Menued Launcher 'no default' action

Tigerwolf · 2007-03-06 07:37:12

When building a menued launcher with multiple menu items, it would be VERY handy to optionally make clicking the panel icon just open the launcher list rather than do a command.

Example: A launcher named 'Browsers' which does nothing more than open a list of available browsers rather than launch a default one.

While this can now be somewhat done by providing no command for the main icon to launch, but it requires the user to see and click on the 'expand arrow' to get the menu items. The main icon doing nothing appears to many users as something broken.

The option I propose would either eliminate the expand arrow for such cases, or make the main icon also open the list as its action.

The could be set by having the preferences menu contain 'no default' select button which would override a launch command, or it could be done by just noting the launch command is blank.

It would also be very nice if the expand arrow could optionally be placed on top/bottom (or appropriate side for vert panels) of the launcher icon like older XFCE versions. The current arrow side placement on horizontal menues makes it unclear which icon it goes with without a use of a seperator or doing a mouse-over.

Please consider these changes.

Nick · 2007-03-06 11:47:11

You can add a feature request in the Xfce Bugzilla, but personally I don't see the advantage of this option for the 'mainstream' Xfce user. More like a confusing button IMHO.

Tigerwolf · 2007-03-07 02:05:08

Nick wrote:

You can add a feature request in the Xfce Bugzilla, but personally I don't see the advantage of this option for the 'mainstream' Xfce user. More like a confusing button IMHO.

It's an ergonomic issue for kiosk mode users (I operate 25 machines in open public use). Often they have never seen an interface like XFCE. The request comes from quite a bit of personal experience in dealing with user questions in this environment.

Often people will click a button to see what it does. Using the browsers example: if the default is Opera, they'll get that, then complain: 'Don't you have Firefox?' Yes. Click the little arrow. Oh. I didn't see that / know what that was.

If you have no default set, you get 'How do I get a browser? I clicked the Web Browsers button and nothing happened.' No. You have to click the little arrow. Oh... What arrow? This one right here. Oh!

It's true that a user familiar with how the interface works could probably fathom the subtleties. But for kiosk-type use, the interface needs to be as dolt-proof as possible. It's why XFCE's simplicty shines for these sorts of applications.

Nick · 2007-03-07 09:11:32

Yeah well maybe you're right and I add this option (hidden setting) in the new launcher plugin in trunk, we'll see ^-^. I will fix the kiosk problems first (in the 4.4 branch and trunk) and provide you some patches.

TomE · 2007-03-07 13:48:03

you could use the menu plugin with no text field and a custom menu.xml

Tigerwolf · 2007-03-30 04:30:54

TomE wrote:

you could use the menu plugin with no text field and a custom menu.xml

The menu plugin dosen't allow for 'mouse-over' pop-up messages for each of the menu items in the menu list. I use the mouse-overs in launchers to tell what the program will do.

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#1 2007-03-06 07:37:12

Menued Launcher 'no default' action

#2 2007-03-06 11:47:11

Re: Menued Launcher 'no default' action

#3 2007-03-07 02:05:08

Re: Menued Launcher 'no default' action

#4 2007-03-07 09:11:32

Re: Menued Launcher 'no default' action

#5 2007-03-07 13:48:03

Re: Menued Launcher 'no default' action

#6 2007-03-30 04:30:54

Re: Menued Launcher 'no default' action

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