Mailing List lswitcher-dev@2rosenthals.com Archived Message #152

From: "Doug Bissett" <lswitcher-dev@2rosenthals.com> Full Headers
Undecoded message
Subject: Re: [lswitcher-dev] Properties notebook verbiage
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2020 11:58:33 -0700 (MST)
To: "lSwitcher Developers Mailing List" <lswitcher-dev@2rosenthals.com>

On 2020-11-25, at 18:20:26, Alfredo Fernández Díaz wrote:
>
> Hi, Hi,
>
> On 20/11/25 04:50, Lewis wrote:
> >Hi...
> >
> >On 11/22/20 09:23 am, Alfredo Fern�ndez D�az wrote:
> >>On 20/11/22 05:09, Lewis wrote:
> [...]
> >>>In the help, we refer to the "Taskbar" as the standalone lSwitcher bar, and
> >>>"Widget" as the XCenter widget.  The properties tab includes settings for both
> >>>the Taskbar and the Widget, so the label is misleading (implying only Taskbar
> >>>settings on those pages).
>
> [...]
> >>I always thought of that tab as "Taskbar - whether standalone or widget",
> >>so no big deal for me.
> >
> >I see it as better aligning to how we differentiate the Taskbar (proper noun)
> >and the Widget (proper noun) in the help.
>
> It sure is necessary to differentiate between them in the help where both are referenced. However only one of them can be
> executed at any given time, so none of those properties tabs can apply to "the other" taskbar -- that's why I didn't see it as a
> misnomer.
>
> That said, I understand why you'd prefer to call those tabs different things even if they are on different notebooks. But...
>
> >I never used the widget until we started testing stuff. Now, my main system
> >(T43) runs the Taskbar and my test system (T560) runs the widget, and I can
> >check for consistent behavior between the two. I guess that's also what made
> >me notice all the greyed options on the widget-installed system. The notebook
> >just looks "odd" that way.
>
> I would rather rename the widget tab "XCenter" (maybe "XCenter widget"?), as in "OK, here you configure some bits of
> lSwitcher that live in the XCenter". I would find "Widget" a bit confusing: seeing that I would think "OK, here you configure
> some lSwitch widget (i.e. a part of it)" -- but what you are ultimate configuring is actually on a different app(let).
>
> >>The Mouse action page maybe should be #3, so page #2 would be "Filters" for
> >>both the PM popup and whatever taskbar is in use, but Mouse actions for the
> >>taskbars belong in each taskbar tab IMHO -- don't they apply to the
> >>taskbar/widget only, and not the popup?
> >
> >Indeed, the mouse actions do pertain only to the Taskbar and Widget.
> >
> >Shouldn't Filters go to the Global tab?
>
> Nope, you can (and I indeed do) have different filters in place for the popup and whatever taskbar you are using ;p -- they work
> the same way but are separate entities. I go over this in my never-quite-revamped help file, where I have reduced the separate
> help panels to stubs that describe what each filter list is, then link to a third panel that describes in detail how they work.
>
> >>>My suggestion is [...]
> >>>and splitting the page into two areas:
> >>>
> >>>Common
> >>>    3D look
> [...]
> >>>
> >>>Taskbar
> >>>    Enable
> [...]
> >>>    Reduce desktop workarea
> >>>
> >>
> >>I agree this would make clearer which settings apply to what taskbar.
> >>However, in the same vein, perhaps the "TaskBar" group could only appear in
> >>the dialog for the taskbar, and be absent from the dialog for the widget,
> >>instead of just grayed out.
> >>
> >
> >I like Gregg's proposal of simply presenting the relevant tab for the
> >installed version.
>
> Which in practice would be the same as I said above: since the widget has no settings that are exclusive to it, in the notebook
> tabs you get either ALL taskbar-type settings, or just the common ones.
>
> >>>What is not mentioned in the ticket is that it would be more appropriate to
> >>>reorder the tabs:
> >>>
> >>>List | Popup | Miscellaneous | About
> >>
> >>Why? The Popup is always active, while the taskbar can be disabled, like the
> >>widget -- it won't be active unless you add it to some XCenter.
> >>
> >
> >Hmmm... I hadn't thought of it that way. I tend to think of the Popup as being
> >a convenience feature, alongside the "main" event (Taskbar or Widget).
> >Ordering isn't a really big deal to me as compared to better labeling.
>
> Agreed :-)

I think you guys are doing way too much thinking, and work, for very
little gain.

I like, and use, the widget, mostly because it fits nicely into my
second XCenter (at the top), and it does everything that the Taskbar
does (well, the useful things), without taking up more desktop space.
While it doesn't really make much sense to have the "other" version's
settings included, it really doesn't matter (they are greyed). It is a
set it, and ignore it, thing anyway.

You could spend months trying to make it "perfect", then somebody else
won't like what you did. You also run into the "problem", where making
these changes will break something, somewhere, somehow (fonts are one
example). Other, more important, things need attention (I am pretty
sure that I have found a FAT32, and/or USB, problem, that I am trying
to figure out - look for a report soon).

Just my C $.03.

--
****************************
From Doug Bissett's ArcaOS system
dougb007 at telus.net
****************************
... Never confuse motion with action.

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