Re: [Design] lighten Dolphin’s Control menu

[Todd]

Some of these I will skip because I don't feel strongly or don't have
anything specific to add, but I do have comments on others

On Sat, Aug 31, 2013 at 7:31 PM, sinma <eichi237 at mailoo.org> wrote:

> * «View Mode» must be placed on the toolbar (more intuitive, like any other
> file manager, the redundance is useless)
>


The view mode is already in the toolbar by default, in the form of
individual icons.  If you add the "view mode" menu to the toolbar, it
disappears from the menu.  It should probably also disappear from the menu
if all the icons are in the toolbar, too.  Feel free to file a bug about
this if there isn't one already.

* «Additionnal Information» isn’t used frequently and must be in «Configure
> Dolphin» for consistency.
>
>  * The «Tools» submenu is useless.
>
>
I use these very frequently.  Just because you don't use something doesn't
mean no one does.  If you are going to say it isn't used you need to
provide some evidence.


> * «Reload» is not useful for most people, because Dolphin take care of
> reloading the view (or at least to display almost immediately the change in
> the working directory).
>

Only on local folders.  On remote folders it often doesn't do as good of a
job.

* The «Go» submenu is useless, it’s just a garbage from the old Dolphin UI
> because it’s duplicating features that are already accessible in one clic
> in
> the toolbar.
>

"Home" and "Recently closed tabs" are not in the toolbar by default on my
system.

>
> ** «Show Filter Bar» must be placed in the toolbar, at the left of the
> «Find»
> icon (and maybe renamed because it’s its name is a bit confusing for the
> noob
> I think). By the way, when clicking the second time on «Show Filter Bar» or
> «Find», it must close the previously opened bar.


I would argue it would be better to merge filter and find, but in the
present situation people who need to use filter a lot can enable it by
default.  But there is a question whether enough people use it to justify
this.


> ** «Compare Files» must be in the right-clic menu when you have selected
> two
> or more files.
>

Already been discussed, not going to happen.  The right-click menu doesn't
work across a split view.


> ** «Select Remote Charset»… has anyone used it in his/her life? I know
> users
> don’t like when we remove features but it’s possible to add it to the
> toolbar.
>

Critical when using remote file systems.  Again, just because you don't use
something doesn't mean no one does.


> * The «Show Menubar» is not used frequently, so it may be better to move
> it to
> the configuration dialog or get rid of it.
>

The whole point is to make it easy to get the menu back if someone
accidentally removes it.


> Finally, the «New» menu you can add in the toolbar must also be there by
> default (more intuitive than right-clic on a blank space), next to «Undo».
>
> «Create New» submenu should be removed if we put it in the toolbar.
> After reflexion, I don’t know if it’s a good design choice for the
> «Details»
> view because if we expand folders the user can create file and folder in
> the
> wrong folder. Any though?


What makes you say it is more intuitive than right-click?  On the contrary,
I would say it is the opposite.  Most toolbar buttons are general dolphin
things, while the "new" actions are tied specific directories.  I think
adding those to the toolbar would break that distinction.  You can also
"create new" in a subfolder by right-clicking on the sub-folder.  Your
approach would remove that functionality.

Your example of the details view is exactly why putting it in the toolbar
is a bad idea.



> * is it really the place for «New Window» and «New Tab» entries?
>

Generally people will be using the right-click or middle-click for that,
but maintaining that functionality, especially when those buttons are not
available, is still important.


> * if there’s a single entry in the submenu it’s stupid to have a submenu.
> For
> example, the «Open With» submenu have sometimes one entry, I’ve set
> Dolphin to
> show me only one entry in «Compress» and «Decompress» submenus, etc.
>

This is not part of dolphin.  Also, it improves consistency.  Having to
change your workflow depending on how many items is available is confusing
and distracting.  Muscle memory is a powerful thing, fighting it only makes
things worse.


> * Maybe you’ve already talked about that (I apologies if it’s the case)…
> Why
> not show the default app to open the file and under the «Open With» entry?
> Is
> it a design choice?


Because that is what we have left-click for.  Why do we need to show it
again?  The right-click menu is already cluttered as-is

So it gives me the following:
>
> Select All
> Invert Selection
> ---
> Sort by           >
> Show in Groups
> Show Hidden Files
> Panels            >
> ---
> Settings          >
>                        Configure Shortcuts…
>                        Configure Toolbars…
>                        Configure Dolphin…
> Help              >
>
>
> Cleaner, isn’t it? Don’t forget that most of the functions aren’t deleted,
> because either there’s a better way to acces it (easier to find and/or
> quicker
> to use), or it’s deported in the toolbar.
>
>
You are ending up with a very large set of toolbar buttons, which can be a
problem on small screens.   Basically your argument boils down to "we
should put things I use in the toolbar and get rid of things I don't use".
But if you are going to include substantial changes like this you need to
justify them beyond just your own work-flow.  You need to provide some
evidence that these are or are not useful enough to the average user to
justify what you are proposing.
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