[ jEdit-users ] 4.3pre3 "XSearch" Dialog

[Randall R S. <rs...@so...>]

Hi,

I'd like to suggest some minor improvements to the new Seach and Replace 
dialog that debuted in 4.3pre3. With one exception, these are cosmetic 
changes, but given the centrality of the use of the search and replace 
functions, it behooves the authors to pay attention to these details. 
Layout and placement of controls and labels has significant 
consequences for usability, since it either facilitates or hinders 
one's eye being able to find and recognize the dialog's contents.


- "show options"
  The "extended" control is a radio button, but its behavior is like 
that of a check box, so that's what it should be.

- Label Text Alignment
  "fold search",
  "comment search"
  "hyperrange"
  "left col"
  "upper row"
  "right col"
  "lower row"
  "up"
  "down"
  These labels should be aligned with the control text that appears 
immediately above and below them and not with the radio buttons

- Label Text Capitalization
  It's quite inconsistent and should be fixed.

- Spacing and Margins
  There is too much wasted blank space, both internally and in the 
margins. I'd like to dock this dialog, but I cannot afford to make the 
docking area wide enough to hold the dialog as its currently 
configured. When floating, the default size, which is adopted whenever 
an option that controls the layout of the dialog's contents is changed, 
is wasteful--there is a lot of unnecessary blank space. There is too 
much blank space at the bottom. The space below the push buttons is 
wasted, since the lower set of options can be slid under them. The 
blank space below the replacement text field is likewise wasted. The 
columns of options in the lower section is unevenly spaced, with much 
more horizontal space between the left-most column and the middle one.

- Docking Menu Behavior
  The menu activation control does not toggle. Clicking it once displays 
the docking menu, but clicking it again does not dismiss it. To do that 
one must either select a menu command or click again away from the 
menu.


Sincerely,

Randall Schulz