[scribus-dev] Who is going to kill the style dialog ?

[Gregory Pittman]

On 10/29/2010 10:23 PM, Louis Desjardins wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> Currently trying to get something out of 1.3.8 on a Mac.
>
> Are we really going to get out of the mud of this text engine ? out of
> the mud of this style dialog ?
>
> Hey ?!?!
>
> Set type.
>
> Three basic settings...
>
> 1. Type.
>
> 2. Typsesize.
>
> 3. Leading.
>
> Now, where are they ?
>
> Type and typesize on the next tab...
>
> Leading on the first tab...
>
> No compliments. It does not work. It does not make any sense.
>
> Yes, I know. I should know how to code.
>
> Louis, get out of your comfort zone and start coding.
>
> Can we simply get rid of this dialog and have the style created at right
> hand click ? Bug 300 or so by Lyam, back in 2004 or something.
>
> Please do us a favor and kill this dialog.

Killing is a strong concept, since as in other situations, what emerges 
after the death of one thing may have you wishing for resurrection of 
the old.

I do think that the creation and editing of styles has become 
operationally and visually complex, especially the latter. We might do 
well to have a streamlined Create Style method, which much as Louis 
suggests, gets the to the "meat" of the options right away.

I also think we have to reconcile the Paragraph/Character Style 
relationship. Paragraph Styles have a Character Style but not the 
reverse. Can we decide on a heirarchy of options? In other words, most 
common to least common choices, so that as Louis complains about, you're 
not visually searching to find the simple items. I also don't like the 
different kinds of selectors (spinboxes, checkoffs, radio buttons) all 
mixed together.

This may also be a time to consider abandoning the icons for choices 
like linespacing or tracking in favor of using the words themselves -- 
there certainly is space for this.

Greg