[Kstars-devel] KStars context menu

[Jason Harris]

Hi Jasem,

On Friday 08 June 2007 14:45, Jasem Mutlaq wrote:
> 1. Add Link: We already have this functionality in the
> details dialog. I think it's time to remove this menu
> item from the context menu.
>
Ok, Agreed.

> 2. Angular Distance To: While useful and I use it
> occasionally, most users wouldn't be using it often.
>
> I suggest it should be removed as well from the menu.
> But where would it go?
>
> Maybe we can add another small toolbar for that
> purpose (actions in the skymap). A "hand" icon is the
> default and you can use it to zoom and pan like
> normal. A ruler or a similar icon for angular
> distance, and another icon for area-zoom (now done
> with ctrl+left mouse).
>
I don't like this idea of different "modes".  I think it should *always* be 
possible to drag around the skymap with the mouse.  I think having modes like 
this would be confusing and frustrating.  I'd much rather try to have an 
interface that is really simple on the surface, but has underlying complexity 
that (a) doesn't get in the way, (b) is intuitive, and (c) is easy to 
discover.  This is why I like Ctrl+Drag to zoom in much better than having a 
separate "zoom mode" that would break the user's expectations of how 
fundamental parts of the program should behave (i.e., dragging the mouse to 
slew the map).

I do like the idea of making our popup menu smaller.  To be honest, I'd like 
to get rid of it altogether.  It's ugly and covers up too much of the map.  
However, we need to have some interface to our object-specific data and 
actions.  If not a context-sensitive menu, then what?

I've actually been thinking about this recently.  One idea is a 
context-sensitive interactive overlay that surrounds the object on click.  
See my attached (very rough) mockup.  I like this idea better than a popup 
menu because it's embedded in the map (rather than a huge opaque widget 
covering the map), and presents the information much more compactly.  I think 
it would feel much less "in the way" than a popup menu.

In the mockup, the clicked object is surrounded by a circle, above which we 
present its name, object type and constellation.  Interactive elements are 
colored light yellow, and they should get brighter on mouseover to indicate 
that they are interactive.  Clicking on "C" centers the object in the map.  
Clicking on "D" opens the Details window.  Clicking on "A" adds it to the 
observing list.  (Obviously, these could/should be little icons instead of 
letters).  

Clicking on "Data" displays some information about the object (mag, distance, 
coordinates?, rise/set/transit?).  Clicking on "Images" or "Info" displays a 
clickable list of image links or web page links.  This information would be 
placed on the right, below "Data > Images > Info >"

I was also thinking you could click on the Transient object label to invoke 
the "Attach Label" action (i.e., click the label to attach it to the object 
permanently).  I like this idea, because it's intuitive (you are "sticking" 
the label to the map by clicking on it) and unclutters the interface.

I haven't addressed the Angular Ruler interface.  I think we could just use 
Shift+Drag, (or Middle-Drag or Right-Drag) for the Angular Ruler.  If we do 
this, we'll need to make the map slew when the mouse nears an edge of the 
map, so that offscreen targets can be reached while dragging.  The line that 
is drawn while moving the cursor to the second endpoint should have an 
attached text label that shows the current angular distance of the line.  
Again, this keeps the interface simple, keeping a powerful (but not often 
used) feature out of the way, but making it easily discoverable and intuitive 
to use.  A user that discovers this feature will understand it immediately, 
because they'll see the text showing the angular size of the line changing as 
they move the mouse around.

Also, we could get rid of the "C" button in my mockup and just use 
Double-click to center an object in the map.

Anyway, that's a lot of information.  Sorry about the core-dump :)
What do you think?

Jason

----


-- 
Jason Harris
jharris at 30doradus.org
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