save keyboard button.

No idea! And having just had a poke through the source code I am none the wiser...

> * The volumen/tempo button in the configuration subtoolbar can be moved to the main toolbar.

+1

> * The palette in the spanner in the configuration subtoolbar, can be moved to the spanner 
> in the main toolbar, then we can remove the subtoolbar and avoid duplicating the icon.

+1

> TamTamJam:
> * The "Mute loops" icon is not very intuitive. Looks like mute speakers icon.

Agreed, any suggestions?

> * We should unify the design of the volume/tempo palettes with TamTamEdit:
>   no strings, put icons on the left of the Adjustement widgets. 

Secondary toolbar or palette? Normal left aligned widgets or centred? Stick with current icons? Note that TamTam's icons vary depending on the slider position o o) o)) o))) and the tempo has a walking/running person.

> * The collections should be left aligned.

+1

> TamTamSynth:
> * The rounded clear icon to clear the desktop, should be the rectangular clear icon, like in Paint

+1

> Terminal:
> * Use the same style in the tabs as Browse.

+1 :)

Regards,
--Gary

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