Re: Usability: search dialog missing

[Jost Boekemeier <jostb2345 yahoo de>]

> No, I don't, in fact I don't even know what that
> means.

For example: 

* search direction: up/down

* case sensitive: yes/no

* match whole word: yes/no

* regexp search: yes/no

* wrap around: yes/no

* the position and the size of the search dialog

* highlight all matches: yes/no

* last search terms


Of course one expects that these options remain and do
not vanish whenever one clicks on the scroll bar, for
example.

I would say that each state, for eample "searching" or
"opening" requires a dialog which provides feedback.


> someone asking for more dialogs.

Well, one could nuke every dialog and place all
buttons in the main window. But I think that would be
more confusing than helpful.


> But the *only* 
> feature you've listed (search history) is one that
> would work equally well in the search bar.

The search history was only one example for the state
presented by the dialog. And I don't think that a
history makes sense in the tiny search bar at the
bottom. I don't even need this bar. In emacs I usually
use C-s or C-r and type ahead without looking at the
status bar (btw: emacs offers both, a normal search
*and* isearch).


> > How should that work?
> In exactly the same way as it does in the dialog,

Do you really want to add all the above features to
the  status bar?  Okay, if you make sure that the bar
does not vanish when one selects text or scrolls
through the document and if you make the bar
detachable.
 

> exception that you don't need to press Enter to find
> the first occurrence.

Doesn't work in a huge document, because the search
algorithm cannot provide feedback while you type.
While it tries, you'll see that the CPU load jumps to
100% and the brower hangs until the search string is
long enough. In this cases you'll need the normal
search dialog, anyway.


> How would a search dialog let you "'navigate'"
> through the document in 
> ways that the search bar does not, or in ways where
> the search bar is 
> slower to use? Please give examples in terms of key
> presses and mouse 
> clicks.

* Search for all previous occurences. Dialog: select
seach direction up, n* enter.  In the current
implementation impossible (one must press at least 3
keys at once; more appropriate for a squid).

* Dialog remembers last search options. Conflicts with
incremental search.

* Dialog does not vanish when you scroll through the
document. Conflicts with incremental search.




	

	
		
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