Version: 0.10.0 (using KDE 4.2.2) OS: Linux Installed from: Ubuntu Packages A list of saved searches is shown in the left-hand search panel. If I right-click in the empty area at the bottom of the list of saved searches, I get an option to add a new search. However, once the list is full and a scroll bar appears, there is no longer any empty area available within the list on which to right-click. If I right-click on an existing saved search, I see options to modify or delete that entry, but no option to add a new entry. I noticed the same problem in 0.9.x, but I did not report it against that version as I thought it might be fixed in 0.10.0, but it is not. When this first happened, it took me a while to find the alternative menu item on the main menu bar, but it is not very convenient. As the right-click menu option to add a search is available until the list fills up, I think it is a bug that this option then becomes unavailable. I suggest adding all of the menu items that appear when an empty area is right-clicked to the menu that appears when a saved search entry is right-clicked. This is far more typical of how most other applications handle this type of interface.
What about the elements at the top under "New Search"? There is a button to clear the simple search and a "Reset" button in the advanced search dialog.
> What about the elements at the top under "New Search"? There is a button to > clear the simple search and a "Reset" button in the advanced search dialog. They make things better than 0.9.x, but they still do not mean that the "Now you see it. Now you don't." experience with the context menu is not a usability bug. I'm old and cranky and I like to do things the same way. If I can create searches by right-clicking today, but can't do it tomorrow because I've created more searches than will fit on my screen without increasing the vertical resolution to buy some more space, then that is a bug. The principle is that I am right-clicking on a whole list to add something to that whole list; I am not right-clicking on some empty space in the list to add something to fill that empty space. The list is not a spreadsheet. I expect that if I right-click on the list that I get the "Create New Search..." option and if there just so happens to be an exiting entry at that point in the list, I will also get the option to modify that entry. This is how every other application I can think of does it and why I reported this as a bug: I have never seen anything work like this before and cannot think how it could be anything other than an accident. What you've pointed to is only a workaround for this particular bug. I would be grateful if you would fix the context menu and make it sensible by either removing the option to create searches at all (definitely not my preferred solution) or fix it to allow the creation of searches no matter where the mouse is clicked (pretty please). (Maybe I should brush up on my very rusty C++ and have a go.)
Actually we can fix this quite easily? Just add "Add new search" action to the context menu for every valid point? So the action is visible when clicking into the empty list or an search item? Hmm right now I don't have a menu at all when clicking into the empty list. Are you sure this is still working in 0.10? Anyway we could at this... Gilles, Marcel, what do you think? I can quickly add this if you want. Andi
I took another look at 0.10.0. When I upgraded, my 50 saved searches were still there and there was no empty space on the list. As the context menu still did not have "Create New Search..." on it, I assumed it was still like 0.9.x. Now I like it even less. :-( I looked at (or for) the search controls that Marcel referred to and couldn't figure out what he was on about. There is no "Reset" button and there appears to be no way to create a search ... until I typed into the search box and the user interface changed as if by magic. I think the current search panel fails one of the core KDE usability principles: "Understandable: When the user uses the application for the first time, the user should be able to see quickly what it does and how to use it." The documentation only shows the 0.9.x functionality. I cannot "see quickly" (or at all) what the application does. I need to type here and click there and poke around somewhere else to find out what is going on because I cannot tell what to do or what is possible just by looking at the user interface. I never bothered with "simple" searches. I use tags and saved searches exclusively to organise images. Albums folders are of no interest, as I consider them to be a relic of the bad old days before digiKam's tagging came along and solved most of my photo organisation problems. Thanks for that, guys. (It would be nice to be able to organise my searches in a hierarchy, though.) That leaves me with a "simple search" interface that I never use that just acts to reduce the number of saved searches I can view without scrolling and that has a completely different, magically morphing user interface to that for advanced searches. I guess I'll just use the "Advanced Search..." button and then "Add Search Group" from now on. It would be much cleaner and simpler for me to have no search input at the top of the search panel and just right-click context menus available all of the time. That would also fulfill another KDE usability principle: "Conformable to expectations: The application should be consistent throughout." I'd add that it should be consistent with other applications, too. For example, if I right-click on a file in Dolphin I still get the option to create a file. Perhaps the issue in digiKam stems from the difference between the Albums panel and the Search panel. In the former, I can only create albums within the existing tree, so right-clicking on empty space does not do anything. However, in the latter, I am not adding anything to existing entries, so right-clicking anywhere, even on empty space or existing entries, to add to the list is perfectly reasonable.
First line says: "New search" We can discuss the fact the the advanced search window, in fact, loads the last search when clicking on "Advanced search" under the "New search" heading. But when loading with an empty search there is a high risk of losing the last search. A functionality should be reachable via a context menu - so yes, Andi, we should add these action to the context menu as wished here, it's indeed easy. A context menu should never be the primary or even the only way to reach a function. Many computer users dont use their right mouse button too much, and a context menu is never visible at first. All important function must be reachable by left mouse button.
Ok, I have already set up something in a local branch, but I need to fix other things first. Will commit it tomorrow I guess. Andi
SVN commit 967731 by aclemens: Add "New Search" action to the context menu of the searchfolderview. This action will open the advanced search dialog. CCBUG:192413 M +3 -0 digikam/digikamview.cpp M +47 -19 utilities/searchwindow/searchfolderview.cpp M +1 -0 utilities/searchwindow/searchfolderview.h WebSVN link: http://websvn.kde.org/?view=rev&revision=967731
Actually we could remove the word "Search" from every action, because these actions only work on searches, right? So instead of New Search ---------- Edit Search Delete Search we could have New ---- Edit Delete Or do you think this is too short? Andi
Andi, It's fine for me, as you have pop-up menu title said "My Searches". From an ergonomic viewpoint, it's always better to reduce redundant words, if context is adapted. Gilles
Ok, done. I will close this report now, because the actual problem has been solved. Feel free to re-open it if something is missing. Andi