1746943 - Unfortunate changes to print dialog wrt choosing pages to print (now harder than before)

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(MailNews Core :: Printing, defect)

Description

[wilson]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:95.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/95.0

Steps to reproduce:

Tried to go back to version 78, that messed up evreything

Actual results:

Who thought it was an improvement to make it so much harder to request printing just some pages? Used to be right there when you requested to print, now requires a second window.

Expected results:

Leave it the way it had worked well for ages, don't keep ruining the product I have used for years. I am about to quit using T-bird...

Comment 1

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Attachment: Screenshot: Pages selector in new Print dialog (after switching from `All` to `Custom`)

Hey Wilson, I can see that you're unhappy, but that doesn't justify your aggressive and insulting tone. Here's something to take home: Next time, before you start shouting and blaming others for "ruining the product" with "dumb changes", ASK first ("Is there an easier way of doing this?"). You may find out that the fault is on your side.

As seen in screenshot, new Print dialog of TB 91 has a Pages selector which defaults to All. Click on that dropdown and choose Custom. Then just enter the pages you want. That's one more click than in TB 78, and it looks by design to keep the default UI slim.

We're sharing this dialog with Firefox.
If you have proposals for improvement, kindly present them politely.

Comment 2

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

WFM per my comment 1.

Comment 3

[wilson]

I did try those. Your post just shows what I was complaining about. Why should we have to go to a second page? The whole new print dialog is silly in my opinion.
Up to now if we wanted to print there was an option right there to specify pages. Why add another layer that, so far as I can see, contributes nothing but frustration.
I have been using computers since the 1970's. I managed software development for a Silicon Valley company for a while. I am sorry it you are insulted, but maybe next time you could pay attention to the actual content of my complaint.

Comment 4

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

(In reply to wilson from comment #3)

I did try those. Your post just shows what I was complaining about. Why should we have to go to a second page? The whole new print dialog is silly in my opinion.
Up to now if we wanted to print there was an option right there to specify pages. Why add another layer that, so far as I can see, contributes nothing but frustration.
I have been using computers since the 1970's. I managed software development for a Silicon Valley company for a while. I am sorry it you are insulted, but maybe next time you could pay attention to the actual content of my complaint.

Because it is shared code with Firefox and a 20-year-old bug fix.

You either don't print from Firefox, or don't use it.

Comment 5

[wilson]

But that is not what I get in Firefox! In Firefox I see get a window which asks to choose a printer and how many copies, and which pages I want to print. The default is all, but I can right there say that I want pages 2-5 or something like of that sort.

It used to be like that in Thunderbird, but now instead I get a pair of windows that (a) give a preview, that is sort of nice that I don't have to ask for it separately, but (b) the other window says at the top "Print", lets me choose a printer and a number of copies and an orientation, and does ask if I want to print all of the document. But it won't let me there choose which pages if I don't want all, like I could in the past. Instead if don't want "All" I have to choose "Custom" which then opens yet another window for me to specify which pages.

What does that additional window offer? Why not just let me specify the pages on the first window, as I could until the latest "upgrades"?

Firefox says it is "95.0.2 (64 bit)" and that it is up to date. Thunderbird says it is "91.4.1 (64 bit)" and also says it is up to date. This is running under Windows 10. So I cannot see what you are claiming, that this is shared code with Firefox and "a 20-year old bug fix"!

I really do want to be cooperative, not antagonistic. I have been writing code for decades as well as managing software writers in industry. Large scale programs I have written for the USAF and for a university admissions office have long been praised for their user interfaces, so I do have some credibility for that also.. I have had to deal with customers who were not trying to be helpful, but I definitely want to be helpful. But so far it seems the people responding, who themselves have been pretty insulting, have paid no attention to the real situation. The thing I am complaining about is not a critical software failure, I certainly agree. I thought I was just asking for return of an interface I preferred, that had long worked for me.

Comment 6

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

The additional window combines the Print Preview with the printing controls.
The Print Preview menu item has been removed.
In the control's section on the right, there is;

1. The printer selector at the top
2. Number of copies selector
3. Orientation: Portrait or Landscape
4. Pages selector All or Custom. Choosing Custom allow you to print a range of different selections, like 1, 3 or 2-5, or 2-6, 9. 12-16, which I believe would print pages 2-6, 9, and 12-16.
5. Next is the Color Mode selector
6. Then a More settings option when selected allows the user to select more options
7. Or users can select "Print using the system dialog..."

When I use Print I see no difference between the dialog window in my Firefox 95.02 and Thunderbird 91.4.1 on Windows 10.

Comment 7

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Adjusting terms and tone of summary.

Comment 8

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Attachment: Screencast: FF-TB-91-NewPrintDialog-Pages-Custom.mp4

Here's a screencast of the new FF/TB91 Print dialog (ported to TB via bug 1711822 and friends), showing how to print selected pages after pressing 3x Tab key, then Arrow down once in the dialog.

Comment 9

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Comment on attachment 9256247 [details]
Screenshot: Pages selector in new Print dialog (after switching from All to Custom)

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