Re: Alternative user interface

[Andrew Ferrier <andrew junk new-destiny co uk>]

Quick disclaimer: I'm not a developer and can't speak for the
dia development team. But I do use it a lot and I thought I'd
add my comments.

> I still have not found a decent diagram drawing software for
> GNU/Linux with the user interface I want. Dia appears to have
> the features, but I do not like the user interface. So I
> would like to contribute to Dia: design and implement an
> alternative user interface. Ideally this alternative user
> interface and the normal one could be toggled.

A complete toggle would probably add more confusion than it
would solve. Small improvements to the user interface as it is,
however, might be quite valuable IMHO.

> My idea for the diagram editing software user interface is
> also based on context sensitive menus, but slightly different
> from Dia and Gimp. The basic idea is the move current context
> sensitive menus elsewhere, and move the shape palette into
> the context sensitive RMB menu. This would speed up the
> initial creation of the diagram. I strongly dislike the need
> to drag shapes from palette.

You don't have to drag shapes from the palette; just click on
the shape, then click or drag in the diagram and the shape is
formed. Turn off the 'Reset tools after create' option and dia
will not auto-revert to the arrow select tool. This is the same
as the way many paletteised applications work.

> For example, when I right click on empty space on diagram, I
> want to get context sensitive palette of shapes, directly,
> not in any submenu, and nothing else than that palette. When
> I right click on handle, I want to get palette of suitable
> connectors. Left click would still be select, left drag for
> move etc. I actually don't like the middle button, because it
> is too stiff on my mouse at work, and I have none at home..

Well, your middle mouse button hardware problems are hardly
dia's fault then :) But, yes, I agree, dia's menus ought really
to have a little more context-sensitivity. Then again, if they
change around too much, this would increase the confusion
again. "I wanted option X, but now it's under Y/Z, now it's at
the bottom of the menu, now at the top... etc."

> I would also like to have simpler == faster ways to delete
> and duplicate shapes. My vision goes along shift-drag from
> existing shape == duplicate with interactive placing,
> shift-click/drag from empty space on diagram == paste with
> interactive, control-click == cut.

I would also like a 'duplicate' menu item. The shift-drag
sounds good. But dia can do this right now with copy, paste.
It's clumsy, but it _does_ work.

Regards
Andrew

-- 
Andrew Ferrier

email: andrew.junk@new-destiny.co.uk
web:   http://www.new-destiny.co.uk/andrew/