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List:       koffice
Subject:    [Bug 121233] New: Suggestions for the new koffice startup dialog -
From:       Marco Menardi <mmenaz () mail ! com>
Date:       2006-02-02 15:04:39
Message-ID: 20060202160434.121233.mmenaz () mail ! com
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------- You are receiving this mail because: -------You are the assignee for the bug, or are \
watching the assignee.         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 \
                SourcesOS:                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____________________________________koffice \
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