Re: [Usability] The basic problem of creating new documents

["Curtis C. Hovey" <sinzui cox net>]

On Wed, 2004-01-28 at 02:23, Daniel Borgmann wrote:

> On Tue, 2004-01-27 at 21:55 -0500, Curtis C. Hovey wrote:
> > You are rightly making a distinction between _New from template_, and
> > _New document_.  We do need a global registry of document types that the
> > desktop is aware of.  Instead of deciding the best application for
> > creating a document, the user would be better served by a dialog asking
> > what kind of document the user is making, and it selects the
> > application.  The user need not learn which applications handle what to
> > do a simple task like create a letter.  The dialog should be accessible
> > from the Actions menu and as a folder context menu.  This would be a
> > valuable feature for users who are new to GNOME, and provide a
> > consistent mechanism for GNOME and distributors to select the primary
> > application.
> 
> The dialog wouldn't even have to chose an application, it could just
> create a new document with the given mime type. All applications which
> can handle this mime type could then be used by the user to open and
> edit this document (in most cases just by double-clicking the file). 

It would be helpful then to make sure the folder with the new document
is visible.

> > If we relabeled the menu items from 'Spreadsheet' to 'New spreadsheet',
> > you scenario is fixed I think.  After all, many applications start a
> > blank document when done is provided at launch time.
> 
> You mean in the current applications menu? But this would still make it
> impossible to create new documents inside another location, unless this
> menu is available as a context menu or something.
> And like I wrote above, one main question seems to be if an application
> should be started to create the new empty document, or if Nautilus
> should create it directly, like it would create a folder or template.
> I'm hugely in favor of the latter case, because it seems much more
> elegant and flexible to me. 

My oversight.  Your right that location is important.  I would image
though, that since the location is not known for a new document in an
application, it can be assumed to be on the desktop, the documents
folder, or in a virtual tmp location for unnamed documents.  Which
location I don't know, but it should be the same on all systems.

When I create an new document and begin editing without a name.  The
application should be saving it where I can find it.  It should prompt
me to name it and set any other metadata.  If the application were to
crash, I would know where the document is to start again.  The name of
the document should come from either the template or from the opening
words of the document.

> 
> > This does bring up some non-document application issues.  These kinds of
> > apps don't have a file menu so there is no way to say they create
> > anything. In the case of the System Monitor, the is no new.  Some
> > applications, instant messaging for example, don't have documents, but
> > do have connections, channels, people--we could apply the object
> > metaphor, but that might be awkward.
> 
> I do think that there should be a clear separation between creating a
> new empty document and getting a new "device" object, like a calculator
> or instant messanger. For example it would seem kind of silly to me to
> have a "Create new calculator" item inside a folder sub-menu. Currently
> I'd just keep the Applications menu, but offer a way to create new
> documents at any place for document based apps.

Very true.  The Action menu could have the New document item that
displays the documents dialog.  Common document types might be listed
below the menu item, or in a sub menu.

-- 
__C U R T I S  C.  H O V E Y____________________
sinzui cox net
Guilty of stealing everything I am.