UI Tweaks

[Tvangeste]

Here's just an exe only: http://www.multiupload.com/C2ADZWD690

Copy on top of your existing goldendict.exe, but backup the old version first, just in case. And please provide feedback: what works, what needs improvement.

P.S. For now, just manually disable the Search Pane, that's the old search pane, it is not currently used in the new code.

[betwee]

Hi, Tvangeste! These are some of the things I personally would try to improve with a first look:

1. Use as many default icons of the operating system as possible;
2. In the tab bar, allow adding a new tab by double-clicking the large empty space in it (on the right side of a tab);
3. Don't use an arrow for Groups badge in the 'address bar'. If possible, change the style of this drop-down to correspond to the default in the system;
4. Make buttons smarter:
a) I can't right-click an inactive button (e.x. Forward) in order to enable/disable a special bar or function. It only works when the button is active/on;
b) Make the Pronounce Word button aside the 'address bar' show only if I am using a dictionary that makes use of sounds;
5) Although I always disable the Wikipedia web dictionary, once I turn off the Dictionary Bar I get "Error message: Host en.wikipedia.org not found". When the Dictionary Bar is enabled I don't get it. This same bug also affects the Scan Popup functionality;
6) The phrase "Type to translate" in the 'address bar' may need a revision, because I use monolingual dictionaries too, and there is nothing to translate;
7) It's easier for the words in the drop-down list to open if you single-click them, and the drop-down list (address bar) can be made a very little larger and scrollable.

Keep up the great work, .

[Tvangeste]

Thanks for suggestions. Many of them are not really related to this new translate bar functionality, those are generic observations, applicable to the GD in general. I filed some of those as issues in our issue tracker. But feel free to submit bugs yourself too!

1. Use as many default icons of the operating system as possible;

https://github.com/goldendict/goldendict/issues/27

2. In the tab bar, allow adding a new tab by double-clicking the large empty space in it (on the right side of a tab);

Good suggestion.
https://github.com/goldendict/goldendict/issues/28

3. Don't use an arrow for Groups badge in the 'address bar'. If possible, change the style of this drop-down to correspond to the default in the system;

But this is contradictory! If the groups combo box is native, then there is an arrow, as with all native combo boxes!
I did'n use the native combo box because in such case I could not merge the two components (groups and translate bar) together, since nativecomboboxes have round border.

4. Make buttons smarter:
a) I can't right-click an inactive button (e.x. Forward) in order to enable/disable a special bar or function. It only works when the button is active/on;

Yeah, I noticed that as well. Not sure if Qt allows to do so, to receive events for disabled component. Need to double check on that.

b) Make the Pronounce Word button aside the 'address bar' show only if I am using a dictionary that makes use of sounds;

I"m not sure. Switching between groups could lead to constant hide/re-appear of the button, which I find more dist distractive.

5) Although I always disable the Wikipedia web dictionary, once I turn off the Dictionary Bar I get "Error message: Host en.wikipedia.org not found". When the Dictionary Bar is enabled I don't get it. This same bug also affects the Scan Popup functionality;

WHOA! That's most definitely unexpected, I haven't touched anything that could trigger that. And it works just fine here. Please double check that this dictionary works when you enable it and Dictionary Bar is shown.

6) The phrase "Type to translate" in the 'address bar' may need a revision, because I use monolingual dictionaries too, and there is nothing to translate;

Any suggestions?

7) It's easier for the words in the drop-down list to open if you single-click them, and the drop-down list (address bar) can be made a very little larger and scrollable.

Please clarify, I didn't get it. Single-click where?

As for the size, also unclear. The translate bar (let's call it that way) fills the whole available horizontal size. Or do you mean vertical? Then you could adjust the font size in the translate bar via menu: View -> Zoom -> Words Zoom In.

[betwee]

Thanks for suggestions. Many of them are not really related to this new translate bar functionality, those are generic observations, applicable to the GD in general.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to all of them! Yes, some of them were not related to the changes you made, but since you are very active in GoldenDict lately...

But this is contradictory! If the groups combo box is native, then there is an arrow, as with all native combo boxes!
I did'n use the native combo box because in such case I could not merge the two components (groups and translate bar) together, since nativecomboboxes have round border.

So you say there is no other way (I mean like it's done in Opera). OK, how about removing the other arrow then, the one in the list of suggestions in translate bar?

I"m not sure. Switching between groups could lead to constant hide/re-appear of the button, which I find more dist distractive.

Can you make it removable, like you did with the zoom buttons?

WHOA! That's most definitely unexpected, I haven't touched anything that could trigger that. And it works just fine here. Please double check that this dictionary works when you enable it and Dictionary Bar is shown.

I'll check when I get home, although I don't think it has anything to do with the changes you have made now.

Any suggestions?

In http://oxforddictionaries.com/ it is "Type a word or phrase to search dictionary", e.x.

Please clarify, I didn't get it. Single-click where?

As for the size, also unclear. The translate bar (let's call it that way) fills the whole available horizontal size. Or do you mean vertical? Then you could adjust the font size in the translate bar via menu: View -> Zoom -> Words Zoom In.

I mean to single-click a word that comes from the list of suggestions. Right now I have to double-click or Enter to open one of them, and I also can't scroll through them with the mouse. As for the size of the bar, yes, I mean its vertical size.

[Tvangeste]

2. In the tab bar, allow adding a new tab by double-clicking the large empty space in it (on the right side of a tab);

Just fixed in the master branch. Double click on a tabbar, outside of existing tabs, now creates a new tab.

[Tvangeste]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to all of them! Yes, some of them were not related to the changes you made, but since you are very active in GoldenDict lately...

Heh, that might not last long!! I severely need some kind of vacation.

Can you make it removable, like you did with the zoom buttons?

Eventually, I'm planning to have toolbar fully configured by user.

In http://oxforddictionaries.com/ it is "Type a word or phrase to search dictionary", e.x.

Good one. So be it.

Please clarify, I didn't get it. Single-click where?

I mean to single-click a word that comes from the list of suggestions. Right now I have to double-click or Enter to open one of them, and I also can't scroll through them with the mouse. As for the size of the bar, yes, I mean its vertical size.

Single click on suggestions, agreed, will fix. As for scrolling with mouse, it should work just fine, and it works fine for me. Explain what are you doing. I just start typing, the pop-up list with suggestions, well, pops up, and I can either scroll via the scrollbar or via mouse wheel.

[betwee]

Just fixed in the master branch. Double click on a tabbar, outside of existing tabs, now creates a new tab.

Wow, that was fast. Thanks!

Heh, that might not last long!! I severely need some kind of vacation.

And you deserve it. In fact, now for me there is not much to change in GoldenDict, anyway.

Eventually, I'm planning to have toolbar fully configured by user.

Great.

...As for scrolling with mouse, it should work just fine, and it works fine for me. Explain what are you doing. I just start typing, the pop-up list with suggestions, well, pops up, and I can either scroll via the scrollbar or via mouse wheel.

On my Windows XP SP3 (Media Center) I can't do the scrolling part. After the pop-up, I can only navigate up and down the suggestions with the keyboard. I'll try it again later.

[chulai]

Great work!!! Can't wait to have all these improvements.

I have a couple of suggestions:

1) highlight in bold the word in the look up drop-down list as you're typing. For example, I type "hello" and the drop-down shows:
hello
hello!
hello?
Hello Dolly!
ways to say hello

The highlight should be case-insensitive I guess.

2) Babylon and, I think, some web browsers add the history to the location/search bar. We could add the history entries to the look up drop-down list and separate them from the suggestions these way:

--------- history
hello 1 <------ we should limit the entries to 2 o 3
hello 2
--------- suggestions
hello
hello!
hello?
Hello Dolly!
ways to say hello

If there is no search term in the look up box and the user click the arrow of the drop-down the whole history entries could appear.
The option to show history entries in the look up drown down might be user-configurable. Some people may don't like to see the history there.

Finally, I have found 2 small bugs:

I) If I select "View > Show Small Icons in Toolbars", all icons reduce its size except for the zoom icons. I guess it's so because now these buttons are located in a new toolbar.
II) The zooming toolbar is missing its menu entry in the "View" menu.
III) Related to that, should we add the "View > Menubar" entry to the toolbar context menu too?

[Tvangeste]

You guys are killing me! And you forgot to mention another very useful feature: completion! So that users won't have to type complete words, they could use completion, based on the suggestions, in a manner similar (and familiar to most) to browser's URL bar.

But let's proceed one step at a time!

[spinifex]

I love GoldenDict. But ...
Is there a window option that lists Similar Words such as in WordWeb or Artha.

Both those dictionaries have a window that lists Synonyms / Similar Words that may be substituted for or that may be used instead of the particular word that was searched for; effectively a Thesaurus function window that helps frame the meaning of the word by providing words with a similar definition or meaning.

I ALWAYS use this function in WordWeb http://wordweb.info/free/ and Artha http://artha.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Home when writing. It helps broaden my vocabulary and I find it very useful.