I think I should add that the way the interface currently works
perhaps
seems logical the first time the user uses it. That is: It is logical
when the user /enables it/, the first time.
It is when the user actually uses the character list area and he/she
wants to /disable/ the feature that it becomes confusing. For
instance,
the user may want to only temporarily disable the feature: When
unchecking the "Save chars outside” feature also grayes out the
character list area, the user is likely to think that “OK, now I
have
disabled it”.
There are also other, human, reasons why the interface invites to
misunderstanding: I myself would prefer to keep that list even if I,
right now, want to temporarily disable its effect. If XXE interfae
will
not remember the character list for me, I must store as a snippet
somewhere.
On 17 Jul 2017, at 22:37, Leif Halvard Silli wrote:
The following two features are part of XXE’s “Save”
preferences:
(1) ”Save characters outside encodings as entity references”
(2) “Always save these characters as entity references:
[character-list-area]”
I find their settings/preferences interface confusing with regard
to
understanding how these two features are - or are not -
interlinked.
Because:
*
Firstly, when the first feature is /disabled/, then the
(possibly non-empty) ”character-list-area” becomes grayed
out.
Also, the ”character list area” becomes locked: As long
as the
"Save characters outside …” feature is disabled, it is
not,
anymore, possible to edit the list.
*
Secondly, however, even if the ”character list area” is
grayed
out, XXE continues to save the charaters in that list as
entity
references.
This means that for someone who only wants to make use of feature
(2), he/she must first enable feature (1) - in order to be able
to
edit the character list. And after the editing, the user must
finally disable feature (1) (in order to make certain that only
feature (2) is working). Also, when something becomes grayed out
(and the grayed out area becomes impossible to edit), to manuy
user,
a graying out of that kind, to many of indicate that the entire
function has become disabled.
Thus the two features are interlinked in a very confusing way.
Thinking it over, a little bit, I have come to the conclusion
that
XXE gives us the right options - it has the right feature(s). It
is
thus the interface that needs fixing: In my view, the ”list of
characters area” should /not/ become grayed out whenever the
”Save
characters outside …” feature is disabled. And it should thus
to be
possible to edit that list even if ”Save characters outside”
is
disabled. (However, I guess there are other ways to use the
interface to convey to the users that - and how - these to
features
are interlinked.)
I include two screenshots to sho how the ”list of characters
area”
reacts when the ”Save characters outside …” is
enabled/disabnled.
Screenshot of enabled ”Save characters outside …” feature:
Screenshot of disabled ”Save characters outside …” feature:
