Object[s] and menu -- Re: help wanted, trying out a few ideas for post 0.94

[Luc Pionchon <luc handhelds org>]

On Fri, 2004-07-16 at 02:00, Alan Horkan wrote:

[SNIP]

> [2] I renamed Objects to just Object because that seems to be the
> convention when naming menus (File not Files, Image not Images, Layer not
> Layers).

I think "ObjectS" was "right".
Menus should be, as much as possible, organized as phrases:
object + verb, or
verb + object

Insert + this
Select + that
Layer  + do this (on the (current) layer)

In our case, most of actions are applied to all selected objectS (group,
align, send to back, ...) so IMHO "ObjectS".


While you are experiencing with menus, you may play with that:

In the diagram window, "File" could be renamed to "Diagram":

Diagram /
  New
  Open...
  (...)
  Print...
  Properties...   (from the current "Diagram" menu)
  Close.          (no "quit"!)

"Layer" as a separate menu.



About the main application window,

the "File" menu "traditionaly" includes actions related to both the
opened file, and the application itself (some kind of metaphore "the
file is an hyper-document with tools integrated into itself"), which I
do not like vey much, moreover it does not apply to dia: one window is
the application, the others are the documents (files).

MacOS has an "application" menu (named as the application itself)
including application related entries, like "preferences", etc. and...
"quit".

With dia, "File" could be renamed to "dia".
containing:
   New diagram
   Open...
   Recently opened > ...
   ---
   Preferences...
   Plugins...
   ---
   Quit

"Sheet&Objects" could be near the sheet list, (if not into), labeled as
"Customize..."

"Diagram tree" could be moved into  "Diagram / Diagram tree..."


Regards,
luc
-- 
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