Re: single-window chat planned or implemented?

Sorry to burst your bubble here, but have you looked at the code to  
ChatWindow?  It is nothing short of a massacre.  Basically, it is one  
of the oldest classes in Fire (dating back to 1999, maybe before).   
There are several things that are tied specifically to users, and  
several specifically tied to the UI.  One of the hardest elements to  
deal with would certainly be the toolbar as it has specific triggers  
and objects as targets.

There is a feature request on sourceforge for this and it is currently  
assigned to me as I showed interest:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/? 
func=detail&aid=562598&group_id=33772&atid=409173

I have looked extensively into this as it is something that I want  
myself.  As a result, I have put together my idea of what the UI should  
be like.  I had planned on this being my next major project within Fire  
(My last being the theme controller (in 1.0) and AIM-Oscar).  It will  
likely not be ready for the 1.0 release, but perhaps the next (1.1?,  
1.5?, whatever).

There will be two types of windows.  The traditional single window that  
Fire currently has, and then in addition a tabbed window.  There can  
only be one tabbed window, but multiple single windows.  The single  
windows have an added button that moves them into the tabbed.

Now for the major problem:  The window elements and the chat elements  
have to be separated.  This will be nothing short of a pain.  The UI is  
trivial in comparison.

Now since I have planned to do this and have my own ideas on the tabs  
portion, I would like feedback on how people would like the tabs.  This  
message actually contains a few of the ideas that I had considered, but  
I think that a complete separation of the messages would be nice (say  
you have a busy IRC channel open; your buddy messages will be quickly  
buried).  I am not going to outline my ideas as I want a good variety  
of ideas without me influencing them (and I like my idea, so it is  
likely the one to be implemented).  Some notes:
Tabs like TabbedView (what you typically see in tabs) is limited.  Open  
about 10 conversations, and you start to have problems reading the  
buddy names.  Scrolling tabs of any type can also have issues as it may  
result in a tab with a new message not being seen as it is off the  
screen at the time.  I have ways of resolving these issues, but someone  
else out there may have a better one.

Please present your ideas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Graham Booker		Texas A&M University
[email protected]	  Graduate Student in ELEN
------------------------------------------------------------------
On Oct 17, 2003, at 11:17 PM, Steven D. Arnold wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I was wondering if any single-window chat concepts were being  
> considered or
> were already implemented for 1.0.  If not, I thought I'd do that  
> myself and
> submit it to the developers.  The concept is given below, UI advice is
> welcome.  I'd like the UI to be as easy-to-understand as possible, but  
> a
> higher priority for me is to make chatting with multiple users as easy  
> as
> possible without taking one's hands off the keyboard.  I believe it is
> possible to do both of these at the same time.
>
> The UI would work like this: Hit a command-key and a window opens (or  
> is
> brought to the front) which will receive all messages from future  
> chatters.
> On the left-hand side will be the list of people with whom you are
> conversing, with a command-key combination beside each one which will  
> direct
> the next message to that user.  These will number from command-0 to
> command-9.  Any chatters beyond that will appear in the list but will  
> not
> receive a command-number combination.  These users are inserted into  
> the
> list in the order they send you a message or you send them a message,  
> and
> once set, the number never changes unless you change it manually, or  
> if you
> quit and restart Fire.
>
> At the top of the window will be a pop-up menu of all logged-in users.  
>  If
> you select a user from this list, the next message will go to that  
> user and
> the menu will be reset to its original text (i.e., "Logged-in Users").
>
> The chat window proper will look like an ordinary chat window (except  
> for
> the differences noted, like the logged-in pop-up and the menu of users  
> on
> the left) and can be resized etc.  It has a pane above for chat text  
> and a
> pane below for typing text.  All messages from all users appear in the  
> same
> window, probably just like they do now in Fire, in the order in which  
> they
> were received.
>
> By default, if you don't select a particular user, your message will  
> go to
> the user who most recently sent you a message /as of the time you  
> began to
> type the message/.  This prevents situations where an instant before  
> you hit
> enter, another user sends a message and your message ends up going to  
> them
> instead.  The current user for whom this message is destined will  
> always
> clearly appear right above the text-typing area to help prevent any
> confusion.
>
> You can hit command-up-arrow to select the user who most recently sent  
> you a
> message; hit it again and it goes to the next-to-last user to send you  
> a
> message, and so forth.  Command-down-arrow will move the other  
> direction on
> the stack.  This stack clears when you quit Fire.
>
> You can use command-right to go to the last user to whom you sent a  
> message
> and move to previous users to whom you have sent messages.
> Command-left-arrow moves the other direction in that stack.
>
> You can click a lock icon next to any user in the list to cause all  
> future
> messages to go only to that user unless you specifically select  
> another user
> with a command-key combination or by picking someone from the pop-up  
> menu.
> Further, when locked, you have to select another user each time in  
> this way
> or it goes to the currently-locked user.  You can unlock the user by
> clicking the lock again or clicking the lock next to a different user  
> (which
> would lock that user instead).
>
> You can manually set a user with a command-number combination by
> highlighting the field where the command-key combination appears or  
> would
> appear, and typing in the desired combination.  If the new combo is  
> held by
> another user and the selected user also has a combo, they switch.  If  
> the
> combo is held by another user and the selected user has no combo, the  
> other
> user gets the first unused combo, or no combo at all if all others are  
> in
> use.  If the combo is not held by another user, the selected user gets  
> it.
> Users are always displayed in the list in command-number order (0-9)  
> rather
> than alphabetically (though this could change).
>
> If any chat windows from users in the list are open, all messages to  
> and
> from that user will appear in the user's window as well as the  
> combination
> window.  So if I send Joe a message in my combined window, the message  
> will
> appear in Joe's individual window as well, assuming I have a specific  
> window
> for Joe opened at the time.
>
> I understand some of the command-number keys are assigned elsewhere in  
> Fire
> at the moment.  One possibility is to disable those command-key  
> combinations
> when this general window is frontmost.  Another idea is for me to use
> different command-keys myself, perhaps command-shift-number or  
> something.
> Another idea is to change the current command-number associations;  
> they seem
> rarely-used to me, but perhaps others can correct me if that is not  
> their
> impression.  Any other ideas would be welcomed as well.
>
> As I said, this is only an initial UI concept; any feedback or  
> constructive
> criticism is welcome.  Also, as I said, if this or something like it  
> has
> already been done, I'd like to know and I'd definitely wait to see  
> what it
> looks like before doing anything.
>
> Thanks,
> steve
>
>
>
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