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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: kword doc not saved
From:       Greg Turpin <gregturp () home ! com>
Date:       2001-05-29 4:41:10
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Yeah, on Save, popup a dialog box explaining the read-only
status.
Give them an option (button) to do Save As...

On Monday 28 May 2001  4:17 pm, David Stidolph wrote:
> I generally don't like "OK" dialogs because they interrupt work.  If the
> user does know the file is read-only it is annoying.  If the user
> doesn't understand what "read-only" (Lord help us, there are people like
> that - even with Linux users) is your only going to confuse them.
>
> How about a dialog on Save that is a little different.  Something that
> would tell them it is read-only and allow them to try to make it
> writeable or to change the name?  There are times when I try to edit a
> read-only file and I need to update that file, not rename it.  Of course
> permissions may not allow me to change the read-only state. :)
>
> This would be the least intrusive I would think.
>
> David Stidolph
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Faure [mailto:david@mandrakesoft.com]
> Sent: Monday, May 28, 2001 4:10 PM
> To: koffice@max.tat.physik.uni-tuebingen.de
> Subject: Re: kword doc not saved
>
> On Monday 28 May 2001 23:47, David Stidolph wrote:
> > Please understand, I like making things simple - AND I like choices.
>
> If
>
> > you make a dialog come up if you open a read only, it interrupts work
> > and forces a response from the user (bad).
>
> Well, if it's just a "OK" dialog, answering it won't even require an
> immediate
> decision :). As you said, maybe it's important enough that the doc is
> readonly,
> to tell the user. IMVHO it's not though - the user can always save it,
> just not
> with that name (and/or under that directory).
>
> > However, if the user has no
> > way to know that the file is read only and proceeds with editing it
>
> when
>
> > he tries to save his work he will be blocked (bad).
>
> Blocked, but with an easy solve (save as). Or better, we can disable
> "Save" if the doc is readonly, and only offer "Save As" (just like with
> unnamed documents).
>
> > There are circumstances where you would open a read only file.
> >
> > 1.  Just need info (like the header file example).
>
> Right - that's a case where the dialog box is annoying.
>
> > 2.  Didn't know it was read-only (file copied from cd-rom or under
> > source code control).
>
> So he'll have to "save as".
>
> > 3.  In use by another user that uses file-locking.
>
> Hmm, I don't think we have that yet.
>
> > Choice is important.  If there is no choice YOU are making the choice
> > for the user.
>
> Yes and no. If you apply this statement blindly, then _everything_ ends
> up
> being configurable, and the whole thing becomes a hell to configure.
> Just like
> KControl is really getting too crowded now, I don't think this is worth
> a config option.
> That's the problem with opensource imho: as soon as there are different
> opinions on something, "let's make it configurable" comes up. But 99% of
> the users
> don't configure things. So choosing a reasonable default is MUCH more
> important
> than making things configurable.
>
> >  Note that it can get a little overwelming to a user to be
> > presented with too many choices, but better to err on the side of
> > flexibility than forcing a user to a set of behavior they may not
>
> like.
> So choosing a behaviour that nobody can dislike is also a good
> alternative :)
> Really... name ONE other office suite where the behaviour on readonly
> documents
> is configurable ?
>
> > My normal preference is to load without dialog, make the document
> > unedible and pop up a document if they try to modify telling them the
> > document is read only and offering choices to handle it - make it
> > writeable, change the name or simply block changes.
>
> Why ? On a Unix system, any user always has a place where he can save
> things,
> in his $HOME. So why not let him edit the doc (with a mention that the
> URL he opened
> it from is readonly -> titlebar), and when the user presses Save, open
> the "save as" dialog ?

-- 

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Greg Turpin
gregturp@home.com

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