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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    RE: Inconsistency in highlighting of panel buttons
From:       "Jamethiel Knorth" <jamethknorth () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2004-08-01 17:49:27
Message-ID: BAY7-F27Nuhfz8MNSMd00066f02 () hotmail ! com
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>From: Maurizio Colucci <seguso.forever@tin.it>
>Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 15:46:56 -0700
>
>Hi guys,
>
>I believe there is a slight inconsistency in the highlighting behavior of
>buttons in Kicker: four different highlighting styles are used, where two
>would be enough (maybe even one).
>
>Historically, there are 4 policies for button highlighing:
>
>1. the classical "pushbutton" policy: the button always has a visible 
>bounding
>box, whether or not the mouse is above the button. The mouse pointer shape
>does not change over the button.
>
>This highlighting policy is typically used in pushbuttons and in old style
>toolbars. In kicker, this policy is used for taskbar buttons and for pager
>buttons.
>
>2. the modern "toolbar" policy. the button only has a visible bounding box
>when the mouse is over it. The mouse pointer does not change over the 
>button.
>
>This highlighting policy is typically used for toolbars and menus. In 
>kicker,
>it is only used for the embedded menu (osx style).
>
>3. the "link" policy: the button never has a visible bounding box. The 
>mouse
>cursor changes shape when it is over the button (typically to a hand).
>
>In kicker, this is used for the K-button and for the other special buttons
>(bookmarks, show desktop, ...). This is surprising, expecially if you come
>from Windows, because those buttons are like toolbar buttons, so behavior 
>(2)
>would be more familiar.

The idea is that the 'link' type buttons in Kicker are actually like type 2 
buttons. That is, they change appearance when the cursor is over them. The 
bounding box is replaced by the resizing of the icons. The important thing 
is that there is clear feedback from the button, and the resizing is a 
perfectly acceptable way to give that.

>4. the "icon" policy: the button never has a visible bounding box. the 
>mouse
>pointer does not change shape over it.
>
>In kicker, this is used for the icons on the tray area. It is like in 
>windows,
>but changing the policy to (2) may be better.

I am certain that the purpose here is that these are not meant to be 
buttons, their primary purpose is in fact to be indicators of information. 
However, this does not seem to actually be the case in KDE as it is in 
MS-Windows, so I would have to agree with you here.

I would also say that it should be done in the same way as type 2, not the 
same as other Kicker buttons (which resize) to avoid confusion as to what 
type of entry they are. Also, this would avoid the fairly ugly 
large-box-around-the-entire-system-tray-whenever-you-mouse-over-it problem.

>To sum up, I suggest remove the behavior (3) and (4) and change it to (2).
>This way there would only be two styles used (1 and 2).
>
>What about it?

See above, where I commented.

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