UI idea: Turn the status bar into a docker (or several dockers)

[Thomas Pfeiffer]

On 29.08.2012 14:37, C. Boemann wrote:
> On Wednesday 29 August 2012 11:27:55 Inge Wallin wrote:
>> I think that people would mostly put stuff there anyway that is very like
>> what we presentin the current status bar. So we could perhaps call the
>> lower dock widget position the "status bar" and have a status bar
>> configuration mode a bit like Plasma has its configuration for the bar
>> (can't remember now exactly what it's called). That way it wouldn't matter
>> that they couldn't move it and we would get rid of the main problem with
>> dockers, namely that people tend to click on them by mistake and rip them
>> out.
>
> Yes I kind of like that.

I'm starting to think that a general "layout configuration mode" switch like in 
Amarok may be useful for Calligra in general (however it should be less hidden 
then in Amarok, I guess). I don't think users want to move dockers so often that 
clicking a button to switch between the modes before and afterward would be too 
much of a burden. In the layout configuration mode, any docker could be dragged 
from any point (not just the title bars). In the normal mode, no docker could be 
dragged anymore.
Do you guys happen to know how often users rearrange their dockers? If they 
don't do it all the time, a mode switch would probably be useful, since it 
increases consistency and prevents accidental moving.

> On Wednesday 29 August 2012 11:04:30 Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
>> On Wed, 29 Aug 2012, C. Boemann wrote:
>>> Yes it would be possible.
>>>
>>> But keep in mind that you cannot move  docker without a title bar, so
>>> once at the bottom the user will have no way of moving it away again
>>
>> That could be solved by a button to restore the titlebar somewhere, or a
>> right-click action, perhaps?
>
> And yes that might work too.

Yes, a button would be my preferred alternative if we don't want to use a 
general mode switch. It should work identically (or at least similarly) to the 
lock icon on the tool options docker.

> My point was not to say it can't be done, but highlight something that needs
> to be addressed by Thomas :)

Thank you for that. Those things definitely have to be thought through, so every 
input is very welcome!