Re: Tk::FunkyButton ?

--- Dean Arnold <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ala Qumsieh wrote:
> concerns me is a bit. So I'll likely end up
> requiring
> GD be installed so I can render images w/ a bit less
> overhead (just create a gradient brush the width of
> the button, and drawn the line, resulting in a
> single
> image).

Yikes. Do you really want to require your users to
install a hefty lib like GD just to have more
elaborate-looking buttons? If anything, I think that
might reduce your user base (it depends on your
application and your audience of course).

> While I personally agree w/ you, I have been edified
> (by recent
> experiences w/ my end users) that user i/f
> expectations
> are changing. If the app's GUI doesn't have lots of
> chrome, despite
> any functional advantages the app itself may
> provide, it often
> meets with user resistance. E.g., some folks need
> D&D, autocompletion,
> syntax hilighting, etc....things I rarely use (and
> some often annoy me).

Then you're missing on a lot :)

Oval and image-based buttons are very different from
what you mention here. An oval button does not add
anything to a GUI that a normal button doesn't already
have. It could even be more distracting, taking the
user's attention away from the task at hand.

On the other hand:
- DnD offers a more convenient file manipulation
paradigm than sifting through directory hierarchies in
a FileDialog.
- Autocompletion, if done smartly, can save users a
lot of time by giving them a list to choose from
inistead of relying on their memories.
- Syntax highlighting is a must (IMHO) for any program
longer than a few lines. It can flag hard-to-spot
errors like missing quotes and misspelled function
names.

All of those *add* to the functionality of the GUI. An
oval button does not. Now, in my first post, I
mentioned a ReportCard-style widget. I would love to
see this implemented via a Canvas. Similarly, I love
Tk::ProgressBar, and have no problem with it being
implemented via a Canvas, since it adds something
useful to my widget set.

> And, I'll add, after rendering some of the
> gradients, they do
> look rather sexy...;^)

care to share a snapshot? :)

--Ala



		
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