Bug 140347 - UI: Footnote area in Tools _> Footnotes and endnotes not self-explaining
Summary: UI: Footnote area in Tools _> Footnotes and endnotes not self-explaining
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.2.0.0.alpha0+
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard: target:25.2.0
Keywords: difficultyBeginner, easyHack, skillDesign, topicUI
Depends on:
Blocks: Footnote-Endnote-Properties
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2021-02-11 15:42 UTC by Telesto
Modified: 2024-09-06 15:46 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Suggestion for footnotepage.ui (28.40 KB, image/png)
2024-07-19 08:39 UTC, olagu
Details
new file which solves the task (26.79 KB, application/x-designer)
2024-07-22 09:04 UTC, olagu
Details

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Description Telesto 2021-02-11 15:42:23 UTC
Description:
Footnote area in Tools _> Footnotes and endnotes not self-explaining 

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open Writer
2. tools -> Footnotes and endnotes 
3. Notice Styles -> Footnote area

Actual Results:
-

Expected Results:
In read footnote area as 'footnote text' but it's about Footnote numbering. 


So call it: Numbering footnote area (it should fit). And "numbering text area" instead of simply "text area"

And mixing 'paragraph style' and "character styles" under one label. 


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
Version: 7.2.0.0.alpha0+ (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 3ed9bba283a6a67864c0928186e277240be0d9ba
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 6.3 Build 9600; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: nl-NL (nl_NL); UI: en-US
Calc: CL
Comment 1 Heiko Tietze 2021-02-15 16:06:29 UTC
Help says: "Select the character style that you want to use for footnote anchors in the text area of your document." Don't see what's unclear here (besides the extensive options to customize footnotes). Up to documentation whether this requires more explanation.
Comment 2 Telesto 2021-02-17 08:06:58 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #1)
> Help says: "Select the character style that you want to use for footnote
> anchors in the text area of your document." Don't see what's unclear here
> (besides the extensive options to customize footnotes). Up to documentation
> whether this requires more explanation.

A: Reading the manual/help is always second best. The experience is people don't read those.
B) And in your logic, it would be fine to add labels A,B,C,D,E,F,G. With a transposition table in help. What does A mean here -> read the manual. No not user friendly (sorry my kind of sarcastic today; not to taken personally)

The point being.. I'm opening the dialog, reading the labels, can't make much sense out of it.

I read 'footnote area' as footnote text area.. where it's only changing 'numbering'. It's even hard to tell if you simply try. Yes, I first read the label (and try to make sense of it). B well let's simply try. C last resort.. HELP
But well noticing the difference for single digit number (whereas I was focused on 'footnote text area).. well.

And "Text Area"; lets try text area.. does that do the 'formatting of the footnote text'. Nope.. That's the formatting of the numbering in the main text.

So or the label is wrong (yes it is). Or this needs an info tooltip. 

Aside of the question if those settings really needed (do think it is) and/or using styles to configure (not totally sure). And obviously the dialog is also lacking a preview (which would be the an alternative). How the hell should I know what the styles look like.. Well yes, look them up in the sidebar styles.. but that you can't access with Footnote dialog open.

[Note I'm extending my complains left and right, I started with 'label' and that's my core concern.. but well there is more to it, IMHO]
Comment 3 Heiko Tietze 2021-02-17 09:54:24 UTC
(In reply to Telesto from comment #2)
> I'm opening the dialog, reading the labels, can't make much sense out of it.

Complex software requires learning. Being as simple as Google makes (some) apps results either in less features (GDocs) or more effort analyzing the results (web search). Nothing bad in this but tweaking the hell out of footnotes is definitely not meant for Benjamins but requested by the Eves.

Anyway, the topic is in the hand of the documentation team and I welcome when it's bounced back to UX.
Comment 4 sdc.blanco 2021-02-17 10:18:13 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #1)
> Help says: "Select the character style that you want to use for footnote
> anchors in the text area of your document."
That is also the text for the extended tooltip.

If changes are made to the tooltip, then possibly that change could be incorporated in the help page.

> Don't see what's unclear here
Neither do I. 

>Up to documentation whether this requires more explanation.
No obvious change is needed in the help page.

https://help.libreoffice.org/7.2/en-US/text/swriter/01/06080100.html

If there is a specific recommendation for a change there, then send it here.

Meanwhile, the discussion in comments 2 and 3  imply ==> UI
Comment 5 Telesto 2021-02-17 10:40:24 UTC
(In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #4)
> Meanwhile, the discussion in comments 2 and 3  imply ==> UI

A) True, there is no issue with documentation
B) The 'extended tooltips' are disabled by default on Windows (and personally don't like those being enabled by default). So I my information source are the labels itself
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2021-03-04 09:00:47 UTC
We discussed this topic in the design meeting and agree with renaming. Proposal is to use "marker" instead of "area". Meaning "Text area" and "Footnote area" to "Text marker" and "Footnote marker".

This is an easyhack, just needs to change the ui file sw/uiconfig/swriter/ui/footnotepage.ui
Comment 7 sdc.blanco 2021-03-04 09:51:43 UTC
For footnote tab:

Paragraph -> Footnote text
Text area -> Anchor in text
Footnote area -> Anchor in footnote

For endnote tab:

Paragraph -> Endnote text
Text area -> Anchor in text
Footnote area -> Anchor in endnote

iiuc, all control names in dialog needs colons.
Comment 8 sdc.blanco 2021-03-04 10:03:38 UTC
Maybe tooltips will also help with "self-explaining"

> Paragraph -> Footnote text
Tooltip for label:  Choose paragraph style for text in footnote area

> Text area -> Anchor in text
Tooltip:  Choose character style for footnote sign in document text

> Footnote area -> Anchor in footnote
Tooltip:  Choose character style for footnote sign in footnote text

alternative: sign -> marker

Comparable tooltips (but adjusted) for Endnote.
Comment 9 Telesto 2021-03-04 10:56:28 UTC
I personally prefer label change.. Tooltip is likely 'extended tooltip'. Not present by default.
Comment 10 sdc.blanco 2021-03-04 11:03:52 UTC
(In reply to Telesto from comment #9)
> I personally prefer label change..
The suggestion is BOTH, not either/or.
But what is your view about the different label proposals here?

>  Tooltip is likely 'extended tooltip'. Not present by default.
True, there are extended tooltips.
But it is also possible, and proposed in comment 8, to add tooltips to the labels, which would always be present (in addition to label changes).
Comment 11 Telesto 2021-03-04 12:16:20 UTC
(In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #10)
> (In reply to Telesto from comment #9)
> > I personally prefer label change..
> The suggestion is BOTH, not either/or.
> But what is your view about the different label proposals here?
> 
> >  Tooltip is likely 'extended tooltip'. Not present by default.
> True, there are extended tooltips.
> But it is also possible, and proposed in comment 8, to add tooltips to the
> labels, which would always be present (in addition to label changes).

+1 from me for labels + tooltip.
Comment 12 Telesto 2021-03-04 12:24:23 UTC
(In reply to Telesto from comment #11)
> (In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #10)
> > (In reply to Telesto from comment #9)
> > > I personally prefer label change..
> > The suggestion is BOTH, not either/or.
> > But what is your view about the different label proposals here?
> > 
> > >  Tooltip is likely 'extended tooltip'. Not present by default.
> > True, there are extended tooltips.
> > But it is also possible, and proposed in comment 8, to add tooltips to the
> > labels, which would always be present (in addition to label changes).
> 
> +1 from me for labels + tooltip.

Note: I personally prefer include someone from Documentation & Translation. I always imagine the their objecting in sense creating work again [and objection I prefer to ignore). The point is improvement. 

However I do value translation aspects. Label/Tooltips to small, hard to translate issues.  

But well, no clue what the contact person would be in that area (Sophie/Oliver?)
Comment 13 olagu 2024-07-19 08:39:18 UTC
Created attachment 195386 [details]
Suggestion for footnotepage.ui
Comment 14 Heiko Tietze 2024-07-19 12:37:18 UTC
(In reply to olagu from comment #13)
> Created attachment 195386 [details]
> Suggestion for footnotepage.ui

Great to see someone picking up this topic! Some nitpicks: The term Numbering Style is used at or rather close to list styles. The Text Style is a Character Style, to be precise. Please don't forget to add colons (although not in the dialog), see https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Guidelines/PropertyDialog.

Do you want to submit a patch? What do you need?
Comment 15 olagu 2024-07-22 09:04:11 UTC
Created attachment 195437 [details]
new file which solves the task

replace the file attached with core/sw/uiconfig/swriter/ui/footnotepage.ui,
and the task is solved.
Comment 16 Heiko Tietze 2024-07-22 10:00:57 UTC
(In reply to olagu from comment #15)
> replace the file...
Mind to submit this as a patch to Gerrit? https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Development/gerrit
Comment 17 olagu 2024-07-23 03:00:26 UTC
Passing the gates to the manor of the evil mr. Gerrit and his equally evil companions is too much for the moment. The documentation constantly repeat: "If you're stuck, there is help". Which means: You will get stuck. Someone else make the patch and finish up.
Comment 18 Buovjaga 2024-07-23 05:18:56 UTC
(In reply to olagu from comment #17)
> Passing the gates to the manor of the evil mr. Gerrit and his equally evil
> companions is too much for the moment. The documentation constantly repeat:
> "If you're stuck, there is help". Which means: You will get stuck. Someone
> else make the patch and finish up.

Then please send a license statement and I can fabricate the author for the patch:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Development/GetInvolved#License_statement
Comment 19 Buovjaga 2024-07-23 05:19:58 UTC
Another possibility is to add it via the web interface:
https://gerrit-documentation.storage.googleapis.com/Documentation/3.8.6/user-inline-edit.html
Comment 20 Heiko Tietze 2024-08-02 10:58:08 UTC
Made a few changes for the spacing to comply with the HIG [1] (not really happy with the result) and submitted the patch at https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/171400

[1] https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Guidelines/PropertyDialog
Comment 21 Commit Notification 2024-08-02 12:52:35 UTC
Heiko Tietze committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/35003f56dce36326777900b8562643651537a489

Resolves tdf#140347 - Terminology in foot/endnote dialog

It will be available in 25.2.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 22 Commit Notification 2024-09-06 13:07:47 UTC
Ilmari Lauhakangas committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/help/commit/b4c5d498e409d98da283dcaa25a8e3d8591aac76

tdf#140347 Labels changed in Settings of Footnotes and Endnotes dialog
Comment 23 Commit Notification 2024-09-06 15:46:12 UTC
Ilmari Lauhakangas committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/help/commit/a88ae62e116a47c32a0fa679544eee79160616a9

Related tdf#140347: remove colons from headings