[Bf-funboard] Re: Patch: A tiny bit of Layer manager

[Campbell Barton]

GSR wrote:
> Hi,
> cbarton at metavr.com (2007-03-25 at 0833.01 +1000):
>> Dots in layers would give very useful feedback to the user and be great 
>> when opening old or other peoples blend files, saving you the bother of 
>> looking through layers or alternately enabling all and having to check 
>> for a free layer.
> 
> The thing is that "dot" is not the unique simple shape to mark
> something. There are lots of shapes that fit the task, like triangle,
> square, cross, line, rectangle, and some of them can appear in
> different rotations and even filled or not. The bigger the place, the
> more detail that can be added, but even with tiny things, there are
> more than just dots (if you go really tiny, it ends being a square
> anyway).
> 
> So again, why is some people so stuck with the "dots" all over the
> place? Why other means or just shapes for feedback are not in the
> plan? I find rather depressing all this arguing instead of trying to
> find good solutions, that try to follow some rules about clarity,
> consistency... and if thing have to be changed, change them, and if
> things have to be thought twice before adding, better early than late.
> 
> GSR

were talking about a dot because these are the layer button! theres not 
much else we can fit in there.

Sure of course other shapes could be used but if more then 1 was used, 
youd be forcing us to distinguish between different small shapes.

Im not arguing about the shapes used, Im arguing that having a dot in 
the layer buttons is a fine way to show the user there is content in 
that layer.

We can pretend that making it a cross/square/plus sign will make it 
acceptable but to the user its going to look like a dot.

You may recall in my example I used a square anyway ;).
http://members.optusnet.com.au/cjbarton/layer_but.png