Bug 409455

Summary: Request: Make signature notification more unobtrusive
Product: [Applications] okular Reporter: Angelos Skembris <a.skembris>
Component: generalAssignee: Okular developers <okular-devel>
Status: CONFIRMED ---    
Severity: minor CC: aacid, nate
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 1.7.2   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: openSUSE   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Angelos Skembris 2019-07-03 12:40:34 UTC 
SUMMARY

Every time I open a digitally signed document the "This document is digitally signed" notification appears. There are a couple of problems with this notification. 

First, it takes up too much space and obscures the viewable area. 

Second, I need an extra click to close it, which is a bit annoying if your workflow involves opening signed documents frequently. 

Some suggestions to resolve this would be:

1) Make the notification more discreet. Currently, it takes up two lines, one for the notification text and another for the "show signatures panel" and close button. If possible, these should be on the same line so that the notification does not take up so much screen space. 

2) Perhaps it could also be configured so that it only takes as much screen space as necessary. Currently, you have the text on one side and the buttons on the other, and everything in-between is just empty space that is lost, as it covers the main view panel. Perhaps both elements (text and buttons) could be aligned (left or right) so that the rest of the space is not covered?
  
3) The notification could be automatically dismissed after a few seconds by fading out.

4) The notification panel could be replaced by a lock icon presented, for example, on the page bar. Hovering over the icon could present the "This document is digitally signed text" and clicking could toggle (activate and dismiss) the signatures panel. 

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open a digitally signed document

OBSERVED RESULT
The signature notification appears and stays there until dismissed, obscuring the main view port.

EXPECTED RESULT
The signature notification should be more unobtrusive and easily dismissed. 



SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
(available in About System)

KDE Frameworks 5.59.0
Qt 5.12.3 (built against 5.12.3)
The xcb windowing system
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2019-07-15 03:03:14 UTC 
I don't disagree. However, the devil's in the details:

1. seems reasonable and doable.

2. would cause people to report it as a bug ("Why does the signature message box just end in the middle of nowhere?"

3. is not a great UX since the message box could easily disappear before you've finished reading it, or after you've read it and while you're moving your cursor towards the button do do something with it. That would be really infuriating.

4. would cause 99% of people to miss it.
Comment 2 Angelos Skembris 2019-07-15 08:56:46 UTC 
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #1)
> I don't disagree. However, the devil's in the details:
> 
> 1. seems reasonable and doable.
> 
> 2. would cause people to report it as a bug ("Why does the signature message
> box just end in the middle of nowhere?"
> 
> 3. is not a great UX since the message box could easily disappear before
> you've finished reading it, or after you've read it and while you're moving
> your cursor towards the button do do something with it. That would be really
> infuriating.
> 
> 4. would cause 99% of people to miss it.

Hi Nate, 

I assume you can control the fading process through a timer and have it disappear after a specified number of seconds that does need to be too long, or once an event like scrolling takes place. 

You could also replace the long message by a single, non-fading but dismissable icon (e.g. document-edit-sign-encrypt.svg from breeze). Hovering over it would display the text, left clicking would toggle the signatures panel, right clicking would dismiss it. I wager that would be much more discreet; you'd still need to click to dismiss it but if it doesn't obscure that much viewable area, I am guessing it wouldn't matter as much.  

Just thinking out loud here, I am sure you will figure out the best and quickest way to go about this!