Re: [Skim-app-users] of the complexity of the main menu

[Christiaan H. <cmh...@gm...>]

On 25 Oct 2007, at 5:05 PM, Xavier Cambar wrote:

> Le 25 oct. 07 =E0 15:07, Christiaan Hofman a =E9crit :
>
>> You misunderstand the design. Your way would make the note tool modes
>> completely useless (as you say yourself). Your proposal forces one to
>> change the tool mode every time you want to add a note. It is than
>> much more convenient to add the note directly using the Notes menu
>> items. The idea of a tool mode is that your are in a certain state
>> *and stay there*. This way you can easily add several notes (of the
>> same type) without having to do much else than moving the mouse. So
>> it is important to understand that the note tool modes are designed
>> to quickly mass-add a single type of note.
>>
>> Also adding notes is not really mode independent, as it works only in
>> text and note tool mode. This is also by design, as the purpose of
>> those modes are not compatible with note editing (and being able to
>> add a note without the ability to edit them is wrong).
>
> But don't you agree that the "Notes" menu and the "Tools->Note Type"
> submenu are redundant?
> They could (easily?) be merged into the Notes menu so as the items
> respond slightly differently whether the user is in Note mode or in
> another mode.

I disagree strongly, as I thought I explained clearly in my other =20
mails. Again, those are *completely different* actions, as the items =20
in the Notes menu *add a new note*, while the items in the Tools>Note =20=

Type submenu merely *change the tool mode*. Again, the note tool =20
modes are *not* designed to add a single note, but to mass add notes =20
of one type. And for that reason they should be separated, to avoid =20
confusion about what does what the ones in the Tools menu change Tool =20=

Mode, the ones near the edit menu add notes).

Moreover, I told you that changing a tool mode is something you do =20
*once*, not every time you add a note.

> In Note mode, there will still be that ability to mass-add notes,
> changing the type with a selection within the Notes menu or the
> corresponding keyboard shortcut.

Again, and again, The items in the Notes menu *add a new note* of a =20
specific type, also in note tool mode. This allows you to add, say, a =20=

text note while you're busy adding a whole bunch of, say, highlights.

> In other modes, the user could quickly add a single note from that
> same menu, or with the same keyboard shortcut he used in Tool mode.
>
> The way I understand the modes, each of them correspond to a
> particular situation.
> And in any situation, the user must not lose the ability to do what
> Skim is for and good at: annotating a document.
>

Wrong. When you want to magnify, you shouldn't find yourself dragging =20=

or editing a note instead of getting the magnifying glass. Same for =20
other tool modes like Select and Move. That's the whole idea of tool =20
modes.

> As I already said, you're almost there, but has "almost perfect" ever
> been "perfect"?
>
> Xavier Cambar

Your suggestions actually would make it less perfect, I'm afraid.

Christiaan