Bug 148797 - Add to List help needs clarifying
Summary: Add to List help needs clarifying
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Documentation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.4.0.0 alpha0+
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: sdc.blanco
URL:
Whiteboard: target:7.4.0
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks: Help
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2022-04-26 08:38 UTC by Telesto
Modified: 2022-04-29 11:05 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
proposal for revising Add to List help (67.97 KB, image/png)
2022-04-28 08:36 UTC, sdc.blanco
Details

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Telesto 2022-04-26 08:38:04 UTC
Description:
UI: Add to list button disabled as long someone keeping CTRL  pressed

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open attachment 179780 [details]
2. tools -> Customize -> toolbar -> Add 'add to list' to formatting toolbar
3. Select Hello
4. Press CTRL (and keep it pressed) and left click the cursor somewhere in "3rd some text"
5. Notice the 'add to list button' still being gray
6. release CTRL Now the button gets activated


Actual Results:
CTRL press blocks 'add to list button'

Expected Results:
CTRL blocking the activation of the button makes feedback even worse :-(. I assumed I did something wrong


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
Version: 7.4.0.0.alpha0+ (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 4659fc2f0a7223a89446edff0b77e58758b5edf5
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 6.3 Build 9600; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: en-US (nl_NL); UI: en-US
Calc: CL
Comment 1 sdc.blanco 2022-04-26 21:17:23 UTC
FYI / "Add to List" icon is preset default on Bullets and Numbering toolbar 

1. Probably not a problem with "Add to List" command 

"Add to List" is active after step 4 in STR, with Ctrl key still pressed.

Test with Ctrl pressed and Format > Lists > Add to List.

Actual: will add Hello to list
        =>  "Add to List" command is active.

2. -- but how is Ctrl key supposed to work here?

    B&N toolbar is not shown until after Ctrl key is released.  
    Not possible to right-click with Ctrl pressed.

Maybe documentation for these two options can be clarified, but would be nice to have a confirmation about expected behavior of pressed Ctrl key in these cases.
Comment 2 Heiko Tietze 2022-04-27 06:12:17 UTC
We should not add the command to the Formatting toolbar as it is an expert function and rather focused on keyboard use. And as Seth commented, the B&N toolbar has it. And bug 38850 deals with the situation that this toolbar is shown only in the list context.
=> NAB/WF
Comment 3 sdc.blanco 2022-04-27 07:57:47 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #2)
> And bug 38850 deals with the situation that this toolbar is
> shown only in the list context.
Situation here is about the interaction with a pressed Ctrl key and the context menus and toolbars .. i.e. different issue than bug 38850.

To make the situation more explicit, use a test document with the following two paragraphs: 
--------------------
non-list para

   1. list para
-------------------

Test 1:  Ctrl vs. context-sensitive toolbar

1. Place cursor in non-list para
2. Press and hold Ctrl, then click in list para.

Actual: nothing happens (until you release Ctrl key, after which B&N bar appears)
Expected: ??? (B&N bar appears, even with Ctrl pressed?)

Test 2:  Ctrl vs. context menu

1.  Place cursor in non-list para
2.  Press and hold Ctrl
3.  then right-click

Actual:  Nothing happens.
Expected: ??? (context menu?)


If these interactions are expected then I agree, NAB -- and documentation for "Add to List" could be improved slightly.

If they are not expected, then your call about bug vs. WF.
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2022-04-27 08:01:30 UTC
Telesto submitted a couple of bugs around the "Add To List" feature. I read this one as a request to add the command to the Formatting toolbar. => NAB/WF
Comment 5 Telesto 2022-04-27 09:30:17 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4)
> Telesto submitted a couple of bugs around the "Add To List" feature. I read
> this one as a request to add the command to the Formatting toolbar. => NAB/WF

Comment 1 is actually the topic here. I couldn't find the 'Add to list' at first, so I added it to the toolbar. Also you need it to see that the button is disabled as long as CTRL being pressed 

I overlooked the non appearing toolbar :-). 

---
However it's true: I do struggle with the 'add to list button' being inside the context depended toolbar..

As described in bug 148798 comment 4 you can press 'Add to list' for a (non-list paragraph below an existing list, and it will be added without the whole CTRL Click at list stuff (which I see as desired). 

However the Bullets and lists toolbar only appears when inside a list. Which makes it hard to use.. Add to list is pretty common action, IMHO.

In Word, if you toggled numbered list (with other list directly above), the continue numbering is enabled by default (with some smart context menu asking to restart numbering. I get this isn't possible, but that's why Add to list might be off value. 

The alternative: [Format -> Lists -> Add to list or ; Right Click Context menu -> Lists -> Add to list are pretty clumsy to reach, IMHO. Aside right context menu requires a properly spelled word at the start of the numbered list, to be able to appear.. 

Note: don't get me wrong: not against the whole CTRL+Add to list feature.. as expert function..  And it useful for merging lists..
Comment 6 sdc.blanco 2022-04-28 06:50:38 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4)
> Telesto submitted a couple of bugs around the "Add To List" feature. I read
> this one as a request to add the command to the Formatting toolbar=> NAB/WF
Hmmm...the bug summary and actual and expected in OP was about a problem with a pressed Ctrl key.  In Comment 1, I was trying to extract a genuine issue from the OP. Should I file a new ticket based on my elaboration in comment 3? or could we reconfigure this ticket in relation to that issue,  as I was trying to suggest.

(In reply to Telesto from comment #5)
> As described in bug 148798 comment 4 ... for a (non-list paragraph 
> below an existing list ... added without the whole CTRL Click
> Right Click Context menu -> Lists -> Add to list 
> are pretty clumsy to reach
A matter of taste perhaps in relation to right-click. But, iiuc, for these cases (adding paras after a list) you have solved that "problem" with your Format-placed "Add to List" icon.  No?

Meanwhile, I think the current description on the Add to List help page (about pressing "Ctrl" in the selection) contributed to the appearance of this ticket.  

I see how to make a change in the help to improve the explanation of the workflow, which I will do. 

The aim of the explanation would be to reduce the likelihood of the issues mentioned in Comment 3 arising.
Comment 7 Telesto 2022-04-28 08:25:11 UTC
(In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #6)
> (In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4)
> > Telesto submitted a couple of bugs around the "Add To List" feature. I read
> > this one as a request to add the command to the Formatting toolbar=> NAB/WF
> Hmmm...the bug summary and actual and expected in OP was about a problem
> with a pressed Ctrl key.  In Comment 1, I was trying to extract a genuine
> issue from the OP. Should I file a new ticket based on my elaboration in
> comment 3? or could we reconfigure this ticket in relation to that issue, 
> as I was trying to suggest.

I don't care ..

> 
> (In reply to Telesto from comment #5)
> > As described in bug 148798 comment 4 ... for a (non-list paragraph 
> > below an existing list ... added without the whole CTRL Click
> > Right Click Context menu -> Lists -> Add to list 
> > are pretty clumsy to reach
> A matter of taste perhaps in relation to right-click. But, iiuc, for these
> cases (adding paras after a list) you have solved that "problem" with your
> Format-placed "Add to List" icon.  No?

Yes, did solve it

> 
> Meanwhile, I think the current description on the Add to List help page
> (about pressing "Ctrl" in the selection) contributed to the appearance of
> this ticket.  
> 
> I see how to make a change in the help to improve the explanation of the
> workflow, which I will do. 
> 
> The aim of the explanation would be to reduce the likelihood of the issues
> mentioned in Comment 3 arising.

It would be lovely to know why the button is blocked, before adapting the help. 
Pressing CTRL + Applying BOLD from the formatting toolbar is for example working. I kind of liking direct feedback

CTRL does appear to block toolbars (Insert a table with CTRL pressed), thus this might be expected

---
Drifting off, but another observation:
1. Open Writer
2. Insert a numbered list with 2 entry's
3. Place the cursor at one of those
4. Notice add to list being activated; which it should not IMHO (you can press it, nothing happens)
Comment 8 sdc.blanco 2022-04-28 08:36:42 UTC
Created attachment 179818 [details]
proposal for revising Add to List help

(In reply to Telesto from comment #7)
> CTRL does appear to block toolbars 
Yes, that was my question in comment 3.  (and also blocks right-click)

Meanwhile -- please look at / try the proposal for revised help (in the attachment).  It is designed to "avoid" just-mentioned problems that motivated this ticket.

(Full disclosure: Step 2 for multiple paragraphs is not needed, as long as one of the paragraphs is after the list -- but it is too complicated and unnecessary to explain these variations, given that step 2 is easy (and appears sensible) to achieve, plus it addresses the problem of this ticket.)
Comment 9 Telesto 2022-04-28 09:33:58 UTC
(In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #8)
> Created attachment 179818 [details]
> proposal for revising Add to List help
> 
> (In reply to Telesto from comment #7)
> > CTRL does appear to block toolbars 
> Yes, that was my question in comment 3.  (and also blocks right-click)
> 
> Meanwhile -- please look at / try the proposal for revised help (in the
> attachment).  It is designed to "avoid" just-mentioned problems that
> motivated this ticket.
> 
> (Full disclosure: Step 2 for multiple paragraphs is not needed, as long as
> one of the paragraphs is after the list -- but it is too complicated and
> unnecessary to explain these variations, given that step 2 is easy (and
> appears sensible) to achieve, plus it addresses the problem of this ticket.)

+1
Comment 10 sdc.blanco 2022-04-28 09:42:11 UTC
(In reply to Telesto from comment #9)
> +1
Shall we say that I push the patch that revises the help, and that we change the summary for this ticket to something like:  Add to List help needs clarifying
and then close it as FIXED?  And then comment 3 lays out the issues about interaction between CTRL and toolbars, and I will leave it up to you whether to open a new ticket about that. OK?
Comment 11 Commit Notification 2022-04-28 12:09:01 UTC
Seth Chaiklin committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/help/commit/d4e7c6e6e119fe3fab827753bbb8d27caff195c2

tdf#148797 improve explanation of multiple selection in add to list
Comment 12 sdc.blanco 2022-04-28 12:19:12 UTC Comment hidden (no-value)
Comment 13 Telesto 2022-04-28 18:07:21 UTC
(In reply to sdc.blanco from comment #12)
> (In reply to Telesto from comment #9)
> > +1
> Shall we say that I push the patch that revises the help, and that we change
> the summary for this ticket to something like:  Add to List help needs
> clarifying
> and then close it as FIXED?  And then comment 3 lays out the issues about
> interaction between CTRL and toolbars, and I will leave it up to you whether
> to open a new ticket about that. OK?

Fine with me! 1+