UI Tweaks

[Tvangeste]

One more (small but quite useful!) UI tweak, a new menu: Help -> Configuration Folder, which just opens the configuration folder.

This is especially useful on Windows where it is rather hard to figure out where that folder is actually located. And users do need to know that from time to time, in order to adjust CSS settings, for example.

[betwee]

Since we are talking UI tweaks, two small things:

1. The 'add new tab' button doesn't have a tooltip (the one on the left of a tab).
2. Removing the Menubar (why not Menu Bar?) was just pushed lately, and I once tried to disable it (without noticing the shortcut Ctrl + M) and there was no way in the UI I could bring it back again (only by editing the configuration file). So I suggest adding a Menu Bar command when right-clicking on the Dictionary Bar.

[Tvangeste]

Since we are talking UI tweaks, two small things:

1. The 'add new tab' button doesn't have a tooltip (the one on the left of a tab).

Just fixed, thanks. For both buttons, "New Tab" and "Open Tabs List".

(why not Menu Bar?)

I don't know I just checked with Google, and Menubar is used 2x more often, heh.

and I once tried to disable it (without noticing the shortcut Ctrl + M) and there was no way in the UI I could bring it back again (only by editing the configuration file). So I suggest adding a Menu Bar command when right-clicking on the Dictionary Bar.

Well, that's the big question. The whole idea is to *reduce* space, consumed by some infrequently used components. If we are to remove menubar and then add some new components to show menubar, we're not cleaning, we're just moving things around

For 99% of users who don't care about this issue, they will just continue to use GoldenDict as-is, with menubar. Power users who do care about possibility to hide menubar, should be aware of Ctrl+M shortcut or configuration files. And we do warn users when they hide the menubar, with yellow WARNING sign, and provide Ctrl+M in bold.

But yeah, this is not 100% optimal. Various browsers got away with hiding menubars just because they moved the menu button to the window's title (Firefox, Opera, IE) or they moved it all behind a configuration button, like Chrome. I like how it is done in FF, Opera, and not really sure about Chrome, I don't want yet another button cluttering my toolbars!

[betwee]

Just fixed, thanks. For both buttons, "New Tab" and "Open Tabs List".

That was fast, thanks.

...and Menubar is used 2x more often, heh.

Ah, OK, that is strange.

Well, that's the big question. The whole idea is to *reduce* space, consumed by some infrequently used components. If we are to remove menubar and then add some new components to show menubar, we're not cleaning, we're just moving things around

For 99% of users who don't care about this issue, they will just continue to use GoldenDict as-is, with menubar. Power users who do care about possibility to hide menubar, should be aware of Ctrl+M shortcut or configuration files. And we do warn users when they hide the menubar, with yellow WARNING sign, and provide Ctrl+M in bold.

But yeah, this is not 100% optimal. Various browsers got away with hiding menubars just because they moved the menu button to the window's title (Firefox, Opera, IE) or they moved it all behind a configuration button, like Chrome. I like how it is done in FF, Opera, and not really sure about Chrome, I don't want yet another button cluttering my toolbars!

You may be right, and you may be used to that way of working. I myself use Opera, and know pretty well what cluttered menus means (just by looking at the Opera Menu button) and GoldenDict is far from that. When right-clicking in the Dictionary Bar there are now only four commands to enable and disable things, so a fifth Menubar wouldn't hurt that much (people right-click in toolbars very rarely). Anyway, choice is yours, . And I didn't know about that message when activating Ctrl+M: it makes it clear to you what you need to do, you're right.

P.S. Does this program, Lingo Dictionary (https://launchpad.net/lingo-dictionary), give you any inspiration in further interface tweaking?

[Tvangeste]

When right-clicking in the Dictionary Bar there are now only four commands to enable and disable things

Hmm, are you sure? When right-clicking on the Dictionary Bar (the toolbar with dictionaries), you should get the list of the dictionaries.

On the other hand, when right-clicking on the Navigation Bar, yeah, you could enable some things there. But then again, this toolbar can be removed/hidden as well!

P.S. Does this program, Lingo Dictionary (https://launchpad.net/lingo-dictionary), give you any inspiration in further interface tweaking?

Interesting...

[betwee]

Yes, that's what I've meant all the time (Navigation Bar), sorry for the confusion.

[Tvangeste]

Another weekend experiment. GoldenDict on Windows 7 + Glass blur effect.



I'm not sure I like it that much, but still, it was worth trying out.

[xDev]

Another weekend experiment. GoldenDict on Windows 7 + Glass blur effect.



I'm not sure I like it that much, but still, it was worth trying out.

This is nice for the mini-mode, imagine blur effect for the upper part (buttons and text box) of the mockup i suggested.

[Tvangeste]

P.S. Does this program, Lingo Dictionary (https://launchpad.net/lingo-dictionary), give you any inspiration in further interface tweaking?

The application does look very streamlined and sleek:



But, and there is a *HUGE* but here. This application basically provides no functionality at all (besides typing a word and looking for result from the single dictionary). No multiple dictionaries, no sound, no groups, no tabs, etc, etc, etc. So it is very easy for them to be as simple as the screenshot shows -- they just don't have functionality to expose.

But we do! So the trick is to streamline the UI while keeping GoldenDict's powerful functionality, suitable for both groups, casual users with 1-2 dictionaries and power users with hundreds of dictionaries for multiple languages.

P.S. I like the idea of the bookmarking the words, and I think this has been asked a lot already. Many users do use the dictionary primarily to learn other languages and to create such word lists for later reference and repetition.

[Tvangeste]

One more small UI tweak, which been annoying me to no end for quite some time Well, I'm probably crazy, but that's the way it is.

Basically, dictionary icons for enabled dictionaries in GoldenDict's dictionary bar were shifted in the down-right direction, colliding at the bottom with the button's border. It just didn't look good to me. So I fixed it.

Compare, old and new, pay attention to the bottom line between the icon and the button border:




Noticed the difference?