Bug 145782 - Redesign of Start Center user interface.
Summary: Redesign of Start Center user interface.
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.3.0.0 alpha0+
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2021-11-19 17:07 UTC by Phillip Ross
Modified: 2021-11-25 06:10 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Attachment #1 (804.19 KB, image/png)
2021-11-19 17:08 UTC, Phillip Ross
Details
Attachment #2 (199.70 KB, image/png)
2021-11-19 17:09 UTC, Phillip Ross
Details

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Description Phillip Ross 2021-11-19 17:07:17 UTC
Description:
Recommendation for a redesign of "landing page" or "home page" of Libreoffice to better facilitate access to desired documents.

Actual Results:
It's not a bug.

Expected Results:
It's not a bug.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
I'd like to see the next phase of Libreoffice development work on the “landing page,” or whatever you call it, when it first opens. See attachment #1.

Can it be more like the MailSpring 4 column page? See attachment #2.

Description:

Set it up in 4 columns:

1. A folder tree view
2. All Libreoffice files, sortable by type, date, and tag. This will require making Libreoffice files tagable, which would be good on it's own.
3. An uneditable view of the selected file. Click on it to edit it.
4. All Libreoffice files with the same tag as the selected file in column 3.

This presentation/arrangement would provide maximum information and usability of all of the Libreoffice files on the system.

I don't have the skill to do this.

Just a suggestion.

I'm looking for a way to upload screenshots.
Comment 1 Phillip Ross 2021-11-19 17:08:42 UTC
Created attachment 176366 [details]
Attachment #1
Comment 2 Phillip Ross 2021-11-19 17:09:31 UTC
Created attachment 176367 [details]
Attachment #2
Comment 3 V Stuart Foote 2021-11-19 21:06:58 UTC
Thanks for filing, however the request is clearly out of scope for the project.

Rather, the Start Center shown in attachment 176366 [details] offers exactly what has been deemed useful cross platform for the project:

1) a selector to open the os/DE specified file management
2) a Selector to open ODF document templates that LibreOffice can work against
3) Launch buttons for the various modules.
4) Thumbnails of the files recently opened (MRU) annotated with the defualt module for the type
5) Help
6) link for additional Extensions that can be installed.

In short everything needed cross platform--and nothing that would interfere with os/DE delivered file management.

LibreOffice will not provide file management beyond its document history/MRU recorded to user profile.  It will not make any attempt to replace those functions beyond what is already provided in the Start Center.

Sorry, but a clear => WF
Comment 4 Kevin Suo 2021-11-24 11:49:52 UTC
I also believe that the current Start Center need rework. More useful info can be displayed on that page rather than those large recent doc preview pics.
Comment 5 V Stuart Foote 2021-11-24 13:21:18 UTC
(In reply to Kevin Suo from comment #4)
"More useful info"

Like what? And please remember we have moved the project away from duplicating os/DE file management.
Comment 6 Phillip Ross 2021-11-24 14:07:20 UTC
First, let me say that I am not a programmer, and the technical aspects of this request are above my pay grade. Nonetheless, as a serious user for many decades, I am providing what seems to me to be a helpful suggestion.

After reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_deduplication to help me understand the issue of objection, I would like to suggest a reevaluation of the scope of the project in light of the possibility of significant enhancement issuing from code maturity and design/code tools that did not exist when the scope of the project was set. It is possible that the Libreoffice project has reached a maturity that the scope of the project needs to be reevaluated.

I think it is at least worth some discussion, and not a simple dismissal. The start page is in my opinion the worst, most useless, and inadequately designed aspect of Libreoffice. It could be so much more helpful and usable.

I love what you all are doing! Don't mistake this as a criticism. At least discuss it.

Thanks in advance.
Comment 7 Cor Nouws 2021-11-24 19:50:20 UTC
Thanks for the kind suggestion, but I don't see any real benefit in it (also looking at Stuarts remarks.)
Comment 8 Kevin Suo 2021-11-25 04:51:33 UTC
This seems have been discussed in:

Minutes from the UX/design meeting 2021-Nov-24

 * Redesign of Start Center user interface
   + https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=145782
   + out of scope (Stuart)
   + do we want the start center to provide file management functionality
     such as copy, move, rename, delete or is it a list of recent files solely?
   + many user requests for file management besides this request
   + unclear four columns proposal, otherwise we should keep the
     start center simple
   + no use case to browse through all documents on a drive in all directories
     (in addition to the file manager)
   + showing more properties of a document might be interesting (eg last editor,
     number of pages, etc.) but not as a full size column; better go with
     a (lengthy) tooltip
   => resolve WF
Comment 9 Heiko Tietze 2021-11-25 06:10:17 UTC
(In reply to Kevin Suo from comment #8)
> Minutes from the UX/design meeting 2021-Nov-24...

Let me add some explanation. Admittedly, it's tempting to have file management functions in the start center. And we get respective enhancement requests from time to time. But there is no point in browsing, for example, through drive and directories as the four column example suggests. Just use the file browser via Open. Other functions such as delete or even rename are dangerous and should remain protected by the OS. That's why we want to keep the focus on listing the recently used documents only. Still a lot of enhancements to be done and what I guess from the mail reader example is the idea to show more details aka document properties. Doing so in a special column is likely not the right way and but suits a tooltip.