Re: [Usability] Keyboard prefs, layouts tab

[Joachim Noreiko <jnoreiko yahoo com>]

--- Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt myrealbox com> wrote:

> On Apr 2, 2006, at 9:09 PM, Joachim Noreiko wrote:
> > ...
> > The layouts selection dialog shows you the diagram
> of the keyboard.
> > This has problems of its own: the dialog is as big
> as it can be, but 
> > the diagram is too small to be useful.

> The minimum size of the window is not really the
> issue here -- on my 
> system it's 204*169 pixels, much smaller than the
> default. The issue is 
> that the diagrams are unreadable at *any* size. Even
> when I resize the 
> window to about 2000*740 pixels, some of the writing
> is still too small 
> to be shown as distinct characters (particularly on
> the numeric 
> keypad).
> 
> > Can anyone think of a better and more elegant way
> to
> > fix this?
> 
> None of these would solve the problem by themselves,
> and some of them 
> are mutually exclusive, but they'd all help.
> *   Let windows have a preferred size, which the
> window manager can
>      ignore if the screen's not that big.
> *   Arrange the unShifted and Shifted characters
> horizontally on each
>      key, instead of vertically, allowing for a
> bigger font.

That has less visual impact, and it doesn't look like
what's on my real keyboard. Also, where would you put
the 3rd & 4th level characters?

> *   Make modified characters appear only when that
> modifier key is held
>      down (à la Key Caps on classic Mac OS), so the
> whole of each key
>      can be used to display one character at a time.
> *   Use less padding for each key in the diagram.
> *   Use a transparent background for the diagrams
> (but not the keys),
>      so the layouts can go right up to the edges of
> their diagrams.
> *   (Worst option) Use a tooltip for each key.
Indeed! Yuck!

I would add:
* blow up the key that's currently highlighted, in the
style of the old windows character map.

I don't know if the maintainer is still reading this
thread... but I'll point it out to him.
I wonder if there's anything that could be feasibly
implemented for 2.14.1.

> > Once again, AFAIK, this text is determined by X,
> not GNOME. So we're 
> > stuck with it.
> 
> How so? Does Xorg really have the text "R-Alt
> switches group while 
> pressed.", etc, in it somewhere?

The text that populates that unpleasant tab is from
/etc/X11/xkb/rules/xorg.xml
I have no idea who is responsible for that file
though.

> > Update on this: Vuntz tells me that he plans to
> work on stuff in 
> > panels that would allow a button in this pref tool
> 'Add keyboard 
> > indicator to the panel'.
> 
> Excellent. Probably the only question remaining
> would be "'panel'? 
> what's the panel?"

Isn't 'panel' like 'desktop' or 'button' -- one of
those words we can feasibly hope a user knows, or can
look up in the User Guide intro or the glossary?

> Further evidence that there is no such thing as the
> notification area. 
> It's too small to show notifications, so it's used
> mostly for other 
> things.

Hence, I believe, the reason for the maintainer
waiting for a complete overhaul:
http://live.gnome.org/AppletsRevisited

Unfortunately, users suffer in the meantime & we look
like we're rubbish -- our promotional material claims
we're all international and everything, but this
proves we're not.  :(

> 
> >> This bug is also what makes the list nearly
> impossible to label.
> >
> > Would 'Use these layouts' do?
> > ...
> 
> Use them for what? :-)

What we basically want to convey is that these are the
layouts in play.
Current layouts? (makes me think of circuit diagrams)
Enabled layouts?

> To get back to your original problem about how to
> document this, I 
> suggesting writing a step-by-step "How to use
> multiple keyboard 
> layouts", using apologetic humor to pick around the
> whole Charlie 
> Foxtrot.
> <http://g2meyer.com/usablehelp/singles/245.html>

In the prefs help, I've added a link to the Keyboard
Indicator panel applet.
I do plan on writing a whole new section on various
keyboard & mouse features (eg primary paste, & so on),
which would also cover this. (Ideas on where I can
shoehorn this into the User Guide would be
appreciated!)

But documentation can only go so far. This interface
needs fixing. 

Joachim

PS. I'll think about the humour angle. Hard to get
right, though.


		
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