298262 - need menu-choosable motif/s with part/join/mode/etc messages less obtrusive

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Other Applications :: ChatZilla, enhancement)

Description

[Eyal Rozenberg]

Have a look at the screenshot. The 'has left', 'is known as' etc. messages are
'drowning out' the actuall channel messages visually. There should be a
preference to make them less conspicious, e.g. make them closer to the
background color, not bold, smaller font, etc.

http://img238.echo.cx/img238/3291/bug2ko.png

This is true in all available motif's. One solution is of course modifying the
current motif by creating your own CSS file, but this is somewhat clunky. I
submit that making this a separate option, available by default makes sense.

Comment 1

[:Gijs (he/him)]

I'm asking for this to be marked WONTFIX. You're basically saying 'I think
advanced feature Y takes too much effort, I want a way more specific and less
useful option X to exist as well, duplicating functionality already present,
just so I can get my things done easier.'

You're asking for something so specific that it's not going to be useful for
about 90% of the users. If you want to have a more user-accessible way (UI) to
change colours and fonts (edit the css in use), then ask for that as a general
enhancement request. Don't ask for specific things which are solely useful to
you. Try to see the big picture here.

Also, colouring the joins/parts into the background would (a) be a usability
issue and (b) would have to be different for all motifs. So, it would be
motif-specific, and therefor the motif is the perfect place for those kind of
modifications to be.

Note: If you think parts/joins/nicks are obtrusive, you could use conference
mode to get rid of them entirely. Maybe that solves your problem?

Comment 2

[Felix Miata]

Seems like simply turning them off would be a feature many would like. We have
the nicklist. Why does anyone always need to always see every join and leave?
Rather than a preference, it ought to be in the view menu for easy state
switching. User CSS can hide/unhide them, but turning it off/on that way is a
major pain, since complete shutdown/restart is currently required to load new CSS.

Comment 3

[Eyal Rozenberg]

Attachment: motif change option

Here's what I've done with my motif.

(In reply to comment #2)

That could be a nice solution. Maybe this can be done with display:none for
them?

Comment 4

[Bill Gianopoulos [:WG9s]]

re: comment #2 and comment #3.  You guys are missing the point of comment #1. 
That feature already exists.  It is called conference mode.  In the appearance
tab setting the conference mode limit to 1 will disable join/part etc. messages.
 Setting it to 0 will always display them. Setting it to any other number will
disable them if the number of users in the channel equals or exceeds the number
you specify.

Comment 5

[Eyal Rozenberg]

(In reply to comment #4)

But the point is not to remove these messages altogether. Many (most?) users who
would like to see the joint/part/etc. messages would not like them to feel more
prominent than the actual channel messages.

Comment 6

[:Gijs (he/him)]

(In reply to comment #5)
> (In reply to comment #4)
> 
> But the point is not to remove these messages altogether. Many (most?) users who
> would like to see the joint/part/etc. messages would not like them to feel more
> prominent than the actual channel messages.

You're still missing the point. If that's the case, modify your motif yourself. This is the customizability option we offer. It would be really hard and tedious (maybe even impossible, though that's a word that should not be used lightly) for us to add a special option which automagically determines if there is anything in the current motif that makes the joins/parts/quits more 'obtrusive' (a subjective term if ever I saw one), and again, automagically, determine what css rules it has to add to 'fix' that. I'm quite sure that in the end, multiple people would disagree on what constitutes 'obtrusive' and what constitutes 'fix'. Which means we're back where we started, which is why I feel people should just adjust the motif if they do not like it. It's easy enough for anyone who knows basic css (or who knows how to use google, or *gasp* some common sense. Heck, you managed it yourself already!

If you mean to ask for the default motifs to be adjusted to your needs, then (a) the summary is incorrect, and (b) I'd vote against it (ie, mark WONTFIX). And I'm sure I'm not the only one, really.

In short, I still stand by my original suggestion to WONTFIX this bug.

Comment 7

[James Ross]

This is a rather random customisation request, which can be fulfilled entirely by the motif system we have. I do not believe it would of benefit to many users - the ones I've asked, either don't have any problems with the joins/parts, or want them hidden entirely (which we support via Conference Mode).

Thus, I am marking this WONTFIX.

Comment 8

[Eyal Rozenberg]

Changing summary.

Of course you can do anything you like with a custom motif, the question is that of the few common motif choices available via the menu. Some of them, or all of them, should have less obstrusive messages; or it could be an on/off option in the motif submenu; or anything else along these lines.

As for the WONTFIX - what can I say, it's your prerogative I guess.

BTW, it's not entirely trivial to figure out the exact CSS selectors to effect such a change; a user without some CSS experience who doesn't open up the chatzilla jar file would probably not be able to do it.

Comment 9

[Eyal Rozenberg]

Ok, just one final thing: a comparison of screenshots for future visitors of this bug to judge :-(

default motif:
http://img238.echo.cx/img238/3291/bug2ko.png
modified motif:
http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/6440/shot4px.png