Bug 137161 - Navigator sidebar: unify navigator layout between all LibO modules
Summary: Navigator sidebar: unify navigator layout between all LibO modules
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsUXEval
: 136420 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2020-09-30 13:00 UTC by andreas_k
Modified: 2020-10-01 10:41 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Navigator sidebar layout (176.31 KB, image/png)
2020-09-30 13:00 UTC, andreas_k
Details

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Description andreas_k 2020-09-30 13:00:49 UTC
Created attachment 165977 [details]
Navigator sidebar layout

If you have a look at the different Navigator sidebars between the different LibO modules (writer, calc, impress, draw,...) the layout look very different. The reason is maybe cause Jim is working on the navigator and not everything is done, but I would like to know, how the final navigator sidebar layout will look like.

I would prefer an unify look between all LibO modules.
Comment 1 andreas_k 2020-09-30 13:04:58 UTC
For sure I can make an mockup, but first I'd like to know, maybe there is already an final goal that fit's this request.

The Navigator in writer is for me the confusest one without read the help, it's not possible to understood this icons. Tooltips will help a bit, but in addition I need the help to understood.

Calc is for me the navigator with an simple and usedfull layout.

Impress is easy to understood, but in general the icons are not that usefull at all.

In general I would prefer an layout similar to the navigator layout in calc for all modules.
Comment 2 V Stuart Foote 2020-09-30 14:19:08 UTC
They are fine, different layouts for different functional requirements. 
Leave it alone. 

-1
Comment 3 andreas_k 2020-09-30 14:22:05 UTC
Good but can you describe writer navigator sidebar without help?
Comment 4 V Stuart Foote 2020-09-30 14:27:46 UTC
(In reply to andreas_k from comment #3)
> Good but can you describe writer navigator sidebar without help?

Yes, but I have read the manual--and Jim's/Caolan's source reworking the Find bar mode listbox as core replacement for the Navitator's Navigation toolbox.

Any lack of clarity is a documentation issue (help & tooltip)--not something to be endlessly rehashed with non-performant tweaks of the GUI. And certainly not something done cross module.
Comment 5 Roman Kuznetsov 2020-09-30 16:53:12 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #2)
> They are fine, different layouts for different functional requirements. 
> Leave it alone. 
> 
> -1

Fully agree

-1 from me too
Comment 6 andreas_k 2020-10-01 09:17:45 UTC
the question of the bug was, what's the plan for the future of the Navigator.

So an -1 will mean, no unify navigator layout.

But I'd like to know if there are some changes planned.
Comment 7 Heiko Tietze 2020-10-01 09:36:43 UTC
We discussed this in the design meeting and had difficulties to find a consensus.

So far the HIG [1] says:

* Avoid vertical scrolling by having content fit into deck height (in respect to LibreOffice’s default resolution of 1280×768 pixels). In the case of too many options, consider splitting them into different deck or (preferably) split over more content panels within the same deck.
* Prefer controls where the setting is one click away (e.g. list box rather than drop down or direct access to recently used colors in addition to the widget).
* Prefer mouse-driven graphical widgets in favor of controls that require the input of an exact value (e.g. an image’s transparency with discrete steps via sliders).
* Consider introducing presets of properties comprising of the most relevant settings. For instance, one page margins with all four values.
* Take care of the appropriate tab sequence to support accessibility.

Yesterday's minutes:

+ there are a lot of duplicate functions right now (Sascha); not much of an
  issue because sidebar allows alternative workflows (Stuart)
+ concerned about too many functions in the SB (Heiko); with the first 
  implementation many dialogs were removed, eg. styles, navigator (Stuart)
  + Allow undocking of Sidebar decks (tdf#85905) improves the situation
+ contextual content panel should be avoided (Heiko)
+ <ironic> why not get rid of the properties deck? (Stuart)

My personal view would be that attributes not being an UNO command would be better suited for the sidebar as UNO commands are perfect for toolbars. But that's probably not a good advice. Your initial statement of _harmonization_ makes also not much sense since we have, for example, the Properties deck with a lot of controls and the Styles Inspector with just one tree (therefore resolving as WF). So maybe we should stick to the current HIG and add recommendation for the layout as you did for the property dialogs [2]. Would you volunteer to do this, Andreas?

[1] https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Guidelines/SideBar
[2] https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Guidelines/PropertyDialog
Comment 8 Heiko Tietze 2020-10-01 09:43:56 UTC
*** Bug 136420 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 Heiko Tietze 2020-10-01 10:26:06 UTC
Missed one point: the "optimum" sidebar/deck width should be about 10 toolbar buttons with large icons. It's not recommended to design larger decks.
Comment 10 andreas_k 2020-10-01 10:41:27 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #9)
> Missed one point: the "optimum" sidebar/deck width should be about 10
> toolbar buttons with large icons. It's not recommended to design larger
> decks.

good to know.