Dockable Tabs
I think dockable tabs might be the best expression of a couple of my ideas from earlier posts as well as a great organizational tool. For instance, in the page area there could be user assignable tabs where you could keep folders and pages of your manuscript (the default tab) and things like a character tab, a places tab, or any other arbitrary assignment. Then you can move whatever folders you want into the tab.
If they are dockable that means you could tear it off the left pane and drag it to the right and drop it to create a right pane. Then you could add other tabs to that pane. That way on a small 10" screen you may only want a left pane, but with tabs of your folders for quick access, and on a large monitor you might want to create a right tab pane so you can have more folders on screen at once.
This seems to me to be a step halfway between what is there now and a more complex corkboard system.
Paul
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
I've never been convinced that dockable windows or panels are that good an idea. It's always struck me as customization gone just a little too far - a feature that might be used by a small proportion of users, but is almost certain to cause problems for an even greater proportion of the usually silent majority. I include myself in this number, as I've been frustrated many times by interfaces that change when I've inadvertently dragged and dropped a panel or window, and then become frustrated because I couldn't see an easy way to undo the change I'd made, or even realize that I had been responsible for the change.
I'd be interested in hearing opinions on dockable windows. PageFour aside, do people dock/undock windows to customize their interfaces, or do you restrict your customizations to resizing panels?
Darren
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
That's a good point, as I am more of a power user and so am blinded by that to some degree. However, an alternative might be a layout chooser with or without a layout designer.
A layout chooser would allow a user to choose from default, novelist, journalist, or some other descriptive naming convention. But the layouts would be presets in a "View" menu and you can always go back to default.
A designer, which it sounds like would fit my criteria but stretch yours, would allow a user to put panels/folders where they want and if it doesn't work out they can do a reset.
What do you think?
Paul
Friday, March 26th, 2010
This would be helpfull. Currently when you hit Ctrl+O, it hides everything. When you use the shortcut again. It reopens everything.
The thing that irritaes me sometimes is that it also opens the Toolbar. Which i always close. It would be nice to be able to set custom layouts and switch back and forth bewteen them.
Example:
Layout 1.
- No toolbar,
- Notebook pane on
- Tabs on
- Word processer background, white
- Font, black
Layout 2.
- All off
- Tabs off
- Word Processer background, black
- Font, Gray
- Left margin/ right margin, 200
Mat
Friday, March 26th, 2010
@Paul
I did consider using a 'Basic' and 'Advanced' model to allow for adding complex features and options without detracting from the current version's simplicity, possibly with a button to switch between the two. I even considered two versions of PageFour - adding a 'Pro' version full of extra, Scrivener like features, but decided that doing so would create confusion. People would want the extra features even if they never used them (a big selling point on my new car was the electric mirrors, which I have yet to use).
@Mat
Your second layout looks very like a simple full screen mode. Maybe the solution here would be to add a genuine full screen mode in place of the current Ctrl+O option? This is certainly on the table.
Darren
Friday, March 26th, 2010
@Darren
That's exacally what it is. ;-)
Mat
Friday, March 26th, 2010
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