Re: Callback based tooltips (Re: New tooltips API, continued)

[Soeren Sandmann <sandmann daimi au dk>]

"Matthias Clasen" <matthias clasen gmail com> writes:

> On 4/25/06, Tim Janik <timj imendio com> wrote:
> > i don't think there's a point in implementing grouping unless the above
> > question has been answered, i.e. we've gotten a resonable usage scenario.
> > so until that happens, it's probably best to leave groups out of the API spec.
> 
> Well, one reason would be that it is in our current tooltip support, and we
> don't just remove features for no reason...
> 
> The reason for its existance is that it is annoying to have to wait for every
> other tooltip again when you are moving the mouse over the toolbar to see
> them all. And of course, putting all tooltips in one group makes the behaviour
> of tooltips equally annoying, since you then have to hunt for a
> tooltip-less area
> to get out of fast-tooltip mode again...

That's because that feature simply doesn't work. Moving the mouse to a
tooltip-less area does not turn off fast mode as it should, regardless
of grouping.

I once wrote down how tooltips should behave:

Tooltips:
---------
        - Tooltips are too intrusive. The text should be smaller, and
          they should to the right of the cursor, and a little below
          the cursor's center.

                        |\   ___________
                         |  | tooltip |

          not centered below the cursor.

        - In "normal" mode, tooltips should appear after ~1.5 s.

        - When in "browse" mmode (tooltips appear immediately),
          tooltips should not actually appear immediately, but rather
          after ~75-100 ms of the mouse cursor not moving, so that you
          can move over a set of objects without getting a ton of
          tooltips displayed.

        - After a period of around 500ms without any tooltip being
          displayed, "browse" mode should be turned of. (That way you
          can get rid of tooltips by shaking the mouse a bit).

        - Browse mode should be turned off when you leave the area of
          the tooltip group.

        - They should not appear before we have seen at least one
          motion event on the widget (ie. stuff that pops up under the
          mouse should not get a tooltip). (Or possibly an 'enter'
          that doesn't come from popping up if such a thing can be
          generated).


Soren