add an "apply" control to the "add new items" panel?

Posted on
Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:41 am
wmldwilly offline
Posts: 51
Joined: Aug 21, 2010

add an "apply" control to the "add new items" panel?

This has always sort of driven me nuts.

When one is using the "action group list" window (the 1-column table that shows on each line an action that is part of an action group) and uses the "add new" or "edit" control to create an additional action/edit an existing action in the group, the resulting panel only has a "cancel" and an "OK" button, both of which skip the user back TWO windows, to the original window from which one used the "edit action group" window to open the action group list in the first place.

When adding items in succession to an action group list I feel it would be quicker and less "click and droolish" to allow the user to return directly to the action group list from there. Especially when one is using "add new" repeatedly to build a list. Perhaps an "apply" button would be helpful to return directly to the action group list? That is unless it makes more sense to change the "cancel" and "OK" buttons to return there and "ascend" back up the window hierarchy after drilling down without skipping one on the way back up?

it's trivial, and it's always nagged at me.

Another idea might be to split that panel horizontally and maintain a view of the action list as it's being added to, stealing an idea from the non-updating lower area of a the main window when one selects any action group. A third idea would be to make that lower area dynamically updating, so it changes as the user adds successive actions to a group. Overall when building big or even small lists of actions, it would make the interface more comfortable in my opinion to a) allow the user to add an action and ascend back to the list to get their bearings if they're not ready to go straight to "add new" and keep adding, but don't want to close it completely and re-enter the list, or b) just keep that growing list of actions in view somewhere somehow.

thanks for listening!

WM

Posted on
Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:30 am
matt (support) offline
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Re: add an "apply" control to the "add new items" panel?

When adding multiple actions after you've defined the settings for an action you can press Add New to add the next one (the current one won't be lost/deleted). You can also use the Show All button (next to Add New) to show the list of all actions that have been added. The OK/Cancel buttons apply to the entire Action Group so you only need to press one of those once you are done adding (or editing) all of the actions.

All that said, the usability of how multiple actions work (UI for adding/editing/etc.) needs a lot of work – it is confusing. No arguing that. :?

Image

Posted on
Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:25 am
wmldwilly offline
Posts: 51
Joined: Aug 21, 2010

Re: add an "apply" control to the "add new items" panel?

haha thanks for saying that - I'm sure you're working on it amongst the million other little things you'd like to improve. :)

I get what you're saying about the "show all" button. Something about it seems to trip me up every time. Perhaps it's the need to close any given window to commit the changes rather than commit them like one does in the network system preference pane with the "apply" button. One can apply the changes and review them one more time before closing the window completely.

It's just a noodly little GUI thing I know...maybe it takes it's place low on the list, or as you suggest gets cleaned up as you move forward with other interface ideas.

Thanks!!

WM

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