RE: UI issue: Text edit mode

["Young, Robert" <Robert Young dsto defence gov au>]

On Friday, 17 August 2007 Lars Clausen wrote:
> On Mon, 2007-08-13 at 11:25 +0930, Young, Robert wrote:
> > A quick survey of the tools I often use : Inkscape uses the double 
> > click approach. MS Word uses a mixture - double click for 
> WordArt and 
> > the existing Dia approach for text boxes - this is 
> inconsistent. GIMP 
> > requires selection of Text Tool and then single click.  Windows 
> > explorer uses the click once, click again approach for 
> renaming files. 
> > Nautilus requires <f2> or right click -> Rename. JGraphPad 
> uses double 
> > click to edit text object. So, there's no "standard" except that the 
> > use of the mouse is common.
>
> Anyone know what Visio, Omnigraffle and other more Dia-like 
> programs do?

Visio 2003 - double click to edit text. Also, if object is selected,
typing starts text edit mode - one of your suggestions. Both of these
would work very well in Dia.

> I see no reason why starting text edit should not involve the 
> keyboard, given that editing usually involves the keyboard 
> right afterwards.

Agreed. Also having a mouse based method will satisfy beginners, and
people like me who are more mouse focused. 

I am concerned for the obviousness - I have always felt that the GIMP
lacked obviousness in some basic operations. It would be if Dia used the
obvious operations wherever possible - the question should be posed
"what would a beginner try if they wanted to edit the text?".

Rob.

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