[Libreoffice-ux-advise] [Bug 81132] Removal of formatting options from the right-click context menu

[bugzilla-daemon at freedesktop.org]

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=81132

--- Comment #8 from Jay Philips <philipz85 at hotmail.com> ---
(In reply to comment #7)
> Let's not forget the benefits of context menus:
> * Faster keyboard access than menus: 

Most users dont remember shortcuts and even if they do, it would be limited to
the shortcuts that work in every application like open, save, cut, copy, paste,
and close. Nesting is already present in th context menu and add another layer
of nesting, if that is even possible, will only add 1 or 2 additional steps to
keyboard or mouse users.

> * Less memory load: 

There is no question that the context menu does customize itself to relevent
things, but what is the use of a font list in the menu that doesnt even list
all the fonts (a bug that has been around since 2011) and you already have a
font drop down in the toolbar that works. You also have drop downs for font
size and toolbar buttons for style and alignment options. None of these require
you to go roaming through menus to find them.

> I can see two alternative approaches to simple removal of items:
> * Rearranging them so the most frequently used ones are closer to the top.

You forget that there isnt a top or bottom for the menu, as when your mouse is
close to the bottom of the screen, the popup appears above the mouse and the
menu isnt shown in reverse in such a situation.

> * Making context menus customisable by providing the option to remove items.

I believe making context menus customisable would be quite an undertaking, devs
please correct me if i'm wrong, and think a single checkbox in the Tools >
Options dialog to enable them, when they are disabled by default, is a great
way to go.

> However, most users never change settings in their software (I can provide
> pointers to research if necessary).

Yes it is true that most users dont change settings, thats why it should be our
goal to make the best default user experience for the majority of the user base
and if users dislike these defaults, they are welcome to customize it.
Customization is always an important feature and thats why we have the options
dialog, as well as having customizable toolbars, menus, and shortcut keys.

Having a small and concise context menu will result it being easier to see the
list and easy to expand on nested features, if that feature is what i'm looking
to change. As shown in attachment 102535, you have 5 entries for direct
formatting, 8 entries for table options, and 4 entries for hyperlink options.
If i only wanted to edit the hyperlink, the menu could have been shrunk by 10+
entries, leaving me with a small concise menu. Calc's context menu is no more
than 12 entries long, for no matter thing that is being done.

Was digging through the OOo tracking data some more and here are some more
findings that i thought would be relevant.

Line Spacing:
------------
Set in 'Dialog Indent & Spacing' tab  : 44,888 ( 71.24% )
Set from Context Menu                 : 18,122 ( 28.76% )
------------
comment: there is no line spacing button in the toolbar and no entry in the
menu bar

Font Effects (Underline, Strike Thru, Shadowed, Outline, Overline):
------------
Toolbar                      : 508,600 ( 82.65% )
Keyboard Shortcut            :  77,843 ( 12.65% )
Set in 'Font Effects' tab    :  18,496 (  3.01% )
Set from Context Menu        :  10,408 (  1.69% )
------------
comment: 99.8% of the toolbar number is for underline, as the rest of the font
effects dont have toolbar buttons in the default toolbars

Bold:
------------
Toolbar      : 1,219,353 ( 83.70% )
Key Shortcut :   233,868 ( 16.05% )
Context Menu :     3,620 (  0.25% )

As the stats are showing, the toolbar is the first place people go for
improving direct formatting, which is why a font effects and line spacing
button in the toolbar would be such a great thing.

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