Total Commander

After few years of using TC I can feel as advanced user and configure lister to behave how I want to. I just know where to look for specific option. The problem is that the new/basic users don't.

The first thing they are trying to do is looking for lister's options under Total Commander's main Configuration dialog, which is the normal way to be expected. When they cannot find what they want there, they sometimes accidentally find out that lister has additional settings window for itself.

I've found two ideas which can help newbies to not feel confused:

1. integrate lister's options in main Configuration dialog (fake screenshot),
2. redesign lister's configuration window to remove overload effect (fake screenshot).

PS. Please, keep in mind that buttons text fonts under on the "Font" tab are adapted to the current font.

2fenix_productions

integrate lister's options in main Configuration dialog

The Lister configuration can already be found on the Edit/View page.

2Lefteous
Do you mean that "Configure internal viewer" button or something has been changed in TC 7.5?

I am still thinking that better integration or lister's dialog redesign could be provided. Imho too much dialogs pop up where they are not really needed.

Take a sample look here.

2fenix_productions

Do you mean that "Configure internal viewer" button or something has been changed in TC 7.5?

No I meant it can be reached by pressing the "configure internal viewer" button. Anyway I don't think merging the Lister configuration dialog into a new page would help - why should it?

Take a sample look here.

This is the change attribute dialog.

2Lefteous
For me there is no big difference between clicking configuration or editing INI files but sometimes I am looking from other point of view.
Some users like to have everything clear. Grouped, labeled and iconized interface - as much as it possible. They like to have everything on the table.

Lefteous wrote:Anyway I don't think merging the Lister configuration dialog into a new page would help - why should it?

It might provide clearer interface. Providing multiple modal windows, each one on the top of another, is not a good way of usability.

Lefteous wrote:This is the change attribute dialog.

Yes but it shows the disadvantage of bad ideas copy process.

Some users like to have everything clear. Grouped, labeled and iconized interface - as much as it possible. They like to have everything on the table.

The only really interesting question is if users can actually change the setting or of they break down.

It might provide clearer interface. Providing multiple modal windows, each one on the top of another, is not a good way of usability.

That's true but the problems lie deeper. Do the users understand the settings? Why are there several settings to control the startup behavior? Why is there no integration of external program use and Lister plug-ins? Why is there a special keyboard config for Lister? Why are the font settings so strange (font size -11???)? Why is the layout unclear about when associations are used and on and on...

bad ideas copy process

Now what is this?

2Lefteous
Usability issues are interesting matter. We can put a dozen of these and think about it all of the time. But it would be meaningless without Christian's approval. Whole TC's options dialog could be more user-friendly but the general question to be answered is: "Will there be more pros or more cons?". I am against making TC super-fancy but some changes could be done by a little steps. That is the reason why am I writing my proposals.

PS. Bad ideas copy process:
1. make an idea of new functionality,
2. implement it quick (in rush),
3. copy the way of implementation to other cases,
4. goto 1

But it would be meaningless without Christian's approval.

Indeed. Design decisions are always tradeoffs. I think Ghisler tends to prefer to change as few as possible to not confuse existing users. You might guess that is not always the best solution especially when existing solutions doesn't work for the user - but it's not always wrong.

Bad ideas copy process:

I see - a bit polemic but not completely wrong.