Multiple package installation/removal with PPM

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bigpup
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#321 Post by bigpup »

zigbert,

I think that would be better for the uninstall. Most everyone is familiar with the close-icon and what it does.

I still think the best solution would be, when you click on the uninstall button, an uninstall window pops up over the top of the main PPM window and covers most of the main PPM window.
That just seems normal to me.

Some added benefit of this:

1.The pop up window would be wider and the uninstall list would show more information. In fact, it could be wide enough to eliminate need for side scroll for that window.
Example:
Select uninstall on a default width PPM. try to use the side scroll to see the information about an installed listed package. Does not seem too easy to see what info goes to what package. Especially one listed in the middle of the list.

Now make the PPM window as wide as you can make it. Notice the width of the uninstall list changes and you see more info with less side scroll required.


2.It would also put you in a thinking mode that, I am doing only uninstall operation and nothing else.
When I close the uninstall window, I am now back in the install mode of operation.
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mavrothal
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#322 Post by mavrothal »

stemsee wrote:could you please release your stacked version
Patience young Jedi :lol:

So here is the wide layout that will fit in a 1024 or wider screen (Is actually 950 pixels). I do not know about clutter but it provides almost as much info as the horizontal stack and does not look very bad either (though I still find horizontal more "easy" to the eye and "symmetrical" :D )

Regarding the uninstall window (also discussed in the past) I would rather have it overtake the entire install window if possible so not install and remove will be visible at the same time.

However the solution I would really love, is to add a column in the packages TREE that will show a check-mark for the user installed packages (I know is possible). Clicking on the check-mark triggers the remove action. Adding an "Installed" category that will be bring all the installed packages in the "Packages" TREE (or having the uninstall button do that) will facilitate the removal process. And then the whole process would be pretty analogous to installation. Just change the "Install" button to "Apply" and gray out the download options in the Modes drop down, and you are done. No extra/moving/popping windows!
Maybe, for PPM 3.0...
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MochiMoppel
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#323 Post by MochiMoppel »

mavrothal wrote:@MochiMoppel When you search for a package across multiple repos you may find one in more than one repo and then repo info is very much relevant. Besides description is just above ( oops, on the left I meant :lol: )
I know that a package can be found in more than one repo, but after the user has found it and put it into the 'to be installed' queue, I see little value to see where it came from. But it's not important, just an idea.

I'm more confused here by the use of vertical and horizontal. I would call a design that has the elements side by side 'horizontal', and a design that has them stacked above and below 'vertical'.

stemsee

#324 Post by stemsee »

At the moment in ppm-wide you see packages and then packages - this will confuse noobs and stemsee! Stacked is infinitely better as one rarely installs more than 3 packages at a time, so no need to waste vertical real estate!

Love the uninstall update!

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bigpup
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#325 Post by bigpup »

here is the wide layout that will fit in a 1024 or wider screen (Is actually 950 pixels).
Wonder why it only seems to have made the first column wider?

If I manually make the window wider, it seems to affect both equally.
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#326 Post by bigpup »

Are you seeing what I am seeing if you do not have a vertical scroll divider between the two columns of lists?

Yes, it looks the same in version 1.8.5

I know. It has to do with the GTK theme I am using.
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#327 Post by mavrothal »

bigpup wrote:
here is the wide layout that will fit in a 1024 or wider screen (Is actually 950 pixels).
Wonder why it only seems to have made the first column wider?
Because
zigbert wrote:To increase the mid-tree widget more than the right one, change the width values in line 549 and 561.
:wink:
You can play till you find one that you like. I used 310 and 100
Change also values in line 351 for initial default dimension (950 in my case)

And since we are in DIY mode (...) here is the patch for the vertical stacking.

Code: Select all

--- a/usr/local/petget/pkg_chooser.sh	2015-02-03 06:15:00.556694107 +0200
+++ b/usr/local/petget/pkg_chooser.sh	2015-02-03 19:32:57.613132174 +0200
@@ -542,7 +542,8 @@
               <action signal="changed">refresh:TREE1</action>
             </tree>
           </hbox>
-          <hbox space-expand="true" space-fill="true">
+         <vbox space-expand="true" space-fill="true"> 
+          <hbox space-expand="true" space-fill="true" height-request="250">
             <tree hover-selection="true" selection-mode="1" column-resizeable="true|false" space-expand="true" space-fill="true">
               <label>'$(gettext 'Package')'|'$(gettext 'Description')'</label>
               <variable>TREE1</variable>
@@ -564,6 +565,7 @@
               <action signal="button-release-event" condition="command_is_true([[ ! `cat /tmp/pkgs_to_install` ]] && echo true)">disable:BUTTON_INSTALL</action>
             </tree>
           </hbox>
+         </vbox> 
         </hbox>
       </vbox>
     </hbox>
Last edited by mavrothal on Wed 04 Feb 2015, 07:15, edited 1 time in total.
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#328 Post by bigpup »

Do you really like the way the search works now?

When you do a search it puts the results in the package column.

Clicking on desktop does not make it go back to showing desktop packages.
You have to click on one of the other categories to get back to showing packages in a specific repository.
It actually takes over the list for the category that was selected just before doing the search.

Also, it does not ask which repositories to search.
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#329 Post by mavrothal »

bigpup wrote:Do you really like the way the search works now?

When you do a search it puts the results in the package column.

Clicking on desktop does not make it go back to showing desktop packages.
You have to click on one of the other categories to get back to showing packages in a specific repository.
It actually takes over the list for the category that was selected just before doing the search.

Also, it does not ask which repositories to search.
I know is a long thread but yes, we concluded that asking for repository to search is pointless and taking over the packages category was always the case.
About, then clicking on the desktop is an old bug (you can see references to it form BK's era). I believe that it could be addressed but not by me...
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#330 Post by zigbert »

Let me clear - It is not up to me how this gui ends.
But it's up to me if I want to put my effort into something that change the main ideas that I believe in when it comes to user interfaces.

Moving the install-packages-list to the bottom, breaks 3 of my guidelines I used when setting up the alternative ziggy gui.

1.) Overview
The ziggy gui uses one of the most common of all interface setups with menu and toolbar at top, a sidebar and the working area as the biggest.
By moving the install-packages-list, the working area are split into 3. It is a good idea to define if we are building a workspace for horizontal or vertical - not both as in the upcoming alternative.

2.) Group actions
It is most logical to group widgets that belongs together (see pic). I find it hard to see how the chosen installed packages at bottom, and the install actions at top makes things easier to understand. We don't need to fight against the human brain. It wants to group all stuff around us.

3.) Work flow
There are mainly 2 different types of user interfaces (if skipping pop-ups and wizards). - Those that offer you an environment to stick around with (like gimp, facebook, games, pmusic), and interfaces that offer you help with doing one specific task (utilities like ppm and pburn). For these utilities it is often the idea to make the user set up the wanted settings/options before pushing THE button. So, our target as developer is to 'force' the user to end up at the action button. The work flow can be set many ways, but I learned to read left-right, so I most often end up with placing the final action at right (see pic).

If you want to move the install-packages-list, I also think it would be wise to move the install actions as well. But I see challenges in how to keep the interface structured and simple this way.

KISS
Sigmund
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#331 Post by bigpup »

You can play till you find one that you like. I used 310 and 100
I see.
You take from one to give to the other.
Not really an easy solution.
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#332 Post by bigpup »

we concluded that asking for repository to search is pointless
Not if all you wanted to search is just Puppy repositories.
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#333 Post by mavrothal »

zigbert wrote:Let me clear - It is not up to me how this gui ends.
But it's up to me if I want to put my effort into something that change the main ideas that I believe in when it comes to user interfaces.
This is very understandable but I believe that you lost interest in the project when the ui_Classic and configuration options were added, which do not really affect any of the said principles in the main GUI... :?

The issues about the description and the uninstall have come up again, but you have/had moved on, so I became the default "designer"... You are welcome to "claim" the job back. Just add the code in the repo...

As I said before I (we?) do that for fun. If is not fun then we better move on. The code is out. Other can take over...
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#334 Post by mavrothal »

bigpup wrote:
we concluded that asking for repository to search is pointless
Not if all you wanted to search is just Puppy repositories.
Why would you want that? You want to find a program that you need or to search what package is available in the puppy repo? If is the second look at the ibiblio "Packages..." page. If you do not want to install non-puppy packages, ignore them after you see the repo in the "To be installed" window.

Minimising popups and user input in achieving the main PPM goal (install the program you need) is the idea behind the whole project. Alternatively use the "Classic" UI.
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#335 Post by zigbert »

mavrothal wrote:This is very understandable but I believe that you lost interest in the project when the ui_Classic and configuration options were added, which do not really affect any of the said principles in the main GUI... :?
There exist other guidelines than the 3 mentioned in my previous post...
But now we are arguing for the argue itself... and that is counterproductive.

You have done some great work - be proud 8)

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#336 Post by MochiMoppel »

zigbert wrote:The ziggy gui uses one of the most common of all interface setups with menu and toolbar at top, a sidebar and the working area as the biggest.
The ziggy (and the classic) gui do not use a menu at top. All I can see is a toolbar. This brings up the idea to add a menu. I suggest to put the stuff from the left sidebar into menus. Also access to help and configuration could move into menus. This would free up precious horizontal space and would also turn the current 3-pane design into a simpler 2-pane design, which then would make the process flow much clearer: Basic setting at the very top (=menu), select packages from the list below, selected items accumulate in a list below and at the end, bottom right corner, an install button to finish the process.

As for the uninstall list I like bigpups window proposal, which would not require any reserved space in the main window.

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#337 Post by mavrothal »

zigbert wrote:There exist other guidelines than the 3 mentioned in my previous post...
This must be the problem then...

@persons suggesting GUI changes: I do not intend to (can not really) do any major GUI changes, so I'll only consider GUI suggestions if they are followed by the relevant code (in a patch or a pull request form).
You can "pester" Sigmund or any other persons with commit rights in woof-CE for those if you want.
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#338 Post by buti »

:shock: Damn me! I just wanted to offer an apparently easy and innocent option, not to be disrespectful of zigbert's work and less to fire up a developers' war... :oops:

I really hope that this will not affect the development of the PPM. This is one of the key pieces of Puppy, and it needs love, not war. And the work you two made is a really big step forwards.

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#339 Post by mavrothal »

buti wrote::shock: Damn me! I just wanted to offer an apparently easy and innocent option, not to be disrespectful of zigbert's work and less to fire up a developers' war... :oops:

I really hope that this will not affect the development of the PPM. This is one of the key pieces of Puppy, and it needs love, not war. And the work you two made is a really big step forwards.
Don't wary. PPM is pretty much done as far as I am concerned and is not the first time with Zigbert either.
I may come back to PPM if I ever want to delve into gtkdialog, but right now I do not feel like taking hours to do things that a trained person needs 2 minutes to do. As I said before, it must be fun and right now is not.
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#340 Post by stemsee »

It is an excellent development from you and zigbert.

Each member has his own agenda/opinion. It would be wonderful if, like, nicons, the gui could at the click of a button cycle through alternative gui arrangements.

Maybe you should not have asked for final requests/opinions.
To conclude, as you, Mavrothal, have overseen the work I suggest you release the final version the way you like it. Because that's what I do, and it is the reward for doing the work. You have already released patches for either version anyway.

But please NO MENU!

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