474449 - Add-buttons in Contacts sidebar not nice (for localizers)

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

Attachment: Screenshot

The three buttons in Contacts sidebar currently span two rows. It would be great if the localizers could rearrange them, because their proportions may differ a lot between localizations.

See attached screenshot to find what it currently looks like in Lithuanian version.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

I don't think this is something localizers should (have to) change. Granted, it's a very ugly piece of UI - also in the en-US version. Maybe someone can think of how to make it nicer :)

Comment 2

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

taking

Comment 3

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

I'm wondering if we should just use a group box with a title and then buttons with the difference.  Currently it's a lot of duplicated text.

+- Add To ------------------------+
|                                 |
| ( To )    ( Cc )    ( Bcc )     |
|                                 |
+---------------------------------+

Comment 4

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

Bryan, that's a good idea but I'm afraid that it would still not be the best option for at least for lt. 

Unless it's possible to make those buttons flow into two/three lines automatically.

Comment 5

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

I don't really have much time lately to work on this so I should probably put it back in the open.  I'm not sure that we have a way to make the buttons float but it might be possible.  Looking for suggestions!

Comment 6

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Attachment: proposed fix

How about this? Makes it one dualbutton from which you can select which type of header to add.

Comment 7

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

(No, i don't know why the button accesskeys aren't showing up for me at all.)

Comment 8

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

heh, I get access keys of _A_dd, A_d_d, and _B_cc

There are some background color issues I'm seeing with Windows but I think the idea is good.  I was a little uncertain about the button centered but I'm not finding better arrangements.  Overall, awesome.

Comment 9

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

screenshot, please? :)

Comment 10

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Attachment: screenshot with fix applied

Should look pretty similar to the reply button in the message header, only here if you select a choice, the main button will change it's label to be that for further actions.

Comment 11

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

(In reply to comment #10)
> Created an attachment (id=391677) [details]
> screenshot with fix applied
> 
> Should look pretty similar to the reply button in the message header, only here
> if you select a choice, the main button will change it's label to be that for
> further actions.

Look OK from the localizers perspective. But I don't think widgets like that are common anywhere outside Mozilla...

Comment 12

[Jim Porter (:squib)]

(In reply to comment #11)
> Look OK from the localizers perspective. But I don't think widgets like that
> are common anywhere outside Mozilla...

It's common enough that Win32 has a specific control for it, the "split button": http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb775947(VS.85).aspx

Comment 13

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

This is what it should be, but it's not. But well, I guess this is a separate bug in widgets...

Comment 14

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

Attachment: Mac screenshot

The mac theme isn't quite right there isn't a border around the button for one, which means the down arrow doesn't really belong. I'd have expected something a bit more like the reply button in the message header pane.

Comment 15

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

I created some try server builds if people want to download and take a look at the changes:

http://s3.mozillamessaging.com/build/try-server/2009-08-03_12:[e-mail]-st8-contactsbuttons/[e-mail]
http://s3.mozillamessaging.com/build/try-server/2009-08-03_12:[e-mail]-st8-contactsbuttons/[e-mail]
http://s3.mozillamessaging.com/build/try-server/2009-08-03_12:[e-mail]-st8-contactsbuttons/[e-mail]2

Comment 16

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

Comment on attachment 391305 [details] [diff] [review]
proposed fix

The general idea looks fine (as long as Bryan is happy with it) but as per my previous comments the Mac button needs some work.

Comment 17

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

I think this style of button will work well with the general work flow of adding people to the to or cc line.

I'll try to have a look at this on the Mac later this week.

Comment 18

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

Comment on attachment 391305 [details] [diff] [review]
proposed fix

plus for general idea

Comment 19

[:aceman]

But making it a dropdown looks like defeating the original purpose of the buttons, i.e. to quickly click the recipient type. Looking it up in the list and changing for each recipient is tedious. You can just use the context menu in that case.

I would keep the buttons as they are, just allow them to wrap (is there a wrappable hbox?) or just put them in 3 rows. Either centered or starting from left.

Comment 20

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

3 rows take up too much space, and the current situation is ugly imo. 

i think the only reason the buttons are there at all is for keyboard only users... "changing recipient type" i doubt is used very much, maybe once if at all.

btw, anyone know if it looks better on mac nowadays?

Comment 21

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

Magnus: It doesn't.  ;)

Aceman: I'm not entirely interested in the original purpose, but more interested in how people are using it currently.  Are they adding several people of different types, or just adding everyone as "To" recipients?  Sadly, I really have no idea what the answer is, so it's hard for me to decide.  But I will agree that having a bunch of rows of buttons is usually pretty ugly.  ;)

Comment 22

[Jim Porter (:squib)]

Maybe a solution would be to create icons (with explanatory tooltips!) for each of "To:", "Cc:", and "Bcc:". After the first time of looking at the buttons and figuring out what they do, the text would be unnecessary anyway.

Comment 23

[:aceman]

bwinton, if you look at something equivalent what Outlook 2007 has: in msg compose, click Contacts, you get a list of addresses in the selected address book. Then you again have 3 buttons for To, CC and Bcc and using them you push the selected address into the proper address line (there is a line of recipients for each of the To, CC, Bcc types).

squib: that would be nice. But I am not sure this would be worth having new icons.

Comment 24

[:aceman]

Hi, is this still a problem? Today the buttons as fixed in a grid of 3 rows and can't happen to be wrapped as in the first screenshot even if you make the panel very wide. So it has changed since the original report.

Comment 25

[Rimas Kudelis [use needinfo to ping]]

No, this is not a problem anymore.