Version: HEAD (using KDE KDE 3.4.0) Installed from: Compiled From Sources OS: Linux The timezone combobox in the Kst Settings dialog seems unnecessarily difficult to use. The vast majority of people will know what their local timezone offset from UTC is. It is much easier to type -8 than it is to scroll through a list of some 1500 entries looking for one that says America/Vancouver. At a minimum the user should be given the option to enter the information directly.
Barth, could you please add information about your proposed solution to this bug report - preferably in more detail as I did not grasp what you were after in your short email to the list.
Add to the dialog a int spin box 'Offset from UT:_________' This needs to always be aligned with the combo box. So, if the combo box is changed, the number in the spin box needs to be changed. If the number in the spin box is changed, the combo box needs to change. I'm not sure how this time combo works, but one possibility is to search for the first appropriate TZ from the list each time the offset spin box is changed.
I'm not sure that we can use a spinbox. There are some time zones that are some number of hours and 15 minutes off UTC (Asia/Katmandu) - so do we make the spinbox increment in 15 minute intervals, or just ignore those living in places like Newfoundland. If we do increment in 15 minute intervals what happens when the user selects a timezone in the spinbox that is not present in the combobox?
One possibility would be to parse all the combobox entries and then display all the possible values, suitably sorted, in another combobox. Less elegant than simply typing it in but better than what we have. I think the better solution would be to have an edit field where the user can type in the value directly. If they don't know the UTC offset in their timezone then the combobox would still be present for them to select from that. The edit field would be updated to reflect the combobox selection, but not vice-versa.
I think either of those are fine with me as long as the two controls stay synchronized.
I have a fix for this bug that I think it is best available compromise given that people seem to want to keep the existing combobox around. Should I check it in now or leave it until after 1.2.0?
On Monday 28 November 2005 14:19, Andrew Walker wrote: > ------- I have a fix for this bug that I think it is best available > compromise given that people seem to want to keep the existing combobox > around. Should I check it in now or leave it until after 1.2.0? That depends on what the fix is, but probably it's best to go in now. What is your plan?
SVN commit 483937 by arwalker: BUG:116824 Fix problem with entering timezone information, so that it is now much simpler for the typical user. M +11 -17 kstsettings.cpp M +1 -2 kstsettings.h M +56 -26 kstsettingsdlg.ui M +115 -4 kstsettingsdlg.ui.h M +16 -7 ktimezonecombo.cpp M +1 -1 ktimezonecombo.h