There is an icon box to the left of the horizontal ruler. It shows a tab stop type. By repeatedly clicking on it, the user can cycle through the four types. I suggest adding a tooltip that at least identifies the type, such as “Left Tab”. Implementing the suggestion in the previous paragraph would not really explain the purpose of the icon box. Of course, a user could read the documentation. But perhaps we should consider a longer tooltip than just the tab stop type. For example, “Left tab. Click to cycle through the 4 tab types. Click on ruler to set the tab.” The example is 80 characters, which is long for a tooltip. It might make sense to show it on two lines. Icons marking the three paragraph indents are shown on the horizontal ruler: Left Indent, First Line Indent, and Right Indent. The tooltip for an indent is the position on the ruler, such as 0.5 ". I suggest that the tooltip also identify the indent type. A further refinement of the indent tooltips is possible. As an indent icon is being dragged, the tooltip would be displayed, with the indent’s position continuously updated in the tooltip. This would facilitate fine adjustments. As already mentioned, the tooltip for an indent icon is the position on the ruler. Tab stops on the ruler do not have a tooltip. I suggest that they show the position as a tooltip.
The next paragraph is a revision of the second paragraph in my 2018-02-04 comment. Implementing the suggestion in the first paragraph of my original comment would not really explain the purpose of the icon to the left of the ruler. Of course, a user could read the documentation. But we should consider a bigger change. The tooltip for the icon might initially say, “Left tab. Click to change the tab type. Click on ruler to set the tab.” Instead of cycling through the tab types, a left-click would open a context menu to select a tab type. The right-click function is already used and I am not suggesting that it be changed. It opens a context menu to set the measurement unit for the ruler. In my original comment, I suggested that tab stops on the ruler should have a tooltip that shows the position, such as 0.50 ". This idea could be extended, in the same way I suggested that the indents on the ruler be extended. As a tab stop icon is being dragged, the tooltip would be displayed, with the tab’s numerical position continuously updated in the tooltip. This would facilitate fine adjustments.
Hi Stephen, if you add the keyword needUXEval, you also have to add libreoffice-ux-advise@lists.freedesktop.org to the cc-list
Good idea.
Tried sw/source/uibase/misc/swruler.cxx first, which has a comment part with tooltip. This one could be improved a bit to not show everywhere but isn't a solution for this issue. void SwCommentRuler::MouseMove(const MouseEvent& rMEvt) const char* pTooltipResId=""; if (mbIsHighlighted) { if (mpViewShell->GetPostItMgr()->ShowNotes()) pTooltipResId = STR_HIDE_COMMENTS; else pTooltipResId = STR_SHOW_COMMENTS; } SetQuickHelpText(SwResId(pTooltipResId)); Second try was svx/source/dialog/svxruler.cxx void SvxRuler::MouseMove( const MouseEvent& rMEvt ) ... switch (aSelection.eType) { case RulerType::Indent: ... case RulerType::Tab: { SetQuickHelpText("Tab"); } case RulerType::Outside: { SetQuickHelpText("Outside"); } Doesn't work either.
Created attachment 182288 [details] Color on Apple Ruler We can borrow a technique from Apple: use color for the tab icons. This improves their legibility on the monochrome ruler. According to Steve Jobs, “Picasso had a saying. He said, ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6jeZ7m0ycw
Created attachment 182289 [details] Color on Apple Ruler We can borrow a technique from Apple: use color for the tab icons. This improves their legibility on the monochrome ruler. According to Steve Jobs, “Picasso had a saying. He said, ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6jeZ7m0ycw
The need for a tooltip is clear, no further input from UX needed. Don't get why colors are helping to identify the tab stop type.
The tabs are small and at the bottom of the ruler. Even on a laptop or desktop monitor, the small size is a visual problem. Using color for the manually set tabs would make it practical to increase their size and locate them at the same height as the length markings, without increasing the width of the ruler. Apple and Google (Docs) color the tabs (and other items) on the ruler. It may not be a coincidence that these two companies are major players in the small device market, where screen real estate is at a premium. Also, Collabra colors the indents on the ruler for tablets. It does not have a ruler on phones.
(In reply to Stephen Leibowitz from comment #8) > Apple and Google (Docs) color the tabs (and other items) on the ruler. But they do not provide an application for all platforms with full customizability. If we color the tab indicators we have to introduce another option, which is odd, or find some that can be used. Do you have an idea what tools > options > app color we could use?
Collabora has partially departed from the LO monochrome ruler by coloring the indents blue. Adopting this for LO would not require changing the location, size, or shape of ruler elements. This limited use of color on the LO ruler need not delay an implementation of ruler tooltips. And it would not close the door to a more extensive use of color on the ruler in the future. I think that the specific color is not very important if coloring is limited to the indents. But giving users a choice of color would be desirable if coloring is extended to other ruler elements. In the latter case, an option might be added for the ruler here: Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Application Colors It has been 4½ years since I reported this issue, which initially was limited to ruler tooltips. Is there anything that can be done to advance it?
(In reply to Stephen Leibowitz from comment #10) > I think that the specific color is not very important... Au contraire. Think of Ubuntu where the highlight color is orange and mixing it with some blue alienates the application. Or the latest effort in Calc to use system colors for highlighting failing on macOS as the blue is wrongly adopted. Looking through the tools > options > application colors the "Header and Footer delimiter" could be used (this option is questionable anyway).