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List:       kde-bugs-dist
Subject:    [Bug 121233] New: Suggestions for the new koffice startup dialog -
From:       Marco Menardi <mmenaz () mail ! com>
Date:       2006-02-02 15:04:40
Message-ID: 20060202160434.121233.mmenaz () mail ! com
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http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=121233         
           Summary: Suggestions for the new koffice startup dialog - more
                    usable
           Product: koffice
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: Compiled Sources
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: wishlist
          Priority: NOR
         Component: general
        AssignedTo: koffice kde org
        ReportedBy: mmenaz mail com


Version:           recent svn code (using KDE KDE 3.5.1)
Installed from:    Compiled From Sources
OS:                Linux

** Startup dialog goals **
It has to provide a fast way for the user to achieve the most common tasks when the \
program is launched. With traditional behaviour, the program creates and empty \
document and the user has to use the File menu to start the real work

** User needs **
Based upon my home and office (=work) experience, I think that the most common tasks \
an user has to achieve when fires up a koffice program are: a) open a recent \
document. Even if there is a preview menu, very often after I've printed a document, \
I notice some issues and I've to retrieve it to edit. Or I have to complete a \
document I have abandoned the morning/day before. Or just want to remember which \
document I edited in the near past. b) create a new document based upon a template. \
With template I don't intend a collection of 100 or more, but a restrict number of \
customized ones. For instance, in my office I've just 3 templates, one for commercial \
letter, one for envelope of DL size, and one for fax. When I create a document, I \
want to be able to easily and fast choose among those 3 templates. c) open an \
existing document. It has to open a file open dialog in a directory I've defined as a \
default one (in my office, I've a directory with all the subdirs related to my \
documents, shared with my secretary). Would be great having a sort of bookmarks to be \
able to set more than one directory.

** Problems with the current design (svn code of 1.4.99) **
To switch from tasks a,b,c, the current dialog has 2 kind of gizmos: a kListView for \
"Recent documents" and templates, and one button for "Open existing document...", and \
this is not good. In addition, sure for space reasons, that button does not have a \
icon the user can recognize. More, in the File menu the usual order is "New, Open, \
Open recent", while in this dialog is a sort of "Open recent, New, Open". In this \
kListView it presents multiple groups of templates, while common user needs is to \
have a very restrict number to choose from. If you select a template, on the right \
you have the option to "Always use this template", that has not to be put in this \
dialog, since is not something is needed very frequently (so against the goal of this \
dialog) and, in addition, if you check it, this beginning dialog is skipped and you \
will have an hard time to find out how to make it come back again (btw, as general \
rule, I think that this kind of settings have to be put where you can switch them \
on/off in the same place, so you immediately know where to revert them). Also this \
dialog makes items be "double click" activated, against the default "single click" of \
kde. I mean, if I want to open a recent document, or create a document from a \
template, I have to double click on the document filename or the template name. Don't \
know how to avoid this, and to be sincere I do hate the single click paradigm, but \
with a mixture of singe and double click is sure bad.

** Proposal **
The proposal is based upon 2 main modifications: a) rearrange the templates stuff b) \
polish the visual interface. For a), koffice should provide (not in the startup \
dialog, of course, I mean through ordinary menu) a fast way to not only manage \
templates, letting the user to create / edit / delete / rearrange them, but also a \
special directory or template flag where to put user's default templates, the ones \
that have to be shown in the startup dialog (this at user and also global level, if \
possible, so you can easily accommodate an entire office needs with good defaults, \
letting each user the possibility to add special templates for his own use). Widgets \
of the same kind (buttons, as in my sample image, or a tab widget) should be provided \
to switch from Default templates – Open – Open recent. I've put them in the same \
order of the File menu,but the default one should be "Open recent". Krita or other \
applications where this makes sense, could have an additional button on the left, \
under "Open recent" (but with double space) for the creation of a custom document.

A very primitive screenshot of an alternative:

http://www.ammdomus.it/download/KDE/koffice_startup_dialog.jpg


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