[IPython-dev] feedback on modal UI

[Alistair Miles]

P.S., adding this:

div.cell.edit_mode {
    border: 5px solid red;
    background-color: #faa;
}

...to custom.css is my temporary solution to help me remember to enter edit
mode before typing :-)


On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 10:32 AM, Alistair Miles
<alimanfoo at googlemail.com>wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> In case this is helpful, here is some feedback on the new modal UI after a
> couple of days working with IPython 2.0.0-b1.
>
> I'm sure I will get used to it (I had become very fluent with the old set
> of shortcut keys) but for now I am having a lot of accidents from starting
> to type and forgetting I'm still in command mode. I've lost count of the
> number of times I've accidentally turned line numbers on or off, randomly
> added new cells above or below, switched the cell from code to markdown,
> etc. Often I've got through typing a number of words before realising
> something is wrong, and so found several unintended things have happened to
> my notebook. Fortunately there aren't many words in English with a double
> d, that could be particularly confusing, maybe deleting cells should be
> double [delete] key? Also having cut as a plain 'x' press is similar, maybe
> cut/copy/paste/undo should need a control key modifier?
>
> I know these problems may only be transient and when I'm fully used to the
> new UI they'll happen much less.
>
> I know this has been mentioned before, but think it might help if the
> visual distinction between edit mode and command mode is made stronger. My
> eyes literally can't tell the difference between the green outline and the
> grey outline on most screens. I'm sure others will have better ideas, but
> maybe the box outline for edit mode could be a couple of points thicker, or
> the cell background could be a different colour/shade of grey/white, or
> maybe lose the outline completely in command mode and indicate the selected
> cell by some other means? I'm not a visual designer, I'm sure there are
> better ways.
>
> Hth, thanks for the revolutionary work!
>
> Alistair
> --
> Alistair Miles
> Head of Epidemiological Informatics
> Centre for Genomics and Global Health <http://cggh.org>
> The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
> Roosevelt Drive
> Oxford
> OX3 7BN
> United Kingdom
> Web: http://purl.org/net/aliman
> Email: alimanfoo at gmail.com
> Tel: +44 (0)1865 287721 ***new number***
>



-- 
Alistair Miles
Head of Epidemiological Informatics
Centre for Genomics and Global Health <http://cggh.org>
The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
Roosevelt Drive
Oxford
OX3 7BN
United Kingdom
Web: http://purl.org/net/aliman
Email: alimanfoo at gmail.com
Tel: +44 (0)1865 287721 ***new number***
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