Bug 121328

Summary: UI improvement: focus/selection indicators
Product: [Applications] kst Reporter: Nicolas Brisset <nicolas.brisset>
Component: generalAssignee: kst
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: wishlist    
Priority: NOR    
Version: 1.x   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: unspecified   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Nicolas Brisset 2006-02-03 22:56:21 UTC 
Version:           1.2.0_devel (using KDE 3.4.2, Mandrake Linux Cooker i586 - Cooker)
Compiler:          Target: i586-mandriva-linux-gnu
OS:                Linux (i686) release 2.6.12-12mdk

I have been thinking a bit about he focus/selection indicators issue. I understand why there are 2 sets (even though some programs live with just one), and I'd suggest going for very minor changes to make them easier to work with:
- use only one color (e.g. plot foreground color)
- differentiate between selection (filled squares) and focus (square outline)
- forget the black/white border (to indicate focus). I don't think it is necessary to see focus on an existing selection in that way
- when there is a multiple selection, use filled squares only at the corners of the rectangle containing all objects, let other indicators be only outlines
- do something for stupid users like me who keep trying to catch focus indicators to use as resize handles (frustrating, isn't it ?)
- maybe make the squares fully contained in the object instead of lying across their border (would especially help when the objects are in the corner of a window)

Those are rather minor usability issues, but they should simplify things to the point that the user's brain will have some spare "CPU" for actually thinking about what he intends to do, rather than just trying to understand the blinking and fill/border color changing :-)
Comment 1 Netterfield 2006-06-17 02:36:56 UTC 
Making the green squares the plot forground color seems like a good idea to try (it may or may not work).

I don't personally don't think we should implement the other suggestions.
Comment 2 Andrew Walker 2007-05-05 01:47:50 UTC 
SVN commit 661242 by arwalker:

BUG:121328 as per Barth's response only implement last suggestion. Use user defined colors rather than hard-coded colors for seletion and focus rects.

 M  +2 -2      kstviewobject.cpp  


--- branches/work/kst/1.5/kst/src/libkstapp/kstviewobject.cpp #661241:661242
@@ -464,8 +464,8 @@
 
 
 void KstViewObject::drawSelectRect(KstPainter& p) {
-  p.setBrush(QBrush(Qt::green));
-  p.setPen(QPen(Qt::black, 0));
+  p.setBrush(QBrush(foregroundColor()));
+  p.setPen(QPen(backgroundColor(), 0));
   drawFocusRect(p);
 }