Re: [PATCH] GUI enhancements for gsearchtool

[Calum Benson <calum benson sun com>]

> "Dennis M. Cranston" wrote:
> 
> I would like to submit a patch for the gsearchtool application in the
> gnome-utils CVS module.

I've had a look at the screenshots you posted, but I haven't had a
chance to build/use it yet.  However, here are some observations and
suggestions that I hope would improve things even further, and make the
search tool more compliant with the GNOME 2.0 UI Guidelines.

> My patch make these notable modifications.
>
>           a.  Embeds search results in the main
>           application's window

This is good.  I think the presentation of the results themselves still
needs some work, though, see my own attempted redesign below.  :o)

>           b. Removes the "Show Command" button and adds it
>           to the file menu

I suggest either removing the menu bar altogether, or removing the
buttons from the bottom of the window.  Currently this window is an
uneasy hybrid of an application window and a dialog box.

>           c. Adds "Save Results As..." to the file menu

Okay, this is perhaps a reason to keep the menu bar, and lose the
buttons along the bottom...

>           d.  Relabels "Quick find (locate)" tab label to
>           "Simple"
>           e.  Relabels "Full find (find)" tab label to
>           "Advance"
>           f.   Swaps the order of the tabs (i.e. simple tab
>           first)

These three are good.

Your efforts prompted me into having a go at redesigning the search tool
myself (without starting completely from scratch, which is probably what
it really needs)-- these are the mock-ups I came up with:

http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/proposals/searchtool.html

Anyone who has time to implement it to see how it works in practice,
feel free :o)

Cheeri,
Calum.

-- 
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson ireland sun com    Desktop Engineering Group
http://www.sun.ie                      +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems