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Full Version: Some GUI usability improvements
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Hello Eric, hello folks Smile

I am missing some well-established standard keyboard commands in GearCity, for example...
(1) The possibility to switch between different textboxes by hitting TAB and to switch between different windows with Ctrl-TAB.
(2) Copy & Paste via Ctrl-C / Ctrl-V (Not that important to me though)
(3) Closing any window by hitting Esc (i know this has been requested before, i wanted to request it anyway for the sake of completeness, sorry).

(4) In addition, i feel that the entry of values via sliders ist sometimes too imprecise. Possible solutions:
  • (a) Add a textbox next to the slider to enter the exact value
  • (b) Implement a "precision slide"-mode, so if you hit a special key like shift while using the slider with the mouse, the movement is slowed down and more precise

(5) I noted that in some component development screens - for example, after you click on "Performance" while designing an engine - the window can easily be closed by clicking on that same button again. I like that. But! this isn't working everywhere (for example in the car designing screen). Imo, it should work everywhere!

(6) In the start splash screen and main menu, hitting Esc immediately gets me back to Windows. The standard (and my preferred) shortcut would be Alt-F4. (Not that important, and on other platforms, there are possibly other standards?)

What do you think?
(11-09-2014, 12:08 PM)udeg Wrote: [ -> ](1) The possibility to switch between different textboxes by hitting TAB and to switch between different windows with Ctrl-TAB.
(2) Copy & Paste via Ctrl-C / Ctrl-V (Not that important to me though)
(3) Closing any window by hitting Esc (i know this has been requested before, i wanted to request it anyway for the sake of completeness, sorry).
1 and 3 I plan to implement when I implement hot keys. The GUI has to be finished before you can add such features, otherwise you'd end up rewriting a whole bunch of code for just minor gui changes.

2) will not happen, limitation of our gui system.

Quote:(4) In addition, i feel that the entry of values via sliders ist sometimes too imprecise. Possible solutions:
  • (a) Add a textbox next to the slider to enter the exact value
  • (b) Implement a "precision slide"-mode, so if you hit a special key like shift while using the slider with the mouse, the movement is slowed down and more precise

"A" already exists, see the summary button in the advance designers.
"B" won't happen, specially not that way. Currently the best method is to use the middle slider to slide, the slider buttons have a minor bug that causes them to be double clicked. One that is resolved the buttons will be more "precise"



Quote:(6) In the start splash screen and main menu, hitting Esc immediately gets me back to Windows. The standard (and my preferred) shortcut would be Alt-F4. (Not that important, and on other platforms, there are possibly other standards?)

Alt-f4 is Windows specific, it still works if that's what you want to use. ESC brings up our main menu, if you're in the main menu, then the only obvious place for it to go is to desktop...


Anyhoo adjustments to everything you mentioned except 4 and 5, come during the hotkey stuff. If you want more info on that stuff, do a search on "Hotkeys" Smile
Thanks! And what about (5) ?
(11-09-2014, 05:05 PM)udeg Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks! And what about (5) ?

Just a couple of things I've overlooked and will get to eventually when I have time.