GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 331306
Shortcuts pane should have "Places" column header
Last modified: 2006-02-25 18:23:15 UTC
The bookmark feature is unclear at first use. There is nothing to indicate what this list represents. Adding a header label would be a great help to new users in getting to grips with this interface. Such headers are pretty standard practice in all software so this just looks like an oversight. Other information:
Created attachment 59417 [details] [review] patch to add bookmark label above bookmark panel
Created attachment 59419 [details] [review] cleaned up patch file: code same
For consistency with Nautilus, I'd prefer to have a real column header that says "Places". Look at shortcuts_list_create(); that's what creates the shortcuts/bookmarks column. It hides the header and uses a different title. Can you please create a patch for that?
I'd rather see nautilus be consist, I'll look into that. as for making it the column header , I'll see what it looks like but a side bonus of the bookmark label was that it helped offset the panels in the case of full width path_bar. I felt this helped tidy up the new layout w.r.t. path_bar.
Fixed on the HEAD branch. 2006-02-24 Federico Mena Quintero <federico@novell.com> * gtk/gtkfilechooserdefault.c (shortcuts_list_create): Make the column header visible, and make it be "_Places". Changed the accessible object name to Places as well. Fixes bug #331306. (file_pane_create): Do not create the path bar and "create folder" button here... (browse_widgets_create): ... but create them here instead. This moves the path bar to be above both the hpaned, giving it the full width of the dialog. Fixes bug #327733.
Glad to see the full width idea got accepted I think that makes a big difference to usablility. Please reconsider the use of "places" thought. This really does not make sense in English. It says nothing. It's good that this now has a label but that label should tell the user something. I dont understand the resistance to bookmarks. It's clear and is already a well established metaphore in the mind of the user.
I guess I have to disagree that Places says nothing. It also nicely corresponds to the "Places" menu in the menubar of the gnome panel.
I agree, having standardised terminology with nautilus makes sence, that's why I posted a bug about this on nautilus after Federico pointed out the commonality above. I dont think this is a silly detail. This is central to how these dlgs work since there is no treeview, it is _essential_ that the user sees straight away what all this is about. "Places" on its own means no more that the untitled list that was the subject of this bug. "Favourite places" , "Favourites" or "Bookmarks" would say something or , god forbid, "MY places". Tho' I still dont like the term places. There is nothing in the term places that suggests to the user he can add his own bookmarks here. When I first started using this dlg I could not see what this column was for and the big fat Add button just provoked the question "add what?!" Neither did the clicking on the add button help. This sort of thing should be self-evident. Looking at the code and at the bug categories for nautilus it seems bookmark was used in the past. I cant see why it fell out of favour. Well that's my thoughts and my experience as I recall it on first seeing this interface. Sometimes things seem obvious when we write the code but are not obvious to someone using it afresh. My suggestion is to change both nautilus and the file dlgs to use a more helpful term. If the consensus is that "places" clearly conveys to the user how to use this somewhat innovative way of working I will have to remain unconvinced. That's my reasoning for my suggestion. I leave it in your capable hands. regards.