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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: LONG: File-menu
From:       Waldo Bastian <bastian () suse ! de>
Date:       1999-11-17 9:49:28
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On Tue, 16 Nov 1999, zander@microweb.nl wrote:

> KDE is icon driven.
> An application has an icon, a document has an icon. Therefor clicking
> a document will open the application with that document. clicking the
> application icon will open the application.

Yes.
 
> I think a small editor does not need a requestor like you state.
> An application like kWord on the other hand has templates to offer, 
> then it is logical that we see a dialog (like the current situation).
> Don't show a "new file"/"open file" dialog when you start an application, 
> just open a empty (you call dummy) document.

I somehow agree. What I don't like though is that we are mixing up two
models then. I want either model (I) or model (II) for _all_ document
oriented KDE applications (including KOffice).

I can see the point of the "new file"/"open file" dialog
when you start an application like KWord. I also know that experienced
users often don't like to get such dialogs.

What about the following:

> SDI implementations (II)
> In SDI the application is represented by the document-window. Each 
> document-window can contain a single document. 
>
> Starting up an SDI application without specifying a document to load 
> causes the application to start with a dummy document. 
>
> Editing a dummy document turns it into a normal document. 
>
> When a document is opened by selecting either New or Open in 
> the File-menu, a new application is started in which the document is
> loaded. If a document is loaded while the application has a dummy
> document open, no new application is started but the document is
> loaded in the application itself, replacing the dummy document  Please
> note that a single UNIX process may serve multiple application
> instances. 

We could take model (II) but allow applications, in addition to
opening a dummy document, to show a "new file"/"open file" dialog as
well.

This "new file"/"open file" dialog should then have an option 
like  "Don't ask. Always start with empty document."

With this approach, close should close the document but not the
application. Instead the "new file"/"open file" dialog pops up just
as when you start the application for the first time.
(Unless you have selected the "Don't ask. Always start with empty 
document." In that case you directly get a dummy document without a
dialog.)

Note: selecting the "Don't ask. Always start with empty document."
should give you a message box which explains what you are about to do,
explains how you can enable this dialog again and asks you whether you 
are sure you want this.

Would this be acceptable for KOffice? (Reggie? Anyone?)

I like this approahc because it offers a consistent work model across
all applications, takes into account differences in complexity of
applications. (kedit doesn't need to have a "new file"/"open file"
dialog.) It offers new users guidance through dialogs while
experienced users don't need to feel like their applications are
baby-sitting them.

Cheers,
Waldo

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