From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn)
Subject: Re: UI:Suggestion for open and save panels
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 08:19:53 GMT

Two good ideas here, I think...

> mikes@velo.ucr.edu (Mike Shebanek) writes:
> 
> >The Save and Open panels had shelves like the File Viewer and Finder
> >panel so   you could create "bookmarks" in the file system and jump to
> >often used folders   quickly and easily?  The Home button is a nice, but
> >putting a shelf in these   panels would provide much more flexibility
> >and yet not break the established   interface rules (i.e., this has
> >already been done with the finder panel,   Digital Librarian, and File
> >Viewer).

I'd like some kind of pop-down menu which was keeping track of recently-
visited folders (like DfaultD on the Mac, or, um, SuperBoomerang).  This can  
be very useful and time-saving.  

I believe the above is a good idea, but I also believe it's a separate issue  
from:

izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) responded:
> I want a "Lock Shelf Item" feature in Workspace File Viewer.
> Since a lot of things now supports drag and drop from workspace,
> I keep losing files/directories placed on the shelf by dragging those
> into applications.
> 
> Default action should be what it is -- remove from shelf if dragged out,
> but there should be an option to lock down shelf items individually, so
> you can drag a directory from shelf to Save/Open panels without waiting
> for it to appear in the Icon Path (which is slooow).

I'd suggest that the "locked" option should be based on where you are  
dragging the item to, I think (but I've only thought about it for 10 minutes  
now).  I mean, when would you *ever* want an icon dragged from the shelf  
into an open or save panel to disappear from the shelf?  Similarly, I don't  
think it should ever be removed from the shelf if dragged to a Stuart or  
Terminal window.  I think the shelf on stuart windows have the right  
behavior in this regard, items to not automatically disappear from the shelf  
when they are used.

Hmm.  Thinking about this for another 12 seconds, I'd almost be willing to  
claim that for *most* targets that one would drag an icon into, the user  
probably does not want it removed from the shelf.  The times it makes sense  
to remove it from the shelf are if you're dragging it into the background  
(ie, you're purposely removing it from the shelf), or if you are dragging it  
into some File Viewer window (into some folder, for instance).

If I have something on my shelf, it's not likely to be sitting there just  
for the benefit of one open panel.  I wouldn't bother putting it on the  
shelf just to be used one time.  I either put things on the shelf to move  
them between folders, or I do it because I reference them frequently (in  
which case I don't want them to disappear from the shelf when I use them).

Does this sound reasonable, or am I just too tired right now?

--
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA

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