[Freeciv-Dev] (PR#7019) power to the 'messages' report window!

["Rodolfo Borges" <barrett@xxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=7019 >


As I felt a bit less comfortable in the new gtk2 client of 1.14.1-beta1
(was using the regular gtk client of 1.14), I was thinking on what could
be better in the UI (ex. the 'buy' button could display the cost to buy,
in the production pane of the city dialog.), when came to me an idea:

Add some action buttons aside each line of the 'Messages' report dialog,
associated with reasonable responses to each event.  The first (default)
button should do the same as double-clicking on a line does now.
(Double-clicking should still work, just the behaviour would be shown).

For example, on a message about a city having completed a production,
and started another, there could be a button to change or buy the
production.


Another idea I had some time ago: an option to automaticalyy buy
after some condition was met.  Something like this:

<pre>
"-------------------------------------"
"  BUY                    cost = 240  "
"                                     "
"  /------+   /------+   /--------+   "
"  | NOW  |   |  NO  |   | AUTO.. |   "
"  +------/   +------/   +--------/   "
"                                     "
"-------------------------------------"
</pre>


The 'Auto...' button calls:


<pre>
"---------------------------------------------"
"  AUTO-BUY                      cost = 240   "
"                                             "
"  (X) after [ 40]% complete                  "
"  ( ) after [ 2] turns in production         "
"  (X) cost <= [  50] gold                    "
"  ( ) cost <= [ 75]% of current treasure     "
"  (X) leave [ 100] gold or more after buing  "
"  (X) only if production was manually set    "
"                                             "
"                                  (X) auto   "
"                                             "
"                  /--------+    /--------+   "
"                  | CANCEL |    |   OK   |   "
"                  +--------/    +--------/   "
"                                             "
"---------------------------------------------"
</pre>

The 'auto' check box (that makes the city always buy on the condition),
should also be present in the 'Settings' pane of the city dialog, along
with a shortcut to call the Auto-buy dialog.

If the 'Auto-buy' dialog is called by the 'Buy' dialog, the 
On the behaviour of the 'Ok' button of the Auto-buy dialog: if called
by the 'Buy' dialog, 


'nuff for now.
Best regards,
        barrett@xxxxxxxxxx



PS: one more complain (:  the new production dialog has some flaws..
I miss the 'prepend' button a lot! and I don't like the separate place
for the current production, it should be just the top of the worklist.
To change the production, keeping the current one as the first next in
the worklist (a common practice) is a pain now. (Ok, not a pain, but
requires many extra steps).

Also, draging from the list on the right (the targets) is ok, but I can't
drop them on the worklist!  Visual feedback of the drop place would be
nice too..

The production listbox on the "Overview" pane is missing too.
It's handy when you just what to change current producion quickly,
and don't want to mess with the worklist.
There is enough room for it: the "Supported units" and "Present units"
lists don't need to be that wide. The same for the "Production" bar and
the "Improvements" list.


Well, in general, it's better to have more power on each screen of the
UI, and not a myriad of dialogs/panes. -> to shorten the path to the
action the user wants.. (to buy from the "Overview" pane: Alt-d-b-y-c).
For ex, to edit a worklist I have to switch many times (almost once for
each item: "what's next? mag plant? <switches to overview..>  nah..
only 18 shields, too low <switches back to worklist..>"...)


Freeciv does it very well (MUUUUCH bettern than Civ2 in this aspect),
one good example is the mighty "Cities" report (F1),
so watch out for not taking a step backwards..