On Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 2:51 AM, Romain de Bossoreille <romain2boss@...48...> wrote:
Ok, thanks for this picture. I see I've choosen a good exemple :o) .
In my opinion, the wiki webpage I show you should contain only current state of the toolbar and links to proposals. If there is a work in progress or proposals, we should create a dedicated wiki page with all the discussions they need.
Is there already one to speak about your proposition? What's his status? Accepted? Proposal? One of many proposals? I will link it to my template proposal.
There is no wiki page about it to my knowledge.
Maybe I'm speaking after the war, but if you're asking my opinion (and I would be happy to share it on the proposal page):
I never use the gradient toolbar, I always work with the fill and stroke dialog and think the toolbar is a dupplicate and not handy way to do the same job :o) (it's hard to move it, having the toolbar changing at each function requires attention, the inline presentation is not very user-friendly for me and such a function, on my mind the left toolbar where the gradient button is is more for creating objects than for modifying them...).
You're missing out on a great deal of the power of Inkscape if you view the tool controls bar as simply something only to create things and not a great way to go back and modify what you've already created.
This proposal is mixing three concepts so the user can't differentiate them anymore. Unlike you I like the current interface because it let us differentiate them:
It's cleanly broken down. Create the gradient, modify the gradient, modify it's stops. Given that it removes the need to open a dialog and makes the whole process much faster, it's more of a win.
Don't forget a whichlist item that is to add a gradient rename feature (I'm part of those who are asking it!!),
If a single icon button right after the gradient selector widget to rename things is all that important in your view (and I can see the value), by all means add it to the mockup.
With a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng toolbar, will the user be able to use it easily on small screens? On multi-windows at a time?
It's shorter than the Calligraphy & Text Tool Controls bar, it's a non-issue. Multi-windows would function like it currently does and like all other tools are supposed to.
A toolbar is not very evolutive in terms of widget positionning, and you will still need to show dialogs to change the stop colors
I'm not sure how you propose to make it more evolutive with widget position. I'd say it's evolutive in terms of usability and requiring users to remember fewer shortcuts, have more control, and minimize the number of places needed to look to achieve one task (editing gradients). There's no need for showing dialogs, the same as it currently stands. You can do it via the swatches at the bottom of the screen or by using the Click+Drag feature of the color widget at the left of the swatches. If you don't quite understand what I'm saying, create an object, apply a gradient, select a gradient stop on-canvas, click a swatch at the bottom of the screen. The same way it's useful to have named gradients, with the swatches if you have a custom palette, it would speed up the workflow even more (I'm thinking comic or icon creation for example).
I would not love to go on fill and stroke, that opens a dialog and then to change the gradient it changes a toolbar in the main window (I think first I would not see it), and so hiding another one and I've to switch from the fill and stroke dialog to the main window... A strange workflow... I would rather prefer to include directly the gradient dialog in the gradient tab of the fill and stroke dialog and remove this toolbar or at least let the actual one simply doing:
How to apply the gradient, What gradient is selected
That is a really cumbersome approach. Plus, if you're worried about screen space (stated earlier), the Fill & Stroke dialog is monstrous as it stands, adding in gradient editing widgets will truly turn it into a franken-dialog.
This is how I use the gradient feature, but I understand others use it (or want to use it) in a different way!! If I'm hurting anyone, please let me know.
You're not hurting anyone at all, discussion is good and healthy (rarely does one mind have the ultimately best solution). But one of the things that we have worked towards over the years is requiring as few dialogs as possible. When I was talking to bulia about this, this was something we were heavily focused on (the gradient editing dialog has been in a deteriorating state for years now).
Cheers, Josh