Clean up inspector colors
I somehow couldn't find this issue on another post, so here we go:
I got the idea from the probably well known Tantacrul-Video, starting at 10:45: https://youtu.be/4hZxo96x48A?t=645
The 'this value is unchanged'-color. I actually really like the idea (and the reset buttons) as they give the user the security to know what values have been changed and which ones haven't.
There's room for improvement though:
I suggest, that values return to their blue state, even when they MANUALLY get reset to their original value. Not just when the reset-button is used.
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Comments
Also, why are some values black, even though the user has never consciously changed the values? This is really confusing. Should I file a bug for this issue as well?
In reply to Also, why are some values… by Mraco_o
@Tantacrul is actually now a contributor to MuseScore. I'll get his attention and ask him to comment on this. I suspect this is already being fixed for 4.0, but I'll let him answer. It's Sunday afternoon in Europe so he may need some time to answer.
In reply to @Tantacrul is actually now a… by mike320
Thank you for relaying it to him.
A little off-topic: could you (and maybe Tantacrul) share your thoughts on those points? https://musescore.org/en/node/310718
I know you people on Musescore always are interested optimizing design & usability, so I thought I'd create my own issues-list.
In reply to Thank you for relaying it to… by Mraco_o
I commented on 3, 5 & 6 there. The others you seem to have under control. I turned off the tours after the second or third one I saw.
> The 'this value is unchanged'-color.
The colour does not indicate 'value is unchanged'; it indicates that the value is unspecified. When no value is specified in the Inspector then the default value from the Format > Style dialog is used instead.
> I suggest, that values return to their blue state, even when they MANUALLY get reset to their original value. Not just when the reset-button is used.
When you manually specify a value you are overridding the style. The reset button returns the value to an unspecified state so that it again follows the style. This is not the same as manually setting it to a value that happens to match the style, because the style might change later (e.g. if you click "set as style" in the Inspector or edit the corresponding value in the Format > Style dialog, or if you go to Format > Load Style).
In reply to >*The 'this value is… by shoogle
Fascinating, I would've never guessed that it meant "value unspecified"!
This probably properly explains why some things are black while some aren't, but let me just say: it's really confusing for new users.
In reply to Fascinating, I would've… by Mraco_o
I can certainly agree there, but I'm not sure there's much we can do about it. It's not easy to explain what a style is and what it means to override it. We've discussed improving it on many occasions, but the suggested solutions always seem to involve simplifing it to the point that the feature is no longer useful.
Ultimately, I don't think it matters too much that styles are confusing because people don't have to use them if they don't want to. People that don't know how to use styles will simply use the Inspector to set the value they want, and ignore the fact that the colour of the value sometimes changes.
In reply to I can certainly agree there,… by shoogle
Unambiguous but with the big disadvantage to require (more or less) twice the current inspector size would be to display both the style value with a label "style value" and the local value with a label "local override". Leaving the local value empty when unspecified.
Could perhaps become quite nice actually by displaying the style value in a editable field instead of pure text, one would be able to try out very easily different value for the style starting from the inspector? I know there is the button set as style, but that button doesn't allow you to see the style value that will be replaced. The "double" field system would allow that.
In reply to Unambiguous but with the big… by frfancha
Maybe we could just add a tooltip to the value that says "overrides style" or "inherited from style" as appropriate. We could also add a tooltip to the reset to style button that tells you what the current style value is before you click the button. Example tooltips:
Font: "FreeSerif (inherited from style)"
Reset button: button is disabled
Font: "LiberationSans (overrides style)"
Reset button: "Reset to style value: FreeSerif"
In reply to Maybe we could just add a… by shoogle
Very good suggestion, I like it.
In reply to Unambiguous but with the big… by frfancha
Unfortunately, I can't really join this discussion as I still need to learn about styles. Any heads-up for new users regarding what those colors mean would be appreciated though.
In reply to Unfortunately, I can't… by Mraco_o
Styles are just a way to change settings of lots of elements at once (e.g. set the default font for all tempo markings). You do this in the Format > Style dialog.
The Inspector is what you use when you want to make an individual element use a setting that is different to the style (e.g. if you want one tempo marking to use a different font to the other tempo markings).
In reply to Styles are just a way to… by shoogle
I see, similar to how styles are used in software like LibreOffice!
In reply to I see, similar to how styles… by Mraco_o
Yes, exactly! It's really quite common, though I imagine most people do it manually even in those programs.