[HIG] Re: [Usability]HIG/GNOME 2 usability comments (long)

[Gregory Merchan <merchan phys lsu edu>]

On Thu, Dec 19, 2002 at 10:12:43AM -0500, Havoc Pennington wrote:

> > Problem: Shortcut keys are assigned to all options in the Window menu 
> > except Shade and those related to workspaces.
> > Recommended Fix:  A standard shortcut key should be assigned  to Shade. 
> > This key should be a combination of ALT and one of the F keys (similar 
> > to the shortcuts assigned to other Control menu options).
> 
> Someone has to tell me which F key is available and not normally used
> for something else.

F12 is the only one.

Here's a summary of standard Alt+Fn keybindings. The last column indicates
the source of the convention.

Alt+
    F1   Help (same as 'gnome-help')     Windows
    F2   Raise                           Motif/CDE
    F3   Lower                           Motif/CDE
    F4   Close                           CUA
    F5   Restore                         CUA
    F6   Cycle among secondary windows.  CUA
    F7   Move                            CUA
    F8   Resize                          CUA
    F9   Minimize                        CUA
    F10  Maximize                        CUA
    F11  Fullscreen                      ?
    F12  


> > Problem: A tasklist button has the same appearance when the window is 
> > shaded and does not have focus as when the window is minimized.
> > Recommended Fix:  There should be different visual cues used to 
> > distinguish shaded and minimized windows.
> 
> I can't think of anything here, as far as appearance to use.

Maybe shade support should be dropped?


> > Problem:  ALT+ESC and ALT+TAB remove focus from one primary window but 
> > do not assign it to another primary window.
> > Recommended Fix:  These shortcut keys should move focus forward among 
> > primary windows (i.e., between window families).
> 
> I have no idea what this means - they certainly always focus something
> when I use them.
> 
> > Problem:  CTRL+F6 and SHIFT+CTRL+F6 do not move focus forward and 
> > backward among the child windows within a family.
> > Recommended Fix:  These shortcut keys should be supported.
> 
> What do they mean by "family"?

Neither Alt+Esc nor Alt+Tab should focus a non-modal transient-for window.
(When a transient-for window is modal, then it receives focus if the parent
 window would not.)

Utility windows, palettes, and toolboxes, when not transient-for another
window but still related to a window should not be in the Alt+Tab or Alt+Esc
sequence. (I don't know how often such windows are used. Maybe they aren't.)

A window and its transient-for windows are a family.

A window group would be a family if each application showing two document
windows made each document window a group leader instead of using the default
Gtk+ group leader for all of its windows.

Excluding from Alt+Tab/Esc those windows which are excluded from the panel
window list should cover this, I think.

Cheers,
Greg Merchan