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Topic: Guidelines for requests and development (Read 3471 times)

Guidelines for requests and development

This post is strictly from the user point of view. I am not a programmer so I don't know how to achieve what I am talking about here. This does not prevent me from having a point of view though. Good to have a place to express it :)

CATEGORIES OF REQUESTS

Broadly there are two, or let's say three categories of feature requests regarding Otter browser. The first category is emulating or copying Opera Presto. It would be nice if this category were the priority.

The second category is (arguable) enhancements of erstwhile Opera Presto features or logical evolution of them. For example, I liked the idea of virtual folders in email and in the old forum I made the request to extend virtual folders to everywhere applicable: Bookmarks, Contacts, Notes, ... Right now Otter browser displays the same old hard folders in Bookmarks. I really think virtual folders would enhance organisability, e.g. ability to include a bookmark item in multiple folders without having to multiply the bookmark item.

In the first category of requests, I'd mention keywords in bookmark items. They were there in Opera, but are missing in Otter. Also, at the current stage the overall configurability of the interface is underdeveloped. For example:

- Keyboard shortcuts, those that are there, are not listed and configurable in some obvious place (Opera had a dialogue for that).
- Not much under right-click. In Opera, right-clicking pretty much anywhere brought up context-specific menus. Right-clicking on any button allowed to move or remove the button.
- Menus in Opera could be rewritten in full detail.
- Toolbars: Ability to add and remove toolbars, and to add or rearrange buttons and elements on any toolbar as desired
- In Opera, commands could be freely assigned and reassigned between buttons, menu items, and keyboard shortcuts. A menu item could be made into a button, a button into a keyboard shortcut, etc.
- In Opera, under any button, menu item, keyboard shortcut, or mouse gesture, the commands could be serialised, so that one element could do many things in a row. For example, I had a menu item that I named "Edit link" which worked on webpages above links. It extracted the URL, opened the address toolbar (the thingie accessible by F2 by default) and pasted the URL there. Unfortunately the behaviour of the command series broke in Opera v.12 :(
- Fast forward and Rewind functions missing in Otter

The third category of requests is features that Opera Presto never had. In my opinion, it would make sense to consider these kinds of requests as lowest priority.

BEHAVIOUR OF THE APP WINDOW

A good app remembers where it left off. This means it opens up with the same size and position where it was closed. There is some minor inconsistency with this I have noticed in Openbox (only Openbox, not other desktops I use). In Openbox, when Otter is closed maximised, it opens up with the same size, but slightly off centre. Is it Qt5 guiding the behaviour of the app window?

Otherwise I'm enjoying the app already. Very much looking forward to its continued progress in the right direction :)

Re: Guidelines for requests and development

Reply #1 –
Virtual folders... tags aren't enough? :-)

Quote from: ersi on
Keyboard shortcuts, those that are there, are not listed and configurable in some obvious place (Opera had a dialogue for that).

Preferences / Advanced / Keyboard.
Not all are exposed yet.
Quote from: ersi on
Not much under right-click. In Opera, right-clicking pretty much anywhere brought up context-specific menus. Right-clicking on any button allowed to move or remove the button.

That will be done as part of #31.
Quote from: ersi on
Menus in Opera could be rewritten in full detail.

Issue #65.
Quote from: ersi on
Toolbars: Ability to add and remove toolbars, and to add or rearrange buttons and elements on any toolbar as desired

That's also #31.
Rearranging actions (icons / buttons) by drag and drop may came later.
Quote from: ersi on
In Opera, commands could be freely assigned and reassigned between buttons, menu items, and keyboard shortcuts. A menu item could be made into a button, a button into a keyboard shortcut, etc.

The same applies here, actions could be triggered by menu entries, toolbar buttons, shortcuts and mouse gestures (hopefully soon).
Quote from: ersi on
In Opera, under any button, menu item, keyboard shortcut, or mouse gesture, the commands could be serialised, so that one element could do many things in a row. For example, I had a menu item that I named "Edit link" which worked on webpages above links. It extracted the URL, opened the address toolbar (the thingie accessible by F2 by default) and pasted the URL there. Unfortunately the behaviour of the command series broke in Opera v.12

This is partially available as macros,missing part is support for scripting.
Quote from: ersi on
Fast forward and Rewind functions missing in Otter

These are available but currently limited only to history entries.
Quote from: ersi on
In Openbox, when Otter is closed maximised, it opens up with the same size, but slightly off centre.

I've posted possible solution here, if that won't help then it should be reported upstream.
Nadszedł już czas, najwyższy czas, nienawiść zniszczyć w sobie.
The time has come, the high time, to destroy hatred in oneself.

Re: Guidelines for requests and development

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Emdek on
Virtual folders... tags aren't enough? :-)

I think it's kind of elegant to get rid of hard folders. Maybe just an aesthetic preference in the end. In my view, ideal bookmark folders should work like labels in email.

Thanks for linking the issues to Github discussions. I should take more care to compare things with Github.

Some things:
- You mentioned that startup dialogue (crash management) is planned. It's not listed among the discussions at Github?
- Links panel is listed https://github.com/Emdek/otter/issues/111 For every panel, Opera also had a Window mode. For Links, specifically, there were even three modes: 1. Panel, 2. Window, 3. Dialog. Maybe Dialog is unnecessary, but Links Panel and Window were awesome features, great for link searches and mass-downloading on a specific page.
- Page tiling and cascading seems also unmentioned at Github. Tiling http://windowsitpro.com/site-files/windowsitpro.com/files/archive/windowsitpro.com/content/content/101979/101979-fig5.jpg Cascading http://windowsitpro.com/site-files/windowsitpro.com/files/archive/windowsitpro.com/content/content/101979/101979-fig4.jpg

Re: Guidelines for requests and development

Reply #3 –
Quote from: ersi on
Maybe just an aesthetic preference in the end. In my view, ideal bookmark folders should work like labels in email.

So tags it is. :-)
Quote from: ersi on
You mentioned that startup dialogue (crash management) is planned. It's not listed among the discussions at Github?

Not all of them have own tickets, we would have hundreds of them then, it would be nightmare. :-)
Quote from: ersi on
Links panel is listed https://github.com/Emdek/otter/issues/111 For every panel, Opera also had a Window mode.

Please clarify "Window" mode first, in Otter (and Opera) window means single tab.
Quote from: ersi on
Page tiling and cascading seems also unmentioned at Github.

It's mentioned in TODO, as exposing MDI features.
Nadszedł już czas, najwyższy czas, nienawiść zniszczyć w sobie.
The time has come, the high time, to destroy hatred in oneself.

Re: Guidelines for requests and development

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Emdek on

Please clarify "Window" mode first, in Otter (and Opera) window means single tab.
That's what I mean, yes.

Opera's terminology was inconsistent and shifted historically. At first, tabs were called Pages, while e.g. Bookmarks tab (opened from Bookmarks panel) was called Bookmarks Window. Later, tabs were called tabs, but function tabs were still called windows, like Bookmarks Window, History Window.

I'll try to call them tabs henceforth.

Quote from: Emdek on

It's mentioned in TODO, as exposing MDI features.
Right :) And will there be detachability?

Re: Guidelines for requests and development

Reply #5 –
@ersi, OK, then concept of Links Window seems bizarre to me. ;-)
Although it could make some sense in conjunction with lock feature...

About terminology, "window" is used internally (it makes most sense due to MDI etc.) while user visible strings use term "tab", to be less confusing.

Quote from: ersi on
And will there be detachability?

It's already available in context menu, full support (drag and drop to detach and attach) will be done as part of this ticket:
https://github.com/Emdek/otter/issues/190
Nadszedł już czas, najwyższy czas, nienawiść zniszczyć w sobie.
The time has come, the high time, to destroy hatred in oneself.