[Lazarus] Screenshots with a header

[Juha Manninen]

On tiistai, 15. joulukuuta 2009 18:24:42 Santiago A. wrote:
> Hello Juha Manninen:
Hello!

> I find the interface of profiles a little confusing:
> 
> 1) As far as I have understood, there is a default profile, the one that
> is used when you select the menu option "Build lazarus". If this the
> case, the buttons up down have no sense because the order of profiles
> has no meaning, it's not like a list of paths or cascade rules. It 's
> confusing, the user may wonder "What happens if I move a profile up or
> down? is the building system going to apply them in order?". I think it
> only needs a button "Set this profile as default".

The order may have a meaning to the user.
Same thing as with Tools --> Configure external tools...
For the computer it makes no difference but for the user it can make a 
difference. If the order was not configurable then someone would very soon 
complain about it. And that would be OK because a user should be able to order 
his own list of settings if he wants to.
In my implementation the default profile is the one selected. There is no need 
for a button to select it again. It is very intuitive IMO.


> 2)  Each profile should be saved separately. When you click edit a
> profile, the profile form should open in a new form with buttons save
> and cancel. I don't like the idea of saving other profiles I don't see
> and that I may have changed without realizing.

How can you change a profile without realizing it?  :-) Ok, just kidding...

Actually having a separate "edit profile" window is a good idea. However it is 
the opposite of the original dialog's logic. Most developers are now using 
just the advanced page. The quick options page was a hack for some people's 
needs. Your solution would require more mouse clicks to change build settings 
and I guess some people would not like it.
My solution is kind of a compromise here. It allows easy and quick editing but 
still offers a sane and intuitive GUI.


> 3) If you edit a profile in a separated form, you can't show details as
> you do now. There are two options:

> a) Reuse the edit form, instead of the label or icon "edit"., you may
> use a more generic label "Properties" so if the user wants details opens
> the edit form and cancels.

> b) Add at the bottom of  the form the detail, as user can't change (now
> uses the form), you needn't radiobots, just label "Widget: GTK", so you
> don't need so much space.

You mean like a read-only form showing the values? We could implement some 
read-only setting to my Build Profiles, too. Some profiles would be read-only 
until you explicitly select to edit then.
I was planning to change Widgetset radiobutton to combobox already. 
That would save space and make it look cleaner.


> So the interface needs:
> - Show which is the default profile (perhaps adding the string
> "(Default)" in the listbox of profiles)
> - A button  to set the default profile to the selected one.

The default profile is the one you have selected in the list.


> - A delete profile button.

There is one. It says '-' and Remove.


> - A "new" profile button that opens the form for edting. Perhaps
> intializating the data, except name, with the current selected profile

There is an "Add" button for that. It behaves just as you described.


> - A "properties" button, that open the form for editing the profile. Or
> an "edit" button that opens the form, and add to the list form a way
> display details of the selected profile.

Yes, let's see what other people think of that.


> - The save button  for the full list disappears.There is nothing to save
> but the default profile.
> - The editing form, besides the current data, needs a name. We could
> also remove the rename button from then profiles list from.

Yes, if renaming was done in a separate form then the rename button would be 
useless.


Regards,
Juha Manninen