343773 - Clear Cache once takes far too many steps

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox :: Settings UI, defect)

Description

[Peter van der Woude [:Peter6]]

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.9a1) Gecko/20060706 Minefield/3.0a1 ID:2006070608 [cairo]

In the new preferences UI ( Bug 340677 ) the clear cache button has been removed in favor of the clear privacy data button.

Allthough this may simplify the UI, it does not simplify clearing your cache

from a push on 1 button we now have to:
1.Open Option
2.Select privacy
3.push on Clear privacy data [Settings]
4.Select cache (default is unselected)
5.Press [OK]
6.Press [OK]
7.select Menu History
8.Press on "clear privacy data"
9.Open Options
10.Select privacy
11.push on Clear privacy data [Settings]
12.deselect cache (change to default)
13.Press [OK]
14.Press [OK]

I'd call this a rather inefficient method (understatement)

Since quite a number of filed "bugs" are solved when people clear their cache I would prefer a different solution making it easier to simply clear the cache.
(bring back the clear cache button)

Comment 1

[Steve Russell (RaiseMachine)]

How about Shift+Ctrl+Delete and then just have the cache option checked and then click 'Clear Private Data Now'?

I would imagine that's a fair bit easier...

Comment 2

[Peter van der Woude [:Peter6]]

(In reply to comment #1)
> How about Shift+Ctrl+Delete and then just have the cache option checked and
> then click 'Clear Private Data Now'?
> 
> I would imagine that's a fair bit easier...
> 
That's not the right answer.
Most people (Joe User) will never touch Options, so when he needs to because some of his cached files are corrupted he'll have to go through a long list to clear the cache and change his settings back to default.

Using "Shift+Ctrl+Delete" will save him 1/14 of total # of clicks needed, wow, what a gain.

Comment 3

[Steve Russell (RaiseMachine)]

I obviously didn't make my point clear:
I only have set 3 out of the 7 options on the Clear Private Data dialog. I also have the "Ask me before..." option checked in Privacy->Settings that only has to be set up once (I believe it's default anyway).

When I do Shift+Ctrl+Delete all I have to do is uncheck 2 of the options (due to their selection in Privacy->Settings) and then click 'Clear Private Data Now'. That is much more than a 1/14th saving.

Comment 4

[Peter van der Woude [:Peter6]]

I want to keep my cached files, so I do not want to clear my cache when I exit or press ctrl+shift+delete.
Only when some odd corruption has occured I will clear my cache... 
Right now I'm forced me to go through the large # of steps to change the settings (from default), clearing the cache and changing the settings back to default again.
No shortcuts, nothing simple !

Comment 5

[David Stone]

(In reply to comment #4)
> I want to keep my cached files, so I do not want to clear my cache when I exit
> or press ctrl+shift+delete.
> Only when some odd corruption has occured I will clear my cache... 
> Right now I'm forced me to go through the large # of steps to change the
> settings (from default), clearing the cache and changing the settings back to
> default again.
> No shortcuts, nothing simple !
> 

You actually don't. You can do the following:

1) Go to History|Clear Private Data
2) Uncheck all the boxes except for Cache
3) Hit Clear Private Data Now

Tadaa. All done. I think that's the point that Steve was trying to make. 

Comment 6

[Steve Russell (RaiseMachine)]

(In reply to comment #5)
> (In reply to comment #4)
> > I want to keep my cached files, so I do not want to clear my cache when I exit
> > or press ctrl+shift+delete.
> > Only when some odd corruption has occured I will clear my cache... 
> > Right now I'm forced me to go through the large # of steps to change the
> > settings (from default), clearing the cache and changing the settings back to
> > default again.
> > No shortcuts, nothing simple !
> > 
> 
> You actually don't. You can do the following:
> 
> 1) Go to History|Clear Private Data
> 2) Uncheck all the boxes except for Cache
> 3) Hit Clear Private Data Now
> 
> Tadaa. All done. I think that's the point that Steve was trying to make. 
> 
It was. :) Even though, as previously stated, I use the 3-key method to bring up the dialog, the result is the same. 

Comment 7

[Peter van der Woude [:Peter6]]

There are no options/checkboxes dialog under History|Clear Private Data if the "the ask me before clearing private data" under options isn't checked.
I don't wish to see that dialog either, I know what I want to clear or not during regular shutdowns so there's no need for a reminder there.

Comment 8

[Landon Abney]

I'm sorry but if I hadn't seen this bug the only way that I would be clearing my cache with this new dialog UI is through the clear cache option of fasterfox. I would never have thought of using the clear private data because that entire set of "tools" is useless to me as I am the only person to use this computer and I kind of like keeping a history of where I've been. I agree with peter on this. The "clear cache now" button needs to be brought back. Maybe if the problem for keeping it was that it didn't fit the size of the "settings" button then you could simply change it to "Clear" since it is already in the cache section.

Comment 9

[Peter S.]

What was so hard about tools->options ->privacy -> click delete cache button -> click ok?

Even put a menu option in tools->delete cache

????

Comment 10

[Landon Abney]

This bug is regarding the new preferences UI in trunk. If you aren't using a build of at least Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.9a1) Gecko/20060706 Minefield/3.0a1 ID:2006070608 (and maybe earlier idk) then this bug is meaningless to you.

Comment 11

[Simon Howes]

It is missing from the new UI in trunk, and the cache size is in the wrong place.

I'm for this bug.  It has made Firefox more complicated and less user friendly.

Comment 12

[Simon Bünzli]

One possible solution to this issue is suggested in bug 344634 (add a "Clear Now" button beside the check box in the Clear Private Data dialog). This would get rid of the unchecking/rechecking step(s).

Comment 13

[Adam Guthrie]

beltzner fixed this in bug 352447.