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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: KSpread and the cell editor
From:       Inge Wallin <inge () lysator ! liu ! se>
Date:       2009-01-28 20:23:33
Message-ID: 200901282123.33322.inge () lysator ! liu ! se
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On Wednesday 28 January 2009 15:58:05 Tomas Mecir wrote:
> Hello,
>
> as I said on IRC, I'll add some comments.
>
> 2009/1/28 Inge Wallin <inge@lysator.liu.se>:
> > I talked about this on the IRC channel today, and it was agreed that I
> > send this mail to start a discussion. I wonder if it would be difficult
> > to change it to the normal way.
>
> I agree that the current way could be rather confusing. I see three
> possible solutions:
>
> 1. Keep it as it is. The advantage is that we need to do nothing at
> all :) The disadvantages are listed in the original e-mail.
>
> 2. Take the existing docker and have it be docked on the top by
> default. The docker would need to adjust its layout based on its
> height/width ratio, so that it isn't too high when docked along the
> top border. This would keep the defaults sane enough, and would also
> let the users move it elsewhere if so they wish. The disadvantage is
> that the docker would still include the header, thus making it taller
> than a simple edit-box that we had in 1.x.

Forgive me here if I sound ignorant (that's because I am), but this is only a 
good solution if the docker is in fact an ordinary docker and not a tool 
option window.  Because in that case it would disappear if another tool is 
chosen.  I do suppose that since you suggest it here, it is just a normal 
docker that will stay as long as it's not closed.

The disadvantage that I see here is that users may accidentally close it and 
then panic when they cannot find a way to edit their cells.  I would really, 
really like a permanent cell contents editor where any other spreadsheet has 
it.  Permanently.  And not movable.

> Also, I've noticed that different tools remember the layout of their
> respective "Tool Options" docker, so if someone picks a different tool
> (magnifier or freehand or whatever), the formula bar disappears and if
> it's top-docked, everything else shifts upwards - you can easily see
> this by starting KSpread, docking the Tool Options docker to the top,
> then picking anything other than the cell tool from the Tools panel.
> This could be considered a good thing, though.
>
> The current docker has a multi-line edit box, which has to stay if we
> want to preserve the range highlighting functionality, but we could
> "fake" a single-line one by setting its height correctly. We might
> even want to resize it dynamically based on formula length - this
> should be easy to accomplish.

Right now I have not thought through if a multi-line edit box is a good thing 
or not, but I don't think it would hurt to keep the possibility.

> 3. Keep the docker as it is and add a new, separated formula editbox,
> likely as another toolbar, that would duplicate the current docker's
> functionality, and that would be visible at all times, but grayed out
> if the cell tool is not selected - this is what the formatting toolbar
> is doing currently, for example. The problem here is that we'd have an
> extra edit box that would have to be kept in sync, colorized and all.
>
> I personally prefer solution 2.

I prefer solution 2 also, but with the provisos noted above.

> Also - we're in some kind of a feature freeze - is that a problem here?

This is such a big picture issue that we should keep an open mind.  Try to put 
yourself into the clothes of a new KOffice user and see if you wouldn't be 
surprised and scared if the cell editor was in a "strange" place or 
disappeared totally.

	-Inge
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