[Bf-committers] Pupmenu conventions and toolbox navigation

[Luke Wenke]

Hi,
I'm subscribed to the bf-funboard mailing list and I was looking at the
bf-committers archives and noticed the big thread about "Pupmenu
conventions".
I'm guessing that it was talking about the menus in Blender 2.29.... and
involves people being able to press either numbers (corresponding to the
menu position) or underlined letters in order to select menu items.
Well firstly, I think the proper place to discuss this kind of thing is at
the Blender functionality mailing list since it is concerned with high-level
user-oriented suggestions...
http://www.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard/
Anyway, I'll just still with this mailing list for this topic.

I guess that kind of thing could be included in regular menus, but I'm a bit
concerned about the underlined "hotchars" (keys you press to active menu
items) would be too distracting for users who don't even use them. I mean
you have to click on the menu with the mouse to open it anyway - it isn't
that much more trouble to for the person to just move through the menus.

If they're an experienced user that uses a command a lot that doesn't have a
hotkey, this is my idea for a method: (I think it would be much quicker
since you don't need to take your hand off of the mouse, or move your other
hand much - assuming it is over the lower-left part of the keyboard (it
usually is for me).

Anyway, basically you'd first press the spacebar to make the toolbox appear.
It would appear in the position where the mouse pointer is (assuming it is
in the 3D window). Then you can just use the mouse, or use the keys q, w, e,
a, s, d. Or space or escape to abort.
Each level in the toolbox menu would look like one of these: (with the
corresponding hotkey)
QWE
ASD

 WE
ASD

  W
ASD

ASD

A D

I chose those hotkeys because they seem to be the easiest to use (I mean I
think "A" is easier that "Q", assuming you're in the "home row").

A toolbox menu with 6 items would be 3 names wide and 2 high (not in a
circle).... the 6 hotkeys could be shown as a tiny icon or something (a tiny
Q, W, E, etc) near the title of the item.

Anyway, it would mean a much, much more direct link between the key
positions and the positions of the menu items - compared to having to
pressing a number (listed horizontally or in a grid on a keyboard)
corresponding to the vertical position of an item in a menu.... and since
only three fingers and a thumb are used with a maximum of 1 key distance
movements, it would be easy to learn how to type it without looking at the
keyboard, and quick too.

- Luke.