Re: UI issue: Text edit mode

["Sameer Sahasrabuddhe" <sameerds gmail com>]

On 8/17/07, Lars Clausen <lars raeder dk> wrote:

> I'm thinking this will be confusing, given the number of other things
> that are being done using the mouse: Selecting, moving, resizing,
> connecting, opening properties.

I don't see why that will confuse the user. We do a lot of things with
the mouse anyway ... This particular action of clicking the text a
second time is more or less ingrained into a typical WIMP user's mind.

> Having a menu entry is a good idea, though I think F2 is not the right
> thing for it -- editing text is not the same as renaming, and F2 is not
> exactly "at hand", keyboard-wise.  I would prefer something that fits
> better in a workflow, which is another reason I'd rather keep the mouse
> out of it.

I see some text, I click on it ... and lo and behold! I can edit it! I
don't care whether its the name of a file or the contents of a text
box. Also it doesn't matter where F2 is ... people already have F2
associated with editing the text in a little box ... I for one,
pressed F2 the first time ever I tried to edit text in Dia. The
keyword here is "affordance".

http://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/affordances.html

Workflow you say? Then I would say put as many actions as possible on
the mouse. Its the one thing that the user handles /constantly/ when
using a graphical program! For small text boxes, the easiest thing in
the world is to point with the mouse in one hand and type using the
other hand.

Sameer.
-- 
Research Scholar, Department of CSE, IIT Bombay
http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/~sameerds/