Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => Suggestions and Requests => Topic started by: Makulik on October 27, 2009, 01:47:35 am

Title: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Makulik on October 27, 2009, 01:47:35 am
Hi,

I want to propose that at least some of the dialogues in EA should be resizable windows.
E.g. I find it in particular pretty annoying  that the dialogues for code generation aren't. I always have to fumble around with the columns to see the full path for the generated files, with isn't really easy using that standard list control.

WBR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on October 27, 2009, 09:33:02 am
The Sparxians have already accepted that they need to fix this.  (I think Sparxian RoyC effectively said this about a month ago).

However, they seem (not too unreasonably) to expect us users to identify the dialogs we want fixed.

Presumably they want us to indicate the "pain points" so that they can attack the problem in some sort of priority order.

So I suggest, making a formal bug report referencing this topic and we can add the dialogs to this topic as posts - using it as a list and voting process.

Paolo
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: RoyC on October 27, 2009, 10:31:42 am
Could you identify the post in which I said that? I can't find it using the search.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on October 27, 2009, 01:51:43 pm
Quote
Could you identify the post in which I said that? I can't find it using the search.
I may have misquoted you... It was 6:33 am when I said that  :)... I didn't go looking.   I do recall a Sparxian discussing resizable dialogs in another context.  Perhaps they can own up...  I know you're interesed in the user experience so I put two and two together and appear to have not got 4!

Apologies,
Paolo
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Makulik on October 27, 2009, 11:08:26 pm
So anyway, I pointed out where my PITA comes up: Dialogues with list controls, that are likely to contain lengthy column contents as e.g. filepathes.
Maybe I'll send a formal bug report or feature request for this, but I'm not willing at the moment to go through all the dialogues in particular, to check where this will make most sense, and priorize them for changing.

WBR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: skiwi on October 30, 2009, 01:01:00 pm
Some posts relating to resizing:


and similar request about the forums


(Is there a better way to link interanlly to posts?)
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Makulik on October 30, 2009, 08:38:02 pm
Yes, it seems that having this feature would help a lot in many dialogues. I tend to claim that it should be done in general for all dialogues containing one or more multi column list controls.
That's the reason why I'm not willing to search through all of them.

WBR
Günther

PS: Vote please  ;)
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues - another candidate
Post by: skiwi on November 05, 2009, 07:01:43 am
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/th_Toolboxnotesobject.png) (http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/?action=view&current=Toolboxnotesobject.png)

The Notes object from the toolbox is another dialog window for which resize would be useful.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues - another link
Post by: skiwi on November 05, 2009, 07:03:45 am
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: g.makulik on November 05, 2009, 08:28:31 am
Thank's for [size=16]BUMPING[/size][/b]!
What could be the best verbalization for submitting a feature request to EA, without having to priorize each dialogue in particular?
For now I see the following general rules:

Dialogues containing
More ?

WBR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: mrf on November 09, 2009, 03:31:17 pm
I've converted the 4 dialogs mentioned across the forum posts into resizable dialogs:

- Project Integrity Dialog
- Manage Locks Dialog
- Notes Dialog
- Element Usage Dialog

The extra requested functionality (eg context menus for navigating to corresponding elements in the project browser) would be a more significant exercise - so I'd reccomend sending through a feature request for that.

Also if you could advise which resizable dialogs DON'T persist their size when dismissed and reopened, I'll get to fixing them straight away (again a bug report would be appreciated on this one).
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Makulik on November 09, 2009, 08:44:20 pm
Hi Michael,

Could you consider changing the code generation dialogue ('Generate Package Source Code') also? I didn't mention it explicitly, though it's that one why I have started this thread.

WBR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues - two more
Post by: skiwi on November 10, 2009, 06:16:16 am
Two more that could be resized ... please
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/GenerateRTFdocumentation.png)
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/Setconnectorvisibility.png)

and just for contrast one that already is (note the suspicious similarity to the previous one - same functionality)

(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/Setvisiblerelations.png)
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: g.makulik on November 10, 2009, 06:30:13 am
Hi skiwi,

I guess that you, very probably, want to have the textbox labeled 'Output to File' to resize with the dialog (following the right edge in LTR mode).
Lets gather some more general rules:

Dialogues containing
Does Sparx Systems have UI-design guys employed? May be they should join the discussion?

Just my 0.02 EUR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: mrf on November 10, 2009, 12:40:21 pm
The Generate Package Source Code and Connector Visibility dialogs have both been converted to resizable dialogs.

The RTF Generation dialog will be a much more significant exercise as the controls are all embedded in tabs and there's a lot more of them. It might also be worth submitting a feature request for this one too.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Makulik on November 10, 2009, 10:13:11 pm
Hi Michael,

Quote
The Generate Package Source Code and Connector Visibility dialogs have both been converted to resizable dialogs.
THX for your support ...

Quote
The RTF Generation dialog will be a much more significant exercise as the controls are all embedded in tabs and there's a lot more of them. It might also be worth submitting a feature request for this one too.
I see. Of course I want to send an official feature request for this. My point is to gather some general rules, that should help  to elect the dialogs that should be changed that way. So if anyone else has thoughts about this?
We can also follow Paolos proposal, to create a tracked back FR and list the concrete dialogs in this thread.

WBR
Günther
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: skiwi on December 02, 2009, 10:59:22 am
Thanks

here is another candidate for resizing

(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/EALabelvisibility.png)

Set Label visibility
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Thelonius on December 02, 2009, 11:08:15 am
+1
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on December 02, 2009, 12:44:06 pm
Quote
+1
+1
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: mrf on December 02, 2009, 12:55:16 pm
The Connector Label Visibility dialog has been converted to a resizable dialog. This change should appear in the next major release of Enterprise Architect.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on December 02, 2009, 01:07:31 pm
Quote
The Connector Label Visibility dialog has been converted to a resizable dialog. This change should appear in the next major release of Enterprise Architect.
Hi Michael,

Can you confirm the resizable dialogs are sticky.   Both in size and position?

Paolo
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: mrf on December 02, 2009, 01:45:42 pm
The ones I've modified are (and I've included that check in the usability testing).

If you can identify any others that aren't I'm more than happy to look into it for you.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on December 02, 2009, 03:11:25 pm
Quote
The ones I've modified are (and I've included that check in the usability testing).
Great! I take it this is a new pattern/idiom for usability - sticky, resizable dialogs?
Quote
If you can identify any others that aren't I'm more than happy to look into it for you.
We keep identifying them here?

Thanks,
Paolo
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: mrf on December 02, 2009, 05:05:25 pm
Quote
We keep identifying them here?

Maybe do both: while I'm happy to keep tabs on this thread and implement what's needed in response to it, it's probably a bit safer if you log it through the official channels. That way if I suddenly inherit millions of dollars from a rich relative I never knew I had and am forced to leave work to focus on a life of decadent pleasure seeking, then at least someone will be able to take up the bat.

Until then, I'll keep regularly checking this thread when I can and implementing the recomendations when time allows.  8-)
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: skiwi on January 11, 2010, 02:36:38 pm
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/ForeignKeyConstraintDialogueBox.png)

Add to that Foreign Key Constraint Dialogue please
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: Thelonius on January 11, 2010, 05:13:31 pm
Quote
Quote
We keep identifying them here?

Maybe do both: while I'm happy to keep tabs on this thread and implement what's needed in response to it, it's probably a bit safer if you log it through the official channels. That way if I suddenly inherit millions of dollars from a rich relative I never knew I had and am forced to leave work to focus on a life of decadent pleasure seeking, then at least someone will be able to take up the bat.

Until then, I'll keep regularly checking this thread when I can and implementing the recomendations when time allows.  8-)

That happens to me all the time. I just keep working.  :o
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues - Set database objects to
Post by: skiwi on February 19, 2010, 08:12:47 am
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/Setdatabaseobjectstoimport.png)
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/Reverseengineeringprocess.png)

Please consider making these dialogue boxes resizable.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: skiwi on March 04, 2010, 06:17:38 am
Here is another candidate for resizing:
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/ImageManager.png)

What would also be particularly useful on this box is for the name of the image to be displayed when opening the Appearance context menu for an entity that has an image, because it can be very hard to find (say when I wanted to use the image again).
Title: Resizable dialogues: Visible relations
Post by: skiwi on May 21, 2010, 06:34:51 am
Visible relations (7.5)
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/VisibleToolboxpages.png)
Please make resizable.
Title: Re: Resizable dialogues
Post by: skiwi on June 24, 2010, 07:23:29 am
These all seem to have been fixed for 8.0 (I haven't tested every single one), thanks.

I have started a new thread (http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1277328078/0) for dialogue boxes that should be resizable in 8.0