[etoys-dev] changing the name and value-type of a user-defined variable

[Ricardo Moran]

On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 1:33 PM, Bert Freudenberg <bert at freudenbergs.de>wrote:

>
> On 07.03.2012, at 13:09, Bert Freudenberg wrote:
>
> >
> > On 07.03.2012, at 07:31, Scott Wallace <scott.wallace at squeakland.org>
> wrote:
> >
> >> I think Richo's "new variable" dialog, in which name and value-type are
> specified together in a single dialog, is a good addition.
> >>
> >> And it's good that a similar dialog can be brought up to change the
> name and/or the value-type of a variable later on.
> >>
> >> But I feel that *finding* ones way to the change-name/change-type
> dialog is now harder -- not only does one have to fish in a menu to look
> for it, but one is likely to miss it, because neither the word "name" nor
> the word "type" occurs in the menu item.  Instead one must choose an item
> with wording of the form 'modify "var1"', and it has to register in the
> user's mind that this the correct path to the change-name/change-value-type
> dialog.
> >>
> >> To my mind the me this buries renaming and type-changing too deeply, so
> that people will be much less likely to find them and hence even to be
> aware that they *can* change the name and the type of a variable.
> >>
> >> So I wonder if we should consider changing the wording of this menu
> item to something more like "change name or type".  Or "change name and
> type".  Or "name and value-type".  Or in any case, *something* that
> directly catches the eye of a user scanning the menu for the word "name" or
> "type".
> >>
> >> Or perhaps even two menu items, "change name" and "change value-type",
> as before, but now both leading to the same dialog?
> >>
> >> Does anyone else share this concern?
> >>
> >> -- Scott
> >
> > +1
>
>
> Oh, and we lost the ability to change the number of decimal places. Can
> only be set on new vars but not modified.
>

Yes, you can. It uses the same dialog. That's why I thought "modify <var>"
would be a better name for the menu item, because in some cases (just
number and point for now) we have more than just the name and type.

I still think it's better than "change <var> name and type" (or any
variation) because IMHO when you create the variable you see upfront what
it takes to create it, so it's consistent to believe the same parameters
would be needed to "modify" it. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to
it.

The only inconsistency I would criticize is the "decimal places", which for
user created variables it requires the new dialog, but for other slots it
uses the old menu. But that has also been brought to discusion before.

Cheers,
Richo


>
> - Bert -
>
>
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