[openbeos] Re: inconsistency?
- From: "Mikael Jansson" <tic_khr@xxxxxxxx>
- To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 14:42:23 GMT
Adi Oanca <adioanca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
> Mikael Jansson wrote:
> >>Oh, one more thing:
> >> Suppose we're typing something and a IM client wants to put its
> > > new
> >>window in front. As we have
> >>decided, it won't do that anymore. Still, we have to alert the user
> >>in some way that a new window
> >>has opened.
> >>
> >> One pretty good solution which I've seen in a recent email is
> > > to
> >>have the Deskbar flashing 3-4
> >>times application's name and then when you click, highlight the
> >>new_window/window_which_wants_focus.
> >> Still, there may be a problem with that as our Deskbar is not
> >>always visible. Maybe the Deskbar
> >>should come in front(without focus) on such an event.
> >>
> >
> > We need another solution. BDeskbar::SetExpanded(false) is how I
> > have my
> > Deskbar.
>
> Not exactly. If you have your Deskbar contracted, then this feature
> won't be available.
>
> >> The second, and the most simple one, is to display that new
> > > window
> >>beside the one that we're
> >>working in - where it best fits between our focus window's borders
> >>and screen edge.
> >>
> >
> > Yup, would be pretty easy to just get the position of the current
> > window and display a note that another window wants our attention,
> > and
> > then make it go away after a delay t, or if the user clicks on it.
>
> "Display a note"? Where? And where is the relation between that
> note and the position of current
> window?
>
W is the window you're working with.
W' is the window that wants to popup.
N is a window that says "W' wants your attention!"
When W' displays a window and W is focused, N positions itself right
next to W, preferedly to the left side, somewhere as "high up" as
possible..
>
> > That /might/ be a better idea, if we were still able to type
> > through
> > it.
>
> Yes, I said that. "no focus"
>
Good, just wanted to clarify what "No Focus" meant.
> > Like on p. 117 of "The Humane Interface" by Jef Raskin.
>
> I have this idea from some time. I do not remember if it just came
> to me or it was that I read
> about it on GE. Did not read that book.
> Anyone has it in e-book format? :-D
>
Sorry, no.
What it does is to display a translucent dialog box over the current
text with an information message in it, letting the user continue with
his work.
Something also discussed on this list, or if it was on the earlier BeOS
development lists, is to have some kind of alert manager, where you
could send messages with priorities. The list (perhaps a vertical bar
along one side of the screen) would be re-arranging the items within
their priority groups, and the latest ones pushed down. This is a
replacement for (certain) modal dialog windows.
Also, while on the HCI topic; Raskin talks about incremental search
being the best to use, because you find the results as you type,
instead of having to open a dialog box, press enter, press OK when an
alert says it fails. A good real-world example is the Mozilla search
function. (/searchtext)
But I guess this should be moved to GE-talk. (Actually, along with my
other mail. Sorry about that.)
--
Mikael Jansson
http://mikael.jansson.be
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