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Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features

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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:
> Spiros Bousbouras <spibou@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> On Wed, 02 Feb 2022 10:37:06 -0500
>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> writes:
>>> >
>>> > In some software that I've developed, hovering over a greyed out menu
>>> > option cause a tip to be displayed stating the reason it's greyed out.
>>> >
>>> > I wish that were standard practice. It would alleviate a major cause
>>> > of baldness.
>>> 
>>> So, in your world there is no reason for a grayed out menu.
>>
>> I don't think that follows from Sylvia's post. I think her complaint is
>> that no reason is displayed as to why the menu is greyed out.
> 
> I see, I think you are right.
> I'm not quite sure of the best method a program could use to explain a
> menu entry being gray though.
> 
> Maybe a tool tip that pops up while the entry is selected?  Still I'd
> want the menu to indicate the choice is no good before someone tries to
> use the entry.

I usually encounter these sorts of things in graphical editor
software (image editing, 3D modelling, etc.), where the function is
only enabled in the specific situation where it makes sense. The
idea would be to teach the user why the action doesn't make sense
with the tool-tip so that later on they do know before needing to
try.

> Certainly, there won't be room in the menu for a message and I don't
> think removing the option is the right choice.

Removing the option is like how XFig only displays buttons at the
bottom of the window depending on the tool selected from the
buttons on the left. That seems to work as well, but probably
doesn't scale for programs that have lots of options, eg. 3D CAD,
because the user needs to memorise the different button/menu
layouts for every tool.

The worst example of greyed-out options has to be where a
configuration menu uses that as a way of representing some feature
being disabled because corresponding additional hardware/software
wasn't found/working. When corresponding hardware/software _is_
installed, one usually wants a bit more information. Bonus points
if, after a day of messing about with the system configuration, you
discover that the feature isn't actually implemented in the program
in the first place and the configuration option is just supposed to
represent one of the developer's TODOs!

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One of the most exasperating GUI features Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> - 2022-01-23 19:58 +1100
  Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Meredith Montgomery <mmontgomery@levado.to> - 2022-02-02 10:10 -0300
    Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2022-02-02 13:21 +0000
      Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features C Mercadal <mercadal@diablonet.net> - 2022-02-02 15:52 +0000
        Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2022-02-02 19:20 +0000
  Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2022-02-02 16:00 +0200
  Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> - 2022-02-02 10:37 -0500
    Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Spiros Bousbouras <spibou@gmail.com> - 2022-02-02 16:07 +0000
      Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> - 2022-02-02 12:40 -0500
        Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2022-02-02 22:18 +0000
  Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> - 2022-02-03 10:19 +1100
    Re: One of the most exasperating GUI features Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2022-02-03 02:08 +0000

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