1. Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1280 views
PPS: When is there a clone of the navigation bar at the bottom of forum post pages, at least in meaasge view? Having to scroll to top to find the buttons is... well ... irritating on the long run.
What does everyone think of this? Currently the message toolbar (Reply, Quoted Reply, etc...) is at the top of the message only. I had originally placed it at the top and bottom, however, browsing through the vast majority of the threads yielded more toolbars than content! It seemed that > 80% of all messages, you could read the message and see the toolbar. Adding another toolbar at the bottom is going to make things pretty busy and have a lot of clutter, IMHO.
What do others think?
Jeremy
2. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by euphoric (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1268 views
What do others think?
I would prefer to have the navigation toolbar at the bottom as well, especially for long posts so I don't have to scroll back up the page.
3. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by DanM Aug 08, 2008
- 1331 views
What do others think?
I would prefer to have the navigation toolbar at the bottom as well, especially for long posts so I don't have to scroll back up the page.
Jeremy,
Could you make it so in Subject view, the toolbars are duplicated at the bottom, but in Thread view, only at the bottom of the very last post shown?
Maybe that would be an acceptable compromise?
DanM
4. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by DerekParnell (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1224 views
What do others think?
I reply to a message after I have read it, which means that the best place for me is to see the [reply] button at the same time I'm looking at the end of a message, and not the start of the message. It is annoying (mildly) to scroll back to the top.
5. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by Mike777 Aug 08, 2008
- 1224 views
PPS: When is there a clone of the navigation bar at the bottom of forum post pages, at least in meaasge view? Having to scroll to top to find the buttons is... well ... irritating on the long run.
What does everyone think of this? Currently the message toolbar (Reply, Quoted Reply, etc...) is at the top of the message only. I had originally placed it at the top and bottom, however, browsing through the vast majority of the threads yielded more toolbars than content! It seemed that > 80% of all messages, you could read the message and see the toolbar. Adding another toolbar at the bottom is going to make things pretty busy and have a lot of clutter, IMHO.
What do others think?
Jeremy
To paraphrase George of the Jungle:
Toolbar. Bottom. Goooooooooood.
Seriously, for those of us who tend to read the entire thread before deciding what to do next, moving back to the top in order to find the toolbar is... now what did CChris, say?
Mike
6. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1227 views
Ok, I am getting mixed messages. There are multiple options here:
- Tool bar at top of every message (current)
- Tool bar at both top and bottom of every message
- Tool bar at the bottom of every message
The tool bar at the bottom of a thread only does not make too much sense because you would loose the ability to reply to one individual message.
I think what Chris was proposing was #2. In my searching, I found that for most messages only 1 tool bar was needed as they are short enough both the top and bottom tool bars were fitting on the screen, causing unnecessary clutter/confusing and over all it looked pretty bad. Before we move to making a tool bar at the top and bottom of every message, I would ask that people read through some messages and see if the majority or minority had a tool bar on the screen.
There are those that go on for ever and scrolling is necessary of course. However, a tool bar only at the bottom would solve that. I think moving it to the bottom makes the most sense.
Jeremy
7. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by DerekParnell (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1230 views
However, a tool bar only at the bottom would solve that. I think moving it to the bottom makes the most sense.
Are you saying a toolbar at the bottom of each message and not just the bottom of the page?
8. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1204 views
However, a tool bar only at the bottom would solve that. I think moving it to the bottom makes the most sense.
Are you saying a toolbar at the bottom of each message and not just the bottom of the page?
Hm, wasn't clear. What I mean, is move it from the top of each message to the bottom of each message.
Jeremy
9. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by euphoric (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1222 views
Hm, wasn't clear. What I mean, is move it from the top of each message to the bottom of each message.
No thank you. The top button is good for all the short messages (the majority, as you've discovered). The bottom is good so I don't have to scroll up again.
I say both- top and bottom.
10. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by Mike777 Aug 08, 2008
- 1212 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
Hm, wasn't clear. What I mean, is move it from the top of each message to the bottom of each message.
No thank you. The top button is good for all the short messages (the majority, as you've discovered). The bottom is good so I don't have to scroll up again.
I say both- top and bottom.
On thread view bottom only kind of appeals.
11. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1198 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
Hm, wasn't clear. What I mean, is move it from the top of each message to the bottom of each message.
No thank you. The top button is good for all the short messages (the majority, as you've discovered). The bottom is good so I don't have to scroll up again.
I say both- top and bottom.
I'm confused. You say the top is good for short messages (as I have discovered), but then say the bottom is good so you do not have to scroll, but then you say the top and bottom? The top and bottom is terrible, IMHO, because you wind up having on avg 4 or 5 tool bars per screen! That's counted, not a guestimate. There is almost more toolbars than content that you actually read.
Jeremy
12. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by euphoric (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1236 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
I'm confused. You say the top is good for short messages (as I have discovered), but then say the bottom is good so you do not have to scroll...
The bottom is good for long messages, so I don't have to scroll back up to the top after reading a long message.
The top nav bar is there for when messages are short, and the bottom one should be there for long messages.
That's ONE extra nav bar, not "4 or 5 toolbars per screen."
13. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1392 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
I'm confused. You say the top is good for short messages (as I have discovered), but then say the bottom is good so you do not have to scroll...
The bottom is good for long messages, so I don't have to scroll back up to the top after reading a long message.
The top nav bar is there for when messages are short, and the bottom one should be there for long messages.
That's ONE extra nav bar, not "4 or 5 toolbars per screen."
Ah, the difference is we are talking about the Flat/Threaded view (me, that has many, many messages in 1 view) vs the single message view (you). Yeah, I don't really see a problem adding a top and bottom to the single message view.
Jeremy
14. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by euphoric (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1214 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
Ah, the difference is we are talking about the Flat/Threaded view (me, that has many, many messages in 1 view) vs the single message view (you). Yeah, I don't really see a problem adding a top and bottom to the single message view.
Oh. Okay. :)
Make it so. :D
15. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1221 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
Oh. Okay. :)
Make it so. :D
Done.
Jeremy
16. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 08, 2008
- 1219 views
- Last edited Aug 09, 2008
I put the toolbar for the "Flat View" on the bottom of the message. Let's see what type of feedback we get now.
Jeremy
17. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by DAVEJAST Aug 09, 2008
- 1200 views
I put the toolbar for the "Flat View" on the bottom of the message. Let's see what type of feedback we get now.
Jeremy
G R E A T !
18. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by ArthurCrump Aug 09, 2008
- 1197 views
I put the toolbar for the "Flat View" on the bottom of the message. Let's see what type of feedback we get now.
Jeremy
G R E A T !
Is there any chance of a tiny gap between the toolbar at the bottom of one message and the title at the top of the next if the "Flat View"?
Arthur
19. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by Mike777 Aug 10, 2008
- 1240 views
I put the toolbar for the "Flat View" on the bottom of the message. Let's see what type of feedback we get now.
Jeremy
I really don't see the logic behind having the toolbar at the top, at all, for any of the views. If a message is short such that the toolbar remains visible at the top, then it would also be visible at the bottom.
I vote to move it to the bottom for all views and abandon it at the top (completely). Why should a reader of the last message in Thread or Subject view (imagine the last message in either being quite lengthy) have to scroll up to reply?
Mike
20. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by euphoric (admin) Aug 10, 2008
- 1275 views
I really don't see the logic behind having the toolbar at the top, at all, for any of the views.
Because with short messages, you never have to move your mouse except to reply.
I click "Newer," read, don't move mouse, click "Newer," and repeat...
If you only have the bottom bar, you are possibly moving your mouse for every single message.
21. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by Mike777 Aug 11, 2008
- 1187 views
I really don't see the logic behind having the toolbar at the top, at all, for any of the views.
Because with short messages, you never have to move your mouse except to reply.
I click "Newer," read, don't move mouse, click "Newer," and repeat...
If you only have the bottom bar, you are possibly moving your mouse for every single message.
Well, I suppose you know what is coming next.... a suggestion that it be configurable, I guess. In response to your comment, above, I note that it isn't true if the subject is particularly long, in that you will have to move your mouse a little bit.
So, top and bottom for individual message view, bottom only for thread or subject view (the latter two, theoretically will most of the time have more than one message being displayed and therefore never be short enough to allow you to both read them and keep your mouse stationary).
Mike
22. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by CChris Aug 11, 2008
- 1190 views
aaaaaah... Much more comfortable this way when there are long and short posts. And the definition of what "long" is depends on the browser and screen resolution.
Thanks CChris
23. Re: Message Toolbars -- Top and Bottom?
- Posted by jeremy (admin) Aug 11, 2008
- 1220 views
If we move to configuration again on this, we are going to be making the forum so complex. There is no reason we cannot agree on where a tool bar is placed. I think what I am going to do is go look at the top two message forum systems and place the toolbar right where they have them. They are tested and user approved. Those who do not like the way it's done may just have to live with it, as millions of others do on those systems (yes, millions). I hate to get harsh, but the user profile is going to be so large and all the switches checking for this, and for that is going to be cumbersome and for very little benefit, just so someone doesn't have to move their mouse up or down .3" ...
Jeremy
