[gnome-db] Re: UI changes in mergeant

[Vivien Malerba <malerba gnome-db org>]

On Fri, Aug 23, 2002 at 01:50:27AM +0200, Rodrigo Moya wrote:
> Hi Vivien (and all)
> 
> I've been playing with mergeant a bit, doing the following:
> 
> * added a call to gnome_db_init in main, so that we get the stock icons
> registered.
> * implemented simple toolbar on the SQL window part. Now, you can
> execute SQL commands in Mergeant UI.

Great, I was wondering why the icons did not show, and now the SQL
window is really useable!

About the SQL window, it seems the load and save functions do not work.
Also I thought there was a kind of queries history; have you removed
it or am I wrong?

> 
> Also, I've come to some ideas:
> 
> * what about having a GnomeDbGrayBar on the top of the working area, to
> the right of the shortcut bar, as in
> http://www.gnome-db.org/images/screenshots/db_component.png (the
> 'Database' gray bar)? Thus, users will have always a visual indication
> of which part of the UI they're in. This is important, I think, because
> the shortcut bar does not indicate which one is selected.
> 

Yes, otherwise you can get lost in the UI. I think you only have
to modify the build_main_window() function in conf-manager.c.

> * in the File menu, there is no separators. That is, New/Open/Save/Save
> As should be first, then a separator, then the Export/Print stuff, a
> separator, and the Quit option.

Yes, good idea, the entries seem to be all stuck together.

> 
> * file->New workspace should open a blank workspace, not prompt for an
> existing one. Isn't that what File->Open does?

The file->New workspace only asks for a file name to save the work into
when the file->Save is selected (if I remember correctly). If you want
to change that behaviour, then do it (it would be more conform to what
there is in other applications).

> 
> * also, I think it would be nice to have a unique configuration window,
> as I was trying to do in gnome-db frontend. What about doing the same
> for mergeant, so that we've got a Tools->settings menu which opens a
> unique window with different tabs where users can set all settings
> (plugins, connection parameters
> 

As you prefer! Maybe keep separate the data sources management (forget
what I said about that not existing in my previous mail, I thought 
it was not working...)

Cheers,

Vivien