Feature (Attributes & Operations) Management UI SUCKS!

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Firstly, there are two (inconsistent ways to delete features), you can (often accidentally) press the delete key and purge the feature (silently) from the repository.  [Ctrl+Del] will also purge the feature.

In the Features Window, you have to press [Ctrl+D] (neither [Del] nor [Ctrl+Del] will work!).  EAUI!  In the diagram, {Ctrl+Del] will remove the shape from the diagram, even if the focus is on the feature!

An (at least optional) interlock to stop accidental purging of features needs to be provided.  In an Enterprise scale repository - features are almost as important as elements.

When you intentionally purge a feature, the focus does not move to the next feature, but the next plus one!  More EAUI!

If you add a feature via [Ctrl+N] or [Ctrl+C] the location of the new feature seems to vary according to some secret incantation.   It doesn't always go at the end.  Seems to be related to whether the window is full with other features or not.

Reported,
Paolo

[qwerty]

+1 though I don't think I will see it in my lifetime.

The last point: I moaned about that already. It's because one of the columns has set sorting. EAUI again at its best.

q.

[skiwi]

+1

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I received the following response from Sparx:
Thanks for the note.

Requesting a prompt on delete
Unfortunately this is not currently scheduled to be changed.

Different keyboard accelerators
Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately this is not currently scheduled to be changed.

Ordering of new features
The 'New Attribute'/'New Operation' row responds to the ordering applied to the list. It may not be the last entry
The list doesn't necessarily match the position saved because it can be sorted differently by the user and because the list isn't resorted after every new feature added.

Next selection after feature deleted
We tried in both the feature dialog and inplace editor. Neither had the behavior you described.
I find this response less than satisfactory.  Can anyone confirm the behaviour I documented?

Other thoughts?
Paolo

[qwerty]

When I delete a feature (Ctrl-D in the dialog) the focus is completely gone. On the diagram it seems to just scroll the remaining up (what I would expect). However, this Ctrl-D/DEL mess is nothing I'd accept.

When I add a new feature (with Name sorted) and press enter when the name is typed, it inserts that in the list alphabetically and moves the focus on it. Now the input field is far away again. Entering a couple of features in a row is not possible (without banging the head on the keyboard several times).

I concur: this UI has been bread in the UI hell. Counter-intuitve. Hindering. Sick.

Well. We (or at least I) will never see a UI from Sparx that deserves its name.

q.

[Geert Bellekens]

I must agree that the Features Dialog can be improved in a couple of areas.
In general it acts weird and not as you would intuitively expect from a dialog like that.

But I guess the Sparxians are too much used to the quirks of the dialog to even notice that it doesn't behave like a "normal" dialog. Their "normal" compass must be a bit off after working on/with EA for a while.

Too bad, but what are you going to do except complain?
But this dialog is not the only one. On a general training/workshop, I can't count the number of times I have to excuse EA and say something along the line of "yes I know this is a bit weird, but this is they way EA works" 

Geert

[Paolo F Cantoni]

[SNIP]
On a general training/workshop, I can't count the number of times I have to excuse EA and say something along the line of "yes I know this is a bit weird, but this is they way EA works" 

Geert

I say: " Yes, this is quite weird, but this is the way EA behaves".   Since it doesn't work for us users.  Even I get used to the EAUI behaviour and occasionally get "pulled up" by a new user and have to indicate that the behaviour isn't going to be fixed anytime soon.

Paolo

[skiwi]

Here is a sample of what behaviour you get from Ctrl-D, Ctrl-Del, and Del in 12.1 in several contexts

Entity or package in Project Browser (12.1)
Ctrl-Del brings up Delete confirmation dialogue
Del has no effect
Ctrl-D has no effect

Element on diagram
Ctrl-Del brings up Delete from diagram and model confirmation when entity selected
Del deletes from diagram when entity selected
Ctrl-D deletes from diagram when entity selected

Attribute in element on diagram
Ctrl-Del has no effect when attribute in entity selected
Del has no effect when attribute in entity selected
Ctrl-D deletes from diagram when attribute in entity is selected

Package element on diagram
Ctrl-Del has no effect
Del deletes from diagram
Ctrl-D deletes from diagram

Entity properties in dialogue box
No keyboard shortcut to delete a tag
No keyboard shortcut to delete a file entry

Attributes (columns) and operations (constraints) dialogue box
Ctrl-Del deletes attribute or operation
Del has no effect
Ctrl-D deletes attribute or operation

Attributes (columns) and operations (constraints) in project browser
Ctrl-Del to delete attribute or operation
Del has no effect
Ctrl-D has no effect

[qwerty]

Making a guess that there are 7 independent developer teams that prefer to not communicate. Or worse: a single team that has written "Consistency sucks" on its banner.
The lack of an integration team. And the lack of any style guides.

q.

[Geert Bellekens]

Making a guess that there are 7 independent developer teams that prefer to not communicate. Or worse: a single team that has written "Consistency sucks" on its banner.
The lack of an integration team. And the lack of any style guides.

q.

More likely this is a product with a long development history and lots of different developers and analysts and then these things happen. Unless you have a very strong QC department that rigorously checks all code created by the developers and notices and corrects these inconsistencies.

I'm usually the only developer on my add-in projects, and even I have to be careful not to do the same thing in different ways on different places (simply because I forgot how I did it the first time) And of course I don't have a QC team

Geert

[qwerty]

Well, you're your own QA team and obviously rigorously enough. And probably still some time left until senility strikes xD

q.