436487 - Bug query: "or relative dates" should be better described

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1557186

(Bugzilla :: User Interface, enhancement)

Description

[Tobias Burnus]

On the query page one can enter:

 Only bugs changed between:
 _______ and __________
 (YYYY-MM-DD or relative dates)

Unfortunately, the format for the relative dates is nowhere described. I'm a long-term Bugzilla user, but I tend to forget whether it is "+2" or "2" or "2d" or ...

I'm not sure how to solve this best (example after "dates", tool tip with a longer description, link to a describing page etc), but I think it should be improved.

Comment 1

[Vitaly Fedrushkov]

Use 'give me some help' link above:

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/query.cgi?help=1&format=advanced

Then move your mouse over date field, and read its description.

Comment 2

[Vitaly Fedrushkov]

http://lxr.mozilla.org/bugzilla/source/template/en/default/search/search-help.html.tmpl#91  

Comment 3

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

Yeah, but that should always be a link--nobody uses the help stuff, except rarely, as far as I know. Tobias is right, we should be clearer there, and link to stuff or *always* have the help popup if you mouse over "or relative dates".

Comment 4

[Vitaly Fedrushkov]

Small "?" icons near each field?

Would like to know UI team opinion...

Comment 5

[Guy Pyrzak]

I agree the help on search is bad, and no one uses the link. I think the ? on all the fields is also kinda annoying and useless. So I agree that the help on the search page should be redone. But I also don't like the idea of having question marks all over the page. I'm gonna have to think about this a bit.

Comment 6

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

For this bug, all I want is a faint underline under "or relative dates", and a popup for that. We don't have to save the world in one bug.

Comment 7

[Guy Pyrzak]

So. I thought about the faint underline, however, this can cause problems for users b/c most underlined links go to other pages vs actions on the page that give help. But the underline is probably the easiest and most straight forward answer, so lets go with it. Another options is a question mark that is underlined. Hopefully we don't get any bugs complaining about the underline being misleading or not helpful enough.

For now lets go with max's suggestion. 

Comment 8

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

(In reply to comment #7)
> So. I thought about the faint underline, however, this can cause problems for
> users b/c most underlined links go to other pages vs actions on the page that
> give help. But the underline is probably the easiest and most straight forward
> answer, so lets go with it. 

  Yeah, but the dotted underline is becoming an understood metaphor for "this has a popup if you mouse over it".

  I'm glad that we're going to go with that! :-)