Bug 332655 - Missing WhatsThis text for entire Desktop Effects KCM
Summary: Missing WhatsThis text for entire Desktop Effects KCM
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: effects-various (show other bugs)
Version: 5.2.0.1
Platform: Mint (Ubuntu based) Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2014-03-26 21:34 UTC by Brock McNuggets
Modified: 2020-01-20 17:48 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
thomas.luebking: Usability+
thomas.luebking: Decision-Required+


Attachments
Shows odd text (116.23 KB, image/png)
2014-03-26 21:36 UTC, Brock McNuggets
Details

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Description Brock McNuggets 2014-03-26 21:34:57 UTC
Help (from the small icon near the min, max, and close widgets) just has big text that says "Desktop Effects" in each tab, no matter what you click.

Reproducible: Always
Comment 1 Brock McNuggets 2014-03-26 21:36:47 UTC
Created attachment 85774 [details]
Shows odd text
Comment 2 David Edmundson 2015-02-08 17:12:06 UTC
That module has been rewritten but that problem persists (and is arguably worse)
Comment 3 Thomas Lübking 2015-02-08 17:40:43 UTC
Ftr, the new kcms have actually no WhatsThis property at all, seems to be unconditionally hinted by the kcm shell.

Neither have kwinactions, kwinscreenedges, kwintabbox, kwindecoration or kwinscripts such hints.

kwinoptions, kwinrules & desktop have as breaindead whatsthis tips as the old compositing kcm, 

I assume it's "implied" by the kcm and the no-information text was added since there's not much to tell on top and the entire "WhatsThis" concept is a major UX failure.

I also looked up random other kcms and there're three types:
- no hints
- breanded global tooltip (what you can do in this kcm)
- basically they repeat the UI elements label and then repeat the repitition in other wording

m(


I vote for "Fixed by removing no-info WhatsThis labels"

If something needs extra information, that information should be in context (tooltip or visible/autohiding label) and not some point 'n click adventure game (though I really liked them, but rather because they were funny ;-)
Comment 4 David Edmundson 2015-02-08 17:43:10 UTC
>I vote for "Fixed by removing no-info WhatsThis labels"

++
Comment 5 Heiko Tietze 2015-02-08 23:06:06 UTC
If we remove the WhatsThis feature we should do it for every dialog. Even the decoration must not offer the option. On the other hand, the WhatsThis is quite helpful for touch screens where you don't have mouse over tooltips (at best with an infobutton near the control). So why don't we use the tooltip content for the WhatThis text? 

Oups, there isn't any hint set yet. That's a major usability flaw!
Comment 6 Martin Flöser 2015-02-09 06:44:52 UTC
Technically WhatsThis feature is hardly supported by any window manager. It's a KDE specific addition to the NETWM spec and might only work with KWin. Just that is reason enough to give it a kick (run your KDE application in GNOME and you cannot access the help)
Comment 7 Nate Graham 2020-01-20 17:48:25 UTC
The KCM is QtQuick now, and QtQuick doesn't support the WhatsThis feature. Sorry.

+1 for removing the whole feature altogether some day.