How should calligra apps start by default? Was: Re: Don't show template selection ui any longer

[todd rme]

On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 11:01 AM, Boudewijn Rempt <boud at valdyas.org> wrote:
> On Friday 14 January 2011, Sebastian Sauer wrote:
>> Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
>> > The current template dialog is said to be the result of usability work,
>> > though I've never seen the report nor the interaction design.
>>
>> I do believe it's a bad idea to display suich a dialog and seems at least
>> Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org do not do something like that with there
>> word-processors.
>>
>> > We get a lot of negative comments about it -- I remember that Peter
>> > Sikking (the gimp interaction design maintainer) couldn't keep from
>> > laughing out loud when he first saw it.
>>
>> I don't wonder. I still have to find a single person who likes to have that
>> template-dialog between you and the app in the first place. Also adding an
>> "unbreak option" (as in a way to hide it per default) doesn't solve it.
>>
>> So, the real question should be; Do you like either to have such a template-
>> dialog visible per default XOR not for a) Words, b) Tables and c) Stage. From
>> the feedback I saw so far clear majority prefers to have the blank page there
>> in both, Words and Tables, per default. Note that for Stage OO.org displays a
>> wizard while MSPowerpoint starts with a clean presentation too.
>
> No that's not the real question :P. The real question is
>
> "what do users want to do when they start an application?"
>
> And it's more complicated since we want to have a modicum of consistenty across the suite and Krita is a very difficult subject for this question.
>
>> > Apple's office suite also starts with a template browser,
>>
>> oha, that's interesting. Are you sure they do if you start direct the
>> applications (e.g. Numbers) or maybe they only do if you start the container-
>> application (e.g. KoShell)?
>
> If you start the application. And you cannot disable it -- but then, those apps are designed around templates.


I have a thought, although it may not even be implementable.  What if
it starts with a blank page, but on the side is a panel with various
templates.  Once you start typing or adding stuff to the document the
panel automatically disappears (although it can be brought back
manually).  This gives people easy access to templates while making it
so they don't interface with your workflow.

-Todd