42318 - Offline: menu item in browser

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Core :: Networking, defect, P3)

Description

[Blake Ross]

Similar to 42255, but for the browser.

The items in the File | Offline > submen don't work (aren't visible).  I have a 
fix for this.

Comment 1

[Blake Ross]

german, I was looking at the spec at 
http://mozilla.org/projects/ui/netscape/menu_framework/ and noticed that 
Offline > is supposed to come before all the print commands on the File 
menu...this isn't the way it is now.  Have things changed, or should I update 
it to match the spec? (personally, I like the Offline > submenu below the print 
commands, but nav4 did have it above the print commands.)

Comment 2

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: simple patch

Comment 3

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

chatted w/tever, who sez he'll take Offline bugs (for qa); will reassign to
Networking component, but keep the developer unchanged. (thanks, tever!)

Comment 4

[Blake Ross]

Lisa just told me that there's no plans for the nav4 Synchronize feature in 
MailNews.  However, I see that there's currently a (turned off) 
disabled "Synchronize..." feature in the browser Offline submenu, which is why 
it's a submenu in the first place (rather than just File | "Work Online" 
or "Work Offline").  If we were to have the Synchronize feature, I'd expect 
that it'd be global (in both MailNews and the browser).  Does this mean we 
don't plan on supporting synchronize?  This must be the case, because afaik 
there's no backend for it.  Please let me know and I can make the MailNews and 
browser menu items consistent, rather than the browser having a submenu and 
MailNews just having one menu item (bug 42255).

Comment 5

[Blake Ross]

OK, I've been told there's likely no plans for the synchronize feature 
(whatever it was).  Removing it (and will post new diffs)...

Comment 6

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: screenshot - how it was in Nav4

Comment 7

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: screenshot - how the (old 3/99) spec says it should be

Comment 8

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: screenshot - how it was before I changed Offline > to Work Offline/Online

Comment 9

[Blake Ross]

OK - I've attached 3 screenshots which are our options here.  Let me know which 
one you like best, and which one you thing is best from a usability 
standpoint.  (Note: these screenshots are missing the access key for the menu 
item).

Also: per comments in bug 42255, it sounds like this menu item is going to be 
changed from "Work" to "Go".  Still, you can decide from the screenshots which 
location is best.

Comment 10

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

I recommend option #3. Where not constrained by semantic similarity (putting 
similar items together) and logical order (e.g. creation-related items come 
before processing-related items come before destruction-related items), menu 
items should generally be arranged with the most common first and the least 
common last.

`Work Offline' will probably be the third-least commonly used item in the `File' 
menu -- behind `Close' (because you always use the keyboard shortcut or the 
window gadget, instead of the menu item) and `Page Setup ...' (because you 
usually only use one paper size).

So `Work Offline' would be the third from bottom in the `File' menu, above `Page 
Setup' and `Close', until we apply the semantic and logical ordering constraints:
* the position of `Page Setup ...' is constrained by its relationship with
  `Print ...', so it goes above `Work Offline';
* German has decreed that `Close' should be near the top of the `File' menu,
  instead of at the bottom, a decision I think he'll live to regret (see bug
  22222), so it goes above `Work Offline' too;
* convention dictates that `Quit' is always the last item in the `File' menu, so
  it goes below `Work Offline'.

So we end up with `Work Offline' being the second from bottom in the `File' menu, 
above `Quit'. As in option #3.

When the synchronization feature is introduced, I'd prefer that `Go Offline' 
became a `...' item (asking if you want to synchronize before you go off-line, or 
if you want to Go Online just for the purposes of synchronizing) than that it 
became a submenu, for simplicity's sake.

As for the mnemonic: Aphrodite uses `L', because (a) it's present whether the 
menu item refers to `On_line' or `Off_line', (b) it's immune to changes in 
whether you use `Work Off_line' or `Go Off_line', and (c) it's immune to changes 
in whether there is a single `Go Off_line' menu item (as I suggested above) or an 
`Off_line' submenu (with two submenu items). But then, Aphrodite doesn't have an 
`Open _Location ...' menu item for `L' to clash with. For Seamonkey, it looks 
like your mnemonic is going to have to be either `W' or `G', so it's going to 
have trouble with both (b) and (c).

Comment 11

[Blake Ross]

Matthew - thanks for the ui comments, all sounded pretty good to me.  Although, 
you mentioned "when the synchronize feature is introduced" -- afaik, there will 
be no synchronize feature in seamonkey.

Comment 12

[Blake Ross]

nominating for nsbeta2:

* have [easy] fix
* silly to have a nonfunctional menu
* better for accessibility (can't access icon in status bar with keyboard, many 
might not know what it does)

Comment 13

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: patch for utilityOverlay.xul and navigatorOverlay.xul

Comment 14

[Blake Ross]

Attachment: patch for utilityOverlay.dtd

Comment 15

[Blake Ross]

ben reviewed and said patch was fine. just waiting on approval.

Comment 16

[Blake Ross]

fixed

Comment 17

[benc]

qa to me.
cleared keywords...
+verifyme until I hit the other platforms.

VERIFYING:
Mozilla 0.9 Win32+Win98.
changed summary for searchability
TEST CASE:
observe location of items in File Menu.
Use Offline and online feature, confirming the graphical icon at the bottom is 
hooked up and the networking is disabled while offline.

Offline surfing does not return errors, but that is bug 45421.

Comment 18

[benc]

VERIFIED: Mac OS X, Mozilla 1.1
The item is all the way at the bottom in Mac OS X (becaus quit is in the Mozilla
menu). Location of menu item bugs are not "networking", so any UI element issues
need to go to a new bug.

Comment 19

[benc]

VERIFIED: Mozilla 1.4b/Linux