218500 - Compose window should be renamed to "Write" for consistency

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Scott Brawner]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4b) Gecko/20030516 Mozilla Firebird/0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4b) Gecko/20030516 Mozilla Firebird/0.6

In the main application window, the "Compose" button from Mozilla Mail has been
changed to "Write." Yet, when that button is clicked, the corresponding window
that opens is still titled "Compose." In order to remain consistent throughout
the application, the Compose window's title should be changed to "Write."

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:

Comment 1

[markbwise]

It's especially jarring if you're coming from longtime use of Moz Mail.

The change to Write is good but usability requires the change throughout for consistency.

Comment 2

[Tim Meader]

Attachment: Patch to do what's requested.

Patched against the latest trunk for Thunderbird, should be easily moveable to
the aviary though I would think. Setting for superreview to mscott.

Comment 3

[Tim Meader]

Comment on attachment 149256 [details] [diff] [review]
Patch to do what's requested.

Hope this is satisfactory.

Comment 4

[Tim Meader]

Comment on attachment 149256 [details] [diff] [review]
Patch to do what's requested.

Tried mscott, trying sspitzer.	If approved, please check-in as well, I don't
have CVS access. Thank you.

Comment 5

[Scott MacGregor]

i'm the reviewer for thunderbird. 

Have not gotten nor decided if this is what i want yet. but thakns for the patch.

Comment 6

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

I'd vote for "compose" over "write".

1.  Just sounds a bit more formal and complete.

2.  May not be 'writing'.  May just compose a few pictures or attachments.
>  To make or create by putting together parts or elements.
[from the dictionary]

3.  Just sounds more appropriate, and keeps in line with history.  Anyone
writing documentation for Netscape/Mozilla uses "compose".  Keeping it the same
makes 1 less thing to transition.  Stupid wording changes can throw off people
learning the product.  For historical reference it should stay 'compose'

Just my $0.02 (ajusted for inflation, $0.04 canadian)

Comment 7

[Scott Brawner]

Robert,
I agree with you. But then the "Write " button should be changed back to
Compose. I don't care which way it goes as long as it is consistent, with the
button and the window having the same label/name.

Comment 8

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

Yes, I assumed that was implied ;-)

Comment 9

[Jon Roland]

I vote for replacing "Write" with "Compose". By this time almost everyone knows
that "compose" means "write", but is a more precise term for use with creating a
new message.

Comment 10

[u88484]

So what is it going to be and I'll hack up a patch if need be.

Comment 11

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

CC'ing Bryan on this trivial UI issue.

Comment 12

[Bryan Clark (DevTools PM) [:clarkbw]]

The Write button has been on the Thunderbird toolbar for a while now, I'd rather not change that just so it matches a window title; the effect would be a lot more noticeable.  Plus I do think write is the more common and familiar term to use.

Here's a quick look at other systems.

Button for only Mail
Mail.app: New
GMail: Compose Mail

Button defaults to mail, but drop down [ New \/] can create other "new types"
Outlook: New
Evolution: New
Yahoo Mail: New

Comment 13

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

So, just to see how it feels I changed Compose to Write in the window title, and while it feels fine, when you right-click an email address we still say "Compose Mail To" - should that also be "Write Mail To"? And then there's the next menuitem, since it's

Compose Mail To
Copy Email Address

Comment 14

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

Attachment: Updated patch

Taking...

The old patch bit-rotted. Not asking for review yet pending clarkbw's further opinion on what else to change.

Comment 15

[Bryan Clark (DevTools PM) [:clarkbw]]

I don't think we have to rewrite all the strings to use the word "Write" now that we've changed the window title.  The others strings can still make sense where they are and I think the "Compose Mail To" works fine.  "New Message" for instances from the Message menu is fine as it is.

Most of the concern for this issue comes from the large button on the main toolbar using "Write" and keeping that same context in other areas.  If someone is using a right click or other menu item I'm not concerned that they don't fit the context quite as well.

Comment 16

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

(In reply to comment #13)
> And then there's the next menuitem, since it's
> 
> Compose Mail To
> Copy Email Address
> 

Bryan, I think in this part philor refers to the "E" being present at the bottom phrase but not the top one...

Comment 17

[Bryan Clark (DevTools PM) [:clarkbw]]

Lets leave the "e", it will be consistent with firefox context menus.  i should get started on some kind of style guidelines so it will be easier to make these decisions.

Comment 18

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

Comment on attachment 318632 [details] [diff] [review]
Updated patch

Asking for review from Phil since he's recently commented on this as well.

Comment 19

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

Comment on attachment 318632 [details] [diff] [review]
Updated patch

Sorry, thought I marked this days ago: there's two strings, that one for when you first open the window, and another "Compose:" that's used to change the title once you start typing a subject.

Comment 20

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

Attachment: Updated patch v2

updated patch v2

Comment 21

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

Comment on attachment 320110 [details] [diff] [review]
Updated patch v2

Looks good, r=philringnalda

Comment 22

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

mail/locales/en-US/chrome/messenger/messengercompose/composeMsgs.properties 1.19
mail/locales/en-US/chrome/messenger/messengercompose/messengercompose.dtd 1.12

Comment 23

[Serge Gautherie (:sgautherie)]

Attachment: (Cv1-SM) Port/Copy to SeaMonkey

Comment 24

[Joe Sabash [:JoeS1]]

Since you are venturing in this area:
I don't think that the distinction between "write" and "compose" is trivial at all.

I propose that write does/should imply plaintext, and compose implies HTML.

There has been a lot of confusion on the part of new users as to just what mode they are requesting.

The description should show the default mode for the account write=plaintext
a dropdown should show the overide mode ala pressing shift.

Does this look like a good candidate for an enhancement request to you.

Sorry for the bugspam, I just thought it was a good opportunity to bring this up

Comment 25

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

Comment on attachment 320476 [details] [diff] [review]
(Cv1-SM) Port/Copy to SeaMonkey

Bug numbers are cheap: please get your own, in a product and component that's watched by the people interested in your product's UI. And when you do, be sure to note that this bug wasn't about changing the the window title to "Write" but about changing the the window title to the same thing used for the toolbar button, so if you're going to port "Write" to SM, you'll need to change the toolbar button to "Write."

Comment 26

[Joe Sabash [:JoeS1]]

distinction between "write" and "compose" is *not* trivial

Comment 27

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

No, the newsgroup thread would be an appropriate place to bring that up, but I'll be very surprised if anyone else there agrees that "compose" implies HTML and "write" implies text. At any rate, not this bug.