[Bf-committers] Issues with drop-down menus.

Nathan Vegdahl bf-committers@blender.org
Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:01:53 -0700 (PDT)


   A little something that I think needs to be changed in the interface:
menu-tabs should *always* be on the left side of the menu-buttons.

   My reasoning for this is as follows (follow the points in order):

      1. Menu-options are all left-aligned with
         the parent menu-button.

      2. Menu-options that are shorter than their
         parent menu-button have empty space on
         the right.

      3. If the first menu-option is shorter than
         the menu-button, and if the user clicks
         and drags down from the right side of the
         menu-button, then the cursor falls over
         empty space and the menu disappears.

      4. The user almost invariably clicks on the
         tab of the menu-button, and not the text.

      5. Thus, by putting the tab on the right side
         of the menu-button, you're setting up
         the user to have the menu disappear when
         they drag the mouse down.

   Therefore, I think it should be a rule that menu's always have their tabs on
the left side of the menu-button, never on the right.

EXAMPLE:  I noticed this problem when creating "themes".  The menu nearest the
bottom of the screen in the themes window has its tab on the right, and it has
menu-options that are shorter than the menu-button.

   I'm not sure if this problem exists elsewhere in the GUI or not, but even if
it doesn't I think that sticking to the "menu-tabs stay on the left" rule would
be a good idea for the sake of consistency and to prevent problems in the
future.

   Any thoughts?

   (P.S. Sorry for being so long-winded.)

--Nathan "Cessen" Vegdahl

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com