GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 116535
menu change proposal
Last modified: 2009-06-11 06:14:54 UTC
I am proposing that we change the complete menu structure for gnumeric prior to the 1.2 release. I have send a similar proposal to the gnumeric and usability lists and incorporated the two (minor) suggestions I received in response. This proposal would in my opinion solve Bugs 115956, 87940, 99655, 99860, 114092. File New Open... Open Recent (recent files) --- Save Save As... Auto Save... --- Page Setup... Print Preview... Print... --- Define Name Document Summary (used to be Properties) Protection (used to be Format Workbook, opening to second tab) Calculation (used to be Format Workbook, opening to third tab) --- Close Quit Edit Undo Redo --- Cut Copy Paste Paste Special... --- Clear All Formats Comments Contents Hyperlink (not implemmented yet) Delete --- Select All Column Row Array Goto Cell... Depends Search Search... Search and Replace... --- Preferences View New View... Zoom... Freeze Panes --- Toolbars... --- Workbook... (opening to first tab) Sheet Manage Sheets... --- Insert Append (new) Duplicate Remove Rename --- Insert Cells Rows Column --- Chart (if we have them in their own tab they essentially create a new `sheet' or tab) Image Cell Function Special Current Date Current Time --- Comment Hyperlink --- Merge (new!) Unmerge (possibly combined with Merge) --- Fill Autofill Merge... Tabulate... Dependency... Series... Random Generator... --- Auto Correct... Format Cells Column (submenu as is) Row (submenu as is) Sheet Hide Zeros Hide Gridlines Hide Column Headers Hide Row Headers --- Autoformat... Tools Plugins... --- Filter Add Autofilter Show All Advanced Filter... Goal Seek... Solver... Scenarios View... Add (does what?) Simulations Statistical Analysis (submenu as is with ellipses) Data Sort... Recalculate Validate... --- Text to Columns... Consolidate... Group and Outline (submenu as is) Help (as is)
*** Bug 99860 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 99655 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 115956 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I like the proposal, but it's worth working through the list to explicitly state what our rationale is for the grouping we propose. Ideally we would have a justification for each entry. Here are some ideas. (Numbering is arbitrary, as in BASIC line numbers) --adrian 10) In the File menu, the document stuff should be in a different order, global to detailed. I'd suggest: Document Summary Protection Recalculation Named Entities Having the "Document" at the top gives a hint that all of these are document wide elements. (We may add Autocorrect here, see below.) 15) File -> send by email This is new and should be added, probably with the "save" stuff. 20) Edit -> Preferences could be renamed to "Stored Preferences" to show that the settings will persist. 30) Edit -> Clear -> Hyperlink*S* --for consistency 35) View -> Toolbars is this setting stored? Could it become part of the Stored Preferences? 38) Cell Menu Could we have "Insert function..." and "Insert special > (sub-menu)". And "Edit comment..." "Edit hyperlink..." 40) Cell -> AutoCorrect This does not apply to a particular cell but to a whole document. If it is applicable per instance it would belong in the Edit menu. If it is saved in the file settings, it would belong in the File menu's document properties section. 42) Cell -> Merge How does this relate to Cell-> Fill -> Merge? 50) Format -> Cell should have the ellipsis Cell... since it's going to pop open the dialog. 55) Format -> Autoformat This should be renamed to Template or Using a Template. The Auto* stuff describes automatic repeated events autosave, autocalc, autocorrect but the template is a one time action. Template is also more descriptive than Automatic Format. 100) Data menu before the Tools menu It seems that sorting is done more often than loading plugins. I'd consider the Data menu a more frequent menu than the Tools menu and therefore move it up (left) in the hiearchy.
10) The menu is called `file' so these should be document wide commands. I have no opinion regarding the order of teh 4 items you mentioned although I like `Define Names' better than `Named Entities'. 15) agrgeed 20) Preferences are usually called just that (we can probably even finding a HIG that demands it). Are there any preferences that are not stored? Wouldn't those just be Settings? 30) agreed 38) I wold prefer if the menu items would describe their action. `Function' does not insert a function. You can also use it to edit an existing function, similarly as Comments may add a new comment or edit an existing. So Comment, function, hyperlink, etc all do the same: they add or edit something. 40) you are right it probably should be in the file menu 42) Cell->Merge has nothing to do with Cell->Fill->Merge. The former would merge 2 cells (as the toolbar button does). the latter merges some data into some form to create new cells/sheets. So Cell->Fill->Merge is similar to the random number generator. 50) of course... 55) While I see you point, `template' is also misleading. Perhaps it should be `Format Template' 100) Overall I believe the items in the tools menu are used more often than the data items since sorting is usually done throught he toolbar.
*** Bug 87940 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 124422 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I really like the proposed concept, we should simply hack together a sample implementation and check whether it is actually intuitive. regs, Chris
Pushing the Search/Find items to a submenu is bad for usability (adding extra unnecessary clicks) better to group them using seperators. If the menu is too cluttered you might consider getting rid of the plain ordinary Find and instead offer only "Find and Replace..." (or "Search and replace")
`Search and Replace' is not a fancy version of just "Search". If you propose to get rid of one you may also want to propose how to change the dialogs of the remaining so not to loose functionality.
I support Alan's remark that shelving the "Search..." and "Search and Replace..." menu items in a submenu is not a good idea in terms of usability. I would even go further, why can't we just have a separate Search menu as gedit does? I would also move the "Go to Cell..." menu item in there, as that one doesn't do any editing and is just supposed to find a cell and then go there. That would make these menu items really accessible. I already proposed this in bug 99655 which is a duplicate of this one. Are there any good reasons why having a separate Search menu should be avoided? Excel already has 9 top-level menus so that can't be an valid excuse ...
*** Bug 304484 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Just an updated version incorporating some of teh suggestions: File New Open... Open Recent (recent files) --- Save Save As... Auto Save... Send by email... --- Page Setup... Print Preview... Print... --- Document Summary (used to be Properties) Protection (used to be Format Workbook, opening to second tab) Recalculation (used to be Format Workbook, opening to third tab) Named Entities Auto Correct... --- Close Quit Edit Undo Redo --- Cut Copy Paste Paste Special... --- Clear All Formats Comments Contents Hyperlinks (not implemmented yet) Delete --- Select All Column Row Array Goto Cell... Depends Search... Search and Replace... --- Preferences View New View... Zoom... Freeze Panes --- Full Screen --- Toolbars Standard Toolbar Format Toolbar Object Toolbar Status Bar --- Workbook... (opening to first tab) Sheet Manage Sheets... --- Insert Append (new) Duplicate Remove Rename --- Insert Cells Rows Column --- Chart (if we have them in their own tab they essentially create a new `sheet' or tab) Image Cell Function Special Current Date Current Time --- Comment Hyperlink --- Merge (new!) Unmerge (possibly combined with Merge) --- Fill Autofill Merge... Tabulate... Dependency... Series... Random Generator... --- Format Cells Column (submenu as is) Row (submenu as is) Sheet Hide Zeros Hide Gridlines Hide Column Headers Hide Row Headers --- Templates... Tools Plugins... --- Filter Add Autofilter Show All Advanced Filter... Goal Seek... Solver... Scenarios View... Add (does what?) Simulations Statistical Analysis (submenu as is with ellipses) Data Sort... Recalculate Validate... --- Text to Columns... Consolidate... Group and Outline (submenu as is) Help (as is)
Well, I osted this several times (at least twice) to the gnumeric list but all discussion is really in this bug report. I think it is time to just implement these changes and see what people really think (when it is not just academic).
THis has pretty much become academic. I think if we now change the complete layout users will become quite upset.