[TxMt] UI - redistributing the density

[Eric O'Brien]

"Density" is a very nice generic description of the problem!

By the way, in the following, I don't at all mean to be harsh!   
Instead, I'd like to figure out how "what's in there" can be made  
even more visible, available and understandable... to get even more  
converts.  TextMate is a fabulous product and, rather then "upgrade"  
BBEdit, I recently purchased TextMate instead.


Critique...

The functionality and power of TextMate is unevenly distributed in  
its visual working space.  (Even more difficult, much of it is, in  
fact, NOT visible at all.)

It is difficult to "discover" previously unknown functionality.  It  
is also difficult to RE-discover ("remember") previously discovered  
functionality.


Furthermore, the way that "I" mentally "clump" functionality often is  
not the way it is clumped in TextMate.  For example... I remember  
that I can do something.  But is it a built-in feature, or in a  
macro, command or snippet?  (Oh! I just noticed:  apparently, the  
"gear" icon combines access to all three?)

What was it called? ?    And, was it... THIS keyboard shortcut?   
YIKES!  Hmm... well, that's actually sort of interesting.  I wonder  
what I did?

If it's a built-in feature, is it under the "Edit" menu, or perhaps  
the "Text" menu?  If not found in the "Text" menu, maybe it's in the  
Automation > Replay Macro > Text menu.  OR, Automation > Insert  
Snippet > Text.  OR... Automation > Run Command > Text.  Or maybe the  
"gear" menu.  [Too bad my keyboard binding for that shortcut doesn't  
work!]  Oops, well I guess (think) not.  Hmm... maybe it's under the  
"Edit" menu?  ;)

!!


I have a horrible urge to shout for the inclusion of Toolbars  
(Multiple! and Fully Configurable! Of course.)  And Floating  
Palettes.  LOTS of floating palettes.  All, also (of course) Fully  
Configurable.  Lots of drag, drop, stretch and perforate.  And a  
Unified Keyboard-Shorcut/Keybinding Editing & debugging Panel.   
Also... well, Fully Configurable.


OK, my tone is somewhat flippant.  But seriously, in TextMate there  
is "more than meets the eye."  How do we bring that to the surface  
and make it more coherent and accessible?  Without dynamiting the  
fish pond.

By which I mean that implementing "A Palette for Every Function and a  
Function for Every Palette" (or something) will simply smother the  
existing interface.  Bringing "everything to the surface" (that's the  
dynamite in the fishpond) is not a good solution.

Over-stuffed drop-down menus begat hierarchal menus.  Overstuffed  
hierarchal menus begat "tear off" menus (palettes).  Overstuffed  
palettes begat "tabbed" palettes.  Then the tabbed palettes grew  
their OWN hierarchal ("flyout") menus and I'm afraid we've come full  
circle!  I don't know where the heck "tool bars" and "gutter bars"  
got into the picture.  :)   Now we've got scrolling, collapsing  
sidebars (has anyone looked at Adobe Lightroom?)  And don't forget  
"twirl-down" menus.  Hierarchal, but instead of popping out, they  
reveal their contents (like the "reveal" triangle in the Mac  
Finder).  I'm skeptical that ANY of this makes functionality any more  
accessible or discoverable than if it was simply dumped into a  
gigantic "bubble" that users could simply re-arrange to their own  
liking.  Rather like a "desktop" in this case.

Hmm!  Maybe we need a "Dashboard-like" feature!!  Press a button and  
your editing interface switches to a completely customizable  
"TextMate Dashboard" interface.  Users get to scatter WHATEVER they  
want anywhere on this alternative "desktop/control surface/utility  
panel/macro switchboard"... whatever you want to call it.  Why should  
"Preferences" or the bundle editor be constrained a dialog box?  Why  
not give it an entire new view into the application?

Users can organize commands, macros, snippets ... WHATever, here in  
any way they like.  All the (and any of the) CLUTTER would (here) be  
constrained to the TextMate "Dashboard," leaving the editing  
interface sleek and tidy!  Oh!  I'm liking this.  Excuse me for a  
moment while I duck out and grab a patent or two.

OK, I'm back.  Maybe the TMDB ("TextMateDashBoard") has a terminal  
window sitting ready to type into.  Maybe it also has that wished-for  
SFTP window.  Maybe ... ??  Maybe there can be more than one TextMate  
"screen set," "virtual desktop" or "dashboard."    ??


Well, I don't have a lot of answers to this problem right now  [Oh,  
yes I do!  Look at that "dashboard" idea!  ;) ].


I want [some of] the benefits of toolbars and palettes, but not the  
added clutter of them.    And since the user community currently has  
to rely pretty much on a single programmer in this, I would not want  
Allan spend most of his energy programming Palette Behavior.  Ugh.

eo


On Feb 8, 2006, at 6:21 AM, Ned Baldessin wrote:

> I remember when getting started with TM, what strike me was that  
> most of the functionality was buried into the Macros, Snippets and  
> Commands menus. Those three menus seemed extremely dense, and the  
> rest of the menus, and the app in general, seemed very "easy", or  
> light.
>
> Up to this day, I still haven't fully explored the potential of  
> those menus, because I get the feeling that they change all the time.
>
> Adding the "gear" pop up menu at the bottom of the window was  
> great. Are there other ways to "de-densify" all that functionality,  
> and "smooth en" the learning curve ?
>
> …just thinking out loud.
>
> Cheers.
>
> 2006/2/8, Nicholas Cole <nicholas.cole at gmail.com>:
> Dear List,
>
> One of the most striking things to a new user is that the most
> important part of the UI for textmate is a button a that is at the
> _base_ of the window (v. unexpected) and that is the smallest part of
> the UI.  I'm quite sure I would not have realised its significance had
> I not seen the Screencasts, and I know that people I've recently
> introduced to Textmate have had the same problem.  Is there any way it
> could be made more obvious?
>
> Best,
>
> N.
>
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