Re: [Re: Document-based applications]

[Murray Cumming <murrayc usa net>]

Guillermo,

I think these are all good points. I'm going to redo my 'Overwrite' dialog.

About the 'Could not be opened': I hope that it is never shown just like that,
but the fact is that most apps will not check every error code or exception,
but that they need to have SOME fallback. I am saying that there WILL be one
of these dialogs in every app's code, so it should be a standard one.

"Guillermo S. Romero / Familia Romero" <famrom idecnet com> wrote:
> murrayc usa net (2001-04-12 at 1645.45 +0100):
> >   * Overwriting:
> >   Ask the user to confirm before replacing an existing file.
> >   e.g. 'Do you want to overwrite the existing file?' [Yes] [No]
> >   If [No], ask for another filename. Only stop when the user clicks cancel
in
> > the file selection.
> 
> Argh... how many times will that appear? It must be [Overwrite] [New
> Name] [Cancel]. Never [Yes] [No] [Cancel] if right verbs exist.
> 
> > * File|Close
> >   Ask user whether they want to save changes to modified documents:
> >   e.g. 'This document has unsaved changes. Would you like to save it?
> > Document: /home/murrayc/something.blah' [Save] [Discard] [Cancel]
> 
> Here you got it right. :]
> 
> > * File|Exit
> >   Should show the 'File | Close' functionality for each document in turn,
> > bringing the document's instance to the foreground before doing so.
> >   There should *not* be a 'Do you really want to close this application?'
> > dialog.
> 
> Or maybe it should if the apps is a viewer. There is nothing more fun
> than seeing an app close all cos you hit the wrong key (ie Netscape).
> Or at least a config option "Always confirm before exiting?". Viewers
> do not save anything, but reloading lots of things, specially non
> local, is not fun.
> 
> > Session Management:
> >   If the user logs off while an application is open, it should:
> >   - Warn the user about unsaved changes, like File | Exit.
> >   - Restart when the user logs back on.
> >   - Reopen the same documents when the user logs back on.
> 
> If user does not choose Save or Discard, save a temp copy and in next
> start up, remember there is a copy. Like most "old school" editors do,
> which is great when you lose the connection (or nuke X if speaking
> about GNOME ;] ).
> 
> As extension, periodic backup saving would be pretty nice too, if you
> are going to save a backup at the end, why not each X min or X chars
> too? Of course, previous version could also be kept, just in case the
> user want to forget all changes done in the working session.
> 
> > * Misc:
> >   The document's filename (not the whole path) should be shown in the
> > application's title bar. See also * 'Modified' indicator.
> >   If it has never been saved, then the title bar should show 'Untitled'.
> >   Maybe the untitled documents should be numbered.
> >   'Read-only' status should be indicated somehow as well.
> 
> Apple has a nice list of info about this. IIRC is was "untitled" with
> lower case, and the numbering was "untitled", "untitled2", "untitled3"
> and so on, never using a number for the first. So the name is plain
> and "descriptive", and never changes (never adding 1 to the first).
> 
> > * Other possible re-usable dialogs:
> >   - 'This document can not be opened, because it was saved by a later
version
> > of the application.'
> >   - 'This document could not be opened'
> 
> Why? IOW, why the first says "because" and the second does not? Wrong
> format? No permissions? Too few memory? Empty? Damaged? Something like
> that, except "Error D357: Status 832A", is good.
> 
> Wait a sec, why "could"? In which cases would be that used?
> 
> Great idea, fine tune it a bit. ;]
> 
> GSR
>  
> 
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Murray Cumming
murrayc usa net
www.murrayc.com

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