[Gramps-users] 2.0.5: "Open Database" dialog comments/bugs

[John S. <jo...@st...>]

Hi Don and Crew,  

I've finally found a few more minutes to keep testing gramps 2.0
against my simple sets of data and I'd like to file some bug/comment
reports tonight while I'm cranking here.  Let me know if you want
these in seperate emails.  And sorry, but I don't have the time to
open bugzilla reports right now...

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First, when opening an existing DB using the "Open database" dialogue,
I selected the directory which holds the database I wanted to use and
hit the 'Open' button.  Instead of opening the DB, it surprised me a
bit by moving into the directory and then offering to open the
'data.gramps' DB file.

Would it make more sense to just allow users to open a directory if
there is just one data.gramps file in there?  


Second, there are two dropdown (pulldown?) selections just above the
'cancel/open' buttons.  One has a label which says "Select file type:"
but doesn't do anything.  The other just has a default name of "All
Files", but without a label.

It's not clear (to me at least) how these two should be used, though
with a bit of playing around and thinking (ouch!) it became more
clear, I think.  But this could use some cleanup, and probably when
you are opening a database, you shouldn't be allowed to select the
file type of read in.  

A) When I change "Select file type:" from 'automatically detected' to
   'GEDCOM', but leave the upper box at "All Files" and then select a
   'data.gramps' file to read in, I get a dialog with a a bunch of
   warnings.   Annoyingly, the "Warning Messages" text box doesn't
   word-wrap, or expand the width of the window to handle the text
   widgth nicely.  I personally hate horizontal scrolling text boxes
   and I think we should just word-wrap here.  

B) when I make the format be "GRAMPS (grdb)" I get a dialog called
   "Loading Database" which immediately bombs out with a warning dialog
   saying "Cannot open database ... unexpected file type or format",
   which is true, but not friendly. 

C) When I make the format "Geneweb" I get a warning dialogue which
   says "Opening non-native format New GRAMPS database has to be set
   up when opening non-native formats." which I think is EXCELLENT!
   This, IMHSHO, should be the default for all formats other than the
   standard gramps DB backed format from now on.

   But when I then proceed and open up a new DB called
   'untitled-1.grdb', it blows chunks on the console about the
   problems it has parsing a gramps compressed XML file as a Geneweb
   format file.  Pretty neat actually.


Third, I also think that the _width_ of the two pulldowns in the "Open
database" dialog should be made similiar, and have a label added to
clear up the meaning of the top one.

Fourth, if I open an old 'data.gramps' format file, would it be good
to offer to convert it into the new gramps.grdb format and make that
the default from then on?  

Thanks,
John