Re: Disabled Options (Was Re: Mix of Ideas ...)

[Russell Nelson <nelson crynwr com>]

Guillermo S. Romero / unnamed / Familia Romero writes:
 > >Diabled options are useful so that the layout of the menu always stays the
 > >same. That way if I get used to clicking the "File" Menu and pulling my
 > >mouse down about three centimeters to get the option I want, it's the same
 > >when some of the intermediate options are disabled.
 > 
 > Wait, if the thing can be used, but not at this moment, it should be grayed.
 > Only when the user _never_ will be able to use it, the thing should
 > disappear (is funny to see normal user trying to launch Admin apps in NT).
 > And even this policy is, maybe, too radical.

Yup.  My problem with grayed items is that they're frustrating unless
they tell you WHY they're grayed.  Without that information, it
becomes an adventure game.  "Now, let's see what happens if I put the
bird down and pick up the snake."

Much better to allow the item to be picked, but pop up an infobox that 
says "You have picked a disabled menu.  This menu needs <foo> to
happen before you can pick it."

Static menus is crucial to the efficient use of pie menus (since you
don't have to read them), which I'm eventually going to add to gtk.

-- 
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>  http://web.crynwr.com/~nelson
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