[Nautilus-list] Put "View as xxx" choices in View menu, remove them from location bar?

[John Sullivan <sullivan eazel com>]

Hi Andy,

Bug 3787 is about the current inability to change the "View as xxx" choice
when the location bar is hidden. I have heard this complaint several times
from different people now. Apparently a significant number of people like to
run Nautilus with nothing but the menu bar showing, but don't want to lose
the ability to change the view.

(Oddly, I haven't heard as many complaints about the inability to type in a
new location without the location bar showing. Maybe those will rise to the
surface if we fix bug 3787?)

I'm trying to come up with a sensible design that addresses bug 3787 without
making tradeoffs that overall degenerate the user experience.

The proposal I described in an earlier message discussed localization
tradeoffs vs. choices for how to integrate the "View as" choices in the menu
bar. It seems that the best choice is to add menu items like this to the
View menu:

      View as Icons
    x View as List
      View as Music
    ------------------
      View as Other...

I was talking about this with Arlo on IRC, and he suggested that we remove
the "View as" option menu from the location bar entirely if we're going to
put the "View as xxx" items in the View menu in the menu bar. Having it in
both places (and also perhaps in the Icon and List view context menus) seems
like overkill. 

I remember discussing some variation of this with you a long time ago, and
if I recall correctly you argued that it was important to leave this menu in
the location bar for two reasons. First, it provides an always-present (if
you're showing the location bar, of course) label for the current view.
Second, it highlights the fact that the user can change the view.

Both of these arguments seem reasonable to me, but I'm not sure how
important they are compared with the argument that putting "View as" in two
places is overkill (and perhaps confusing) or the argument that "View as"
choices should be available when the location bar is hidden. Maybe you have
a different feel for it than I do. It seems to me that labelling the current
view isn't very important because the label doesn't really add much beyond
what the contents are already showing. I.e., you can tell at a glance that
it's icons vs list vs music.

The fact that the user can change the view seems easily discoverable. But
perhaps this is indeed one of the very first things we'd like all Nautilus
novices to notice.

Anyway, I'm having a hard time trying to balance the tradeoffs on this one,
and could use your input (as well as input from anyone else who's got a
strong opinion here).

As I see it, the choices and the tradeoffs between them are:

(A) Leave everything the way it is now.

Pros: less clutter in View menu; visible View As option menu labels current
view; visible View As option menu makes it clear that the user can change
the view.

Cons: can't change view when location  bar is hidden; can't change view from
keyboard.


(B) Leave option menu in place, add View as xxx choices to View menu.

Pros: visible View As option menu labels current view; visible View As
option menu makes it clear that the user can change the view; can change
view when location bar is hidden; can change view from keyboard

Cons: more clutter in View menu; View As choices presented in two different
ways complicates UI


(C) Move View as xxx choices out of location bar and into View menu

Pros: can change view when location bar is hidden; can change view from
keyboard; location bar looks simpler; no confusion between two different
ways to present View As choices

Cons: more clutter in View menu; no at-a-glance label for current view;
doesn't highlight the fact that the view is changeable (have to look use
menus to learn that)


I've gotten to a point where I don't have a strong opinion between (A), (B),
or (C). But I'd like to either fix this somehow or move on to something
else. So I'd really like feedback about what you think is the best approach.
What do you think?

John