[Pidgin] #7019: "You have dragged an image" dialog box is stupid

[Pidgin]

#7019: "You have dragged an image" dialog box is stupid
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 Reporter:  endolith  |        Owner:              
     Type:  defect    |       Status:  new         
Milestone:            |    Component:  pidgin (gtk)
  Version:  2.5.1     |   Resolution:              
 Keywords:            |  
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Comment(by deryni):

 Replying to [comment:2 endolith]:
 > Replying to [comment:1 deryni]:
 > > I do not agree that we should assume the user wants to embed the image
 simply because they dropped it into the entry area
 >
 > Do you at least agree that we can assume that someone dragging onto the
 buddy icon wants to replace the buddy icon and neither of the other two
 functions?

 No, for exactly the reasons I explain later. The larger the drop area for
 a given action the better. The last thing I would want to do is to have
 someone get used to being able to just casually fling the mouse towards
 the conversation window to get the dialog and then one day happen to hit
 the buddy icon and have the dialog not show up and have the buddy icon
 change.

 > > One of the benefits of the current mechanism is that the entire
 conversation window area is a drag target for any of the actions and you
 don't need to specifically target any smaller area for a given action. I
 consider that an interaction and simplicity gain rather than a penalty or
 annoyance (but then again I personally have never dropped an image into a
 conversation window).
 >
 > So instead of having three large targets to drag onto, you want to force
 the user to click a tiny little button?  :)  I'm using a touchpad, and
 it's a lot more time-consuming to drag, then navigate to the tiny radio
 button, then navigate to the Ok button.  This is specifically why I'm
 asking for these assumptions to be made; because dragging to a specific
 area of the conversation window would be ''easier'' and faster than having
 to deal with a superfluous dialog box when my hand is already on the
 pointing device.

 Keyboard accelerators are a wonderful thing, if the radio button labels in
 that dialog don't already have them they should. If the Ok button is not
 the default action (and thus the action that occurs when Enter is pressed)
 that also needs to happen. Likewise if we move to press buttons instead of
 radio buttons they should all get accelerators (not to mention faster
 activation by the use of tab and enter).

 > I think we should implement "drag to a specific area for a specific
 function".  It should provide visual feedback for each option,
 highlighting the droppable area and changing the mouse pointer over each
 area to indicate that a drag&drop function is available (and dragging over
 an area that doesn't support dropping should change to the "access denied"
 mouse pointer).

 I agree that we should have the mouse cursor indicate supported drop
 targets, if we don't do that currently. I'm less convinced (as if that
 wasn't obvious) that we should have specific actions for specific areas
 (though if someone wanted that a plugin could provide this, either with
 new target areas or possibly even for the existing areas).

 > Even better, dragging onto a specific area would instantaneously pop up
 a tooltip describing what the drag action will do.  ([Embed in message],
 [Send as file], [Replace buddy icon])

 If we do use specific actions for specific targets then yes, tooltips
 would be necessary. A tooltip might even be helpful as it is, though I'm
 uncertain as to whether people will be confused by tooltips while
 dragging. Do any programs do this at the moment that you are aware of?

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Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/7019#comment:4>
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