[Okular-devel] Okular needs some love.

[Albert Astals Cid]

A Dissabte 08 Desembre 2007, FiNeX va escriure:
> After some testing on okular, I've found a small (?) list of issues.
>
> Pino suggested me to write an email to this ML.
>
> In December I were used to write to Santa Claus, this year I'm writing on
> bugs.kde.org, development MLs and IRC... ;-)
>
> Anyway...
>
> #1 ) Review mode should behave as "BROWSE" "ZOOM", "SELECTION" and "TEXT
> SELECTION" modes.
>
> Actually the "review toolbar" is an "extra mode" added to the 4 main modes.
> When the review toolbar is activated and a tool is selected, it is disabled
> after the first use. It seems that some user wanted it, but this is against
> the standard way of use of okular: when a mode is activated the mouse act
> as expected (browsing, zooming or selecting) until another mode is
> selected. Clicking on a tool of the review toolbar should be the same, not
> using a different paradigm.
>
> The "review" mode should exclude the other 4 modes AND the review tools
> shouldn't autodisable AFTER the first use.
>
> Mostly, softwares use this paradigm (see office automation software or
> graphics editors).
>
> The "disable after first use" was asked because actually there isn't a
> simple way to switch off the tool just used, instead, with my proposal, the
> user will not complain about the behaviour of the tools: them works as
> expected (as all other softwares does).

The last two years i was working on a company that did something similar to 
our annotation mode and the status quo we reached regarding power users and 
normal users was having the tools do this:
 * Single click on the tool will add an annotation and go to default tool
 * Double click on the tool will make the tool "sticky" so after adding an 
annotation it's still on that tool

>
> #2 ) The review toolbar should be improved adding some buttons:
>
> #2.1 ) Move tool.
>
> Actually for move a note, line or any shape, users have to use the CTRL
> modifier. This is not immediate.
> It should be better have a "move tool" on the toolbar.
> (but NOT removing the CTRL for moving objects)

I agree it would be a nice addition, and makes it a good default tool for my 
above suggestion.

>
> #2.2 ) Delete tool.
>
> Neither RMB for delete an object is natural, adding a "delete" tool should
> be very useful. Moreover a delete tool should be used for correct a wrong
> highlighting.

Not bad either.

>
> #3 ) The thickness of shapes and lines should be editable. Above all for
> let users change the ugly 12pt of the ellipse!

Well, afair all geometric tools were just proof of concept that stayed there 
for enough time.

>
> #4 ) Actually the "option" button on popup notes is useless.

Yeah, maybe we should remove it, Pino?

>
> #5 ) There is TWO type of notes, why not having only one type of annotation
> and let it be iconified or expanded?

Because we map PDF annotations

>
> #6 ) The "text annotation" cannot be edited (but you can add on it an
> editable popup note... what? a note to a note? ...funny)

The first thing would be a bug, the second is how PDF annotations work

>
>
> In addition to this "user interface" issues. There is the open problem of
> the portability and the management of reviews/annotations (bug #151614).
>
> The problem is splitted in two part:
>
> 1. Local management of notes.
> This should be quite easy to solve, using an hash or some other methods
> should be enough for tracking the reviewed files. The main problem is
> triggered from the moving/renaming files.
>
> 2. Transferring notes to others.
> This will need some further analysis, mainly the idea to have a "package"
> which contains both the file and the XML should be the easyest way to share
> reviewed files between okular users.

2 together with modifying the file when possible are the obvious solution, we 
just need enough time and manpower.

All that said i'd say jost of your suggestions are good enough but all of them 
should wait for 4.1 as are not really bugs (maybe except 2.3)

Albert

>
>
> Well, this should be all.
>
>
>
> Maybe you know all this issues, maybe not. Maybe them are all posted on
> bugzilla, maybe not.
>
> I've preferred write this mail with all my impressions after using okular.
>
> I hope it will be useful for improving it :-)
>
> Thanks for all the patience for reaching the end of this email :-)
>
> Goodbye !!!