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Author Topic: New feature discussion: inventory templates  (Read 34876 times)

Offline myk002

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #15 on: April 07, 2014, 12:39:21 am »
I had an idea which may further reduce the number of clicks:
I could erase those two big-ass buttons up, and only two label would be on their places, and they would be:
"To set the selected layout to a soldier, LEFT-click on that soldier."
and:
"To save the layout of a soldier to the selected layout, RIGHT-click on the soldier."
I had a few thoughts along these lines for option 3 too:
  • you don't need a rename button.  similar functionality is available elsewhere in the UI (like renaming crafts) simply by clicking on the name.
  • for parity with how other UI screens look (such as the purchase/sell/equipment screens), perhaps remove the top two buttons and replace them with left/right arrow buttons to the left of each soldier name.  this would also enable the left arrow key as a shortcut for saving the soldier's layout to the selected layout name and the right arrow key as a shortcut for applying the selected layout to the soldier.  this would make this screen as keyboard-accessible as option one.  just type down-right-down-right-down-right... to apply a layout to the entire squad instead of option 1's tab-v-tab-v-tab-v...  This is a little different from the idea of using left click to apply and right click to save, but nowhere else in the UI is a right click used for anything but cancel or "take all", and using right click to save might be out of place.
  • a limitation of the current screen for option 3 compared to the other two options is that you can't see what the layout includes.  is there any way to show the regular inventory screen as a background image for the layout manager screen that can indicate what the selected layout is?  that may not be possible (or aesthetically pleasing), though.
  • if space becomes tight because of these revisions, create and delete buttons could be replaced with plus and X symbol icons.

Offline Fenyő

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #16 on: April 07, 2014, 01:28:50 am »
1. you don't need a rename button.  similar functionality is available elsewhere in the UI (like renaming crafts) simply by clicking on the name.
I thought this before. But consider the following: The player clicks to the editbox, types a name, then clicks to Create. Now he renamed a layout, and created a new one with identical name. But his original intention is to create a new layout with the typed name. Of course he can do that by clicking on the Create FIRST and then typing the name (rename).
But this usage is not self-explanatory, not evident. Most of the people would use it as if it would work like it works now.
And not the place of the Rename button is what we really have to make free for something else.

2. for parity with how other UI screens look (such as the purchase/sell/equipment screens), perhaps remove the top two buttons and replace them with left/right arrow buttons to the left of each soldier name.  this would also enable the left arrow key as a shortcut for saving the soldier's layout to the selected layout name and the right arrow key as a shortcut for applying the selected layout to the soldier.  this would make this screen as keyboard-accessible as option one.  just type down-right-down-right-down-right... to apply a layout to the entire squad instead of option 1's tab-v-tab-v-tab-v...  This is a little different from the idea of using left click to apply and right click to save, but nowhere else in the UI is a right click used for anything but cancel or "take all", and using right click to save might be out of place.
This is a very good idea!!!
Especially for touch screen devices, since they have no "RIGHT-clicks", or right-clicking is not easy on them.
The only problem is that it needs some space in the list for those buttons to fit. We have to make some space for those buttons. We either have to make less space for the layout names, or for the soldier names.
Hmm, I will experiment with this, and i think I'll implement this on next weekend.

3. a limitation of the current screen for option 3 compared to the other two options is that you can't see what the layout includes.  is there any way to show the regular inventory screen as a background image for the layout manager screen that can indicate what the selected layout is?  that may not be possible (or aesthetically pleasing), though.
You're right about this, and i also thought this before. But think about it. There are NAMES for the layouts. You have to know what layout name associated with what layout. The name should be communicative. This way you don't have to actually see the layout itself. But if you want to see it, you can see it by moving back to the Inventory view.
Showing the layout itself in the background may be a good idea, but as you mentioned it may not be so aesthetically pleasing.
Hmm, maybe if the layout itself would only be showed when the player moves the mouse cursor on a specific part of the layout button, maybe half of the layout button. Or a little icon would be next to the layout button, and when the player moves the mouse cursor over it, the game would show that layout, but not as a background, it would show it foreground, with all other buttons/etc temporarily hidden. Only when the mouse cursor is over that little icon next to the layout button.
What do you think?

4. if space becomes tight because of these revisions, create and delete buttons could be replaced with plus and X symbol icons.
This is also a good idea, but not those spaces occupied by those buttons is our real problem now.

Offline Mr. Quiet

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #17 on: April 07, 2014, 03:29:35 am »
Don't forget to leave some room for the Quickdraw mod, I love using that one too!

Offline myk002

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #18 on: April 07, 2014, 07:17:01 am »
I thought this before. But consider the following: The player clicks to the editbox, types a name, then clicks to Create. Now he renamed a layout, and created a new one with identical name. But his original intention is to create a new layout with the typed name. Of course he can do that by clicking on the Create FIRST and then typing the name (rename).
But this usage is not self-explanatory, not evident. Most of the people would use it as if it would work like it works now.
And not the place of the Rename button is what we really have to make free for something else.
Ah, understood.  That does seem simpler than the alternative, which I suppose would be to have textbox edits always be a rename operation while the create button would pop up a dialog asking for the name of the new layout.

There are NAMES for the layouts. You have to know what layout name associated with what layout. The name should be communicative.
While that is true, I can certainly conceive of a situation where a player wonders whether he has upgraded the "Sniper" layout to use alien grenades yet, or whether it still is using the standard grenades.  It may not be that big of a deal..you have to go back to the inventory screen to see that you need to update the layout, but once you do, it will be applied to all soldiers with that layout, right?

On that note, though, how do you indicate that there isn't enough equipment to fully equip all the soldiers with a particular layout when you change that layout?

Hmm, maybe if the layout itself would only be showed when the player moves the mouse cursor on a specific part of the layout button, maybe half of the layout button. Or a little icon would be next to the layout button, and when the player moves the mouse cursor over it, the game would show that layout, but not as a background, it would show it foreground, with all other buttons/etc temporarily hidden. Only when the mouse cursor is over that little icon next to the layout button.
What do you think?
if it is done, +1 for showing in the foreground, either as a dismissable popup or as a hover popup, but either way is somewhat out of place in the xcom ui.  I'd be worried about making the interface (and the code) too complicated.

Don't forget to leave some room for the Quickdraw mod, I love using that one too!
Since both Fenyő's and my code are inventory layout agnostic, quickdraw should work as it always has and be compatible with all options discussed here.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2014, 07:23:11 am by myk002 »

Offline myk002

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #19 on: April 11, 2014, 07:00:11 pm »
@SupSuper and @Warboy1982: What do you guys think about the ideas in this thread?  What would you like to see?

Offline Fenyő

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #20 on: April 12, 2014, 05:46:24 pm »
On that note, though, how do you indicate that there isn't enough equipment to fully equip all the soldiers with a particular layout when you change that layout?
When the layout changes, it reapplies to all soldiers whose have that layout. It applies as much as it can, and if there is not enough, then it reverts to custom layout (but keeps as much close to the layout as possible), and shows an error message.

if it is done, +1 for showing in the foreground, either as a dismissable popup or as a hover popup, but either way is somewhat out of place in the xcom ui.  I'd be worried about making the interface (and the code) too complicated.
Never worry about the code. That's my problem. :)
About the UI: Yeah, it may be "out of place", but OpenXcom already has a lot of UI elements which were not existent in original XCOM. (Comboboxes, Sliders, etc...)

Offline Fenyő

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #21 on: April 12, 2014, 05:48:11 pm »
@SupSuper and @Warboy1982: What do you guys think about the ideas in this thread?  What would you like to see?
I'm also curious about their opinion. :)
Since all of this depends on them, because they have to merge them.

Offline Aldorn

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2014, 09:00:54 pm »
Idea is nice

Beware to make coloring be compliant with other original screens

Offline Raidau

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2014, 03:51:37 pm »
So what do you guys think?  Is this a feature that you'd like to see?  How simple/complex should it be?  What do you think your common use cases would be?

Fantastic, this is what i relly would like to see! I hope you will finish and release this mod:)

Offline SupSuper

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #24 on: June 21, 2014, 03:50:59 am »
By consensus, we have merged option #1 into the nightlies. Feel free to post feedback on the feature here.

Edit: Some comments here: https://github.com/SupSuper/OpenXcom/commit/5e5281930b79a3b8edd1e04a9ba9a9600dea3284#commitcomment-6740011
« Last Edit: June 21, 2014, 01:10:46 pm by SupSuper »

Offline Falko

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #25 on: June 21, 2014, 04:32:38 am »
easy solution one caveat i did not understand the icon i needed some try and error until i got it
a arrow to the right for saving and a arrow to the leftfor loading would be clearer .. at least for me
see image

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #26 on: June 21, 2014, 09:55:02 am »
I like the first option, it' s a good compromise and think it may be quite simple to implement :)

Offline kkmic

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #27 on: June 23, 2014, 10:42:17 am »
This is something that got posted on GitHub by Volutar and me on this feature (they are the comments pointed out by SupSuper in the GitHub link above, but I'm re-posting them here just in case).

Volutar:
Quote
Accidental click without copying will clear loadout, it's not UI-wise. It was never the way copy/paste worked. Common concept is: "If nothing to paste - don't paste at all."

kkmic:
Quote
Also, if there are not enough items on the ground to equip the soldier according to the stored template, none (or only the available ones?) are equipped. There is a message informing you that this event occurred, but you end up with a partial or completely unequipped soldier. I believe that a check with a popup like "Not enough items on the ground, equip only the available ones?" and a list of required and available items should be displayed. Is it possible to have popups in the inventory screen?

Offline redv

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #28 on: July 14, 2014, 05:21:42 pm »
Compare two these pictures.
I believe, second one looks better.

I think, the button "clear" not needed.
I suggest to clean layout by RBM click on "copy" or "paste" button (both variant will be fine).

Offline myk002

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Re: New feature discussion: inventory templates
« Reply #29 on: July 14, 2014, 06:33:58 pm »
I agree that the ui looks cleaner without the additional button, but the feature is not as discoverable if it's hidden behind a non-standard r-click action.  Another option would have been to make the buttons smaller, but I didn't do that because I was concerned about making them too small to comfortably click on.  Anybody else have thoughts on this?