Just wondering if I can have a separate tool setting dialog for the stfplace commands (column, beams etc.) rather than as a ribbon? I have my ribbon in compact mode, I access to my required tools through toolbars. Everytime I place something that involve the Placement ribbon, I have to click on the ribbon to get to the settings.
Best regards,
Tuan Le
Tuan,
We found a defect in the ribbon where it's not behaving correctly in compact mode. It should be switching to the contextual tab so you don't need to click on that tab manually. It's supposed to switch to that ribbon tab whenever you launch a command that uses it and return you to the previous tab when you reset.
As time goes on, I would expect to see more placement options in the ribbon, not in a separate dialog.
Can I submit a change request to have tool settings stays in structural property panel? I just can't understand why we need 3 different places for tool settings.
Can you please share the defect number? so that I can submit a SR to track it.
Also to clarify, the ribbon does switch to Placement ribbon, however, because it is in compact mode, I have to manually expand it to get to my settings. The fact that I have to refer to the ribbon for placement settings is already a massive time waster.
Couldn't agree more.
I'll take a look at your SR list.
I'm going to ask some dumb questions probably just to make sure I understand the steps in your workflow. Please don't think I'm arguing :-)
To me, it seems like 2 and 3 would reduce mouse movement in the reverse order. Is there something in your workflow that requires you to do #2 first?
How is this workflow different from the toolbars? It seems like the number and type of steps be the same, except with the toolbars along the side instead of the top (with the addition of the extra click to open the ribbon when it's set to compact mode).
Do you find yourself changing between tabs often?
Just to give a little background, when we did the command sorting, one of the goals was to reduce both the number of commands on the screen at one time (reducing visual clutter and giving us enough space to use large-sized icons so you have bigger targets to aim for when clicking) and the number of times you need to manually change tabs (which is the number one complaint we saw in researching other products using a ribbon). Both of these goals were to start to bring us into alignment with the research on what makes products more "usable" in general.
'Just to give a little background, when we did the command sorting, one of the goals was to reduce both the number of commands on the screen at one time (reducing visual clutter and giving us enough space to use large-sized icons so you have bigger targets to aim for when clicking)'
And yet simple things like docking the ribbon weren't checked to make sure they worked.
I would have also thought that popset would be part of that, yet no.
Sorry Tom, but the flow and the issues with this interface leave me thinking of times past when we begged for change when we had major interface changes like this.
'Is there something in your workflow that requires you to do #2 first?'
If you have the ribbon docked there are far more clicks. The moment the separate dialog for gatagroup etc. started we stopped having an interface that cleared automatically when we started to model. It's just another potential for issues like we have with v8i.
Add to that you have to try and get rid of the Property Panel.
Next, one too many right clicks and it's all the way back to the Structural Group again. I don't see any need for the Place group to disappear.
Bear
What do you mean by docking the ribbon? Technically, you can't undock it. It's always located at the top of the screen and can't be moved like other dialogs. "Docking" means to take a floating dialog and attach it to a border of the screen. Do you mean something else by that?
Also, what do you mean by "Add to that you have to try and get rid of the Property Panel."? Why are you trying to get rid of the property panel? Don't you need it to enter the properties you want to change?
You're going to get sick of me asking questions, but why is going back to the Structural tab a bad thing when no commands are running?
I don't mind the questions Tom, if it helps people understand the issues as we see them.
'"Docking" means to take a floating dialog and attach it to a border of the screen. Do you mean something else by that?'
Docked, hidden, minimise. All just names, but I believe that CE calls it minimised:
'"Add to that you have to try and get rid of the Property Panel."? '
If I've finished with it and want to use other commands it won't just go away. I have to close the dialog to get rid of it. If I go from placing a member to needing to the copy command the dialog, even though blanked out, is still there.