[Bug 161078] Allow direct formatting for page sequences instead of editing the style

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=161078

--- Comment #10 from Eyal Rozenberg <eyalroz1 at gmx.com> ---
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #4)
> ... it is not impossible... but what would be the upside of this[?]

The opposite of the problems with which I described the current situation:

* Consistency with styles of other entities.
* Format | Page (Sequence)...  becomes a less confusing action, with no spooky
action at a distance on other page sequences which the user never intended to
affect.
* No need to go to the trouble of defining a new page style just to apply some
formatting to the current page sequence.

To be concrete: I want to have some of a couple of pages of mine to exhibit a
blue background. Why should I need to define a style just for that? And of
course, I can't have my Default Page Style go blue, since my pages are
basically white. So, it's DF for me, tee hee.

Also, while we don't have composable and inheritable page styles, defining
multiple page styles for many kinds of sequences requires a lot of maintenance,
in the sense that whenever you change something that's common to multiple
styles, you're likely to have to change all of them.

> and how could the *user management* be realistically implemented ... which
> would be easy and different compared to the current situation?

I don't propose any changes in how users manage this compared to the current
situation:

* Format | Page... (or Format | Page Sequence...) will apply DF
* Double-clicking the current page style will clear the DF
* Clicking another page style will apply it, but try to keep the DF where
possible

> Including the
> important "next page style" mechanism, which needs referring to the set of
> properties of the next page, currently implemented by referring to the style
> name?

Ah, that's a good point. Here are two options for when a Next Page Style is
defined:

1. Only the first page in the sequence gets the DF, and then it's just a clean
application of the Next Page Style, and the next-next-page style etc.
2. For each transition to the next page, act as though the user had
double-clicked that style while having DF in effect. That is, try to apply the
DF to the extent possible.

(actually (2.) is not perfectly well defined.)

I like (2.) better, but I think this is kind of a non-issue, because the use of
alternating styles like that only happens intentionally, when the user
carefully styles his/her page sequences. Such a user can be assume to not be
fazed or confused by our choice of DF application behavior, and realize they
may need to clear the DF.

There is also the possibility of warning about DF'ing a page sequence with Next
Page Style defined, if we believe this should be avoided. It's not clear to 


> I do not see this whole suggestion as any kind of UX improvement; any "this
> is internally inconsistent"

It's _externally_ inconsistent. I find it inconsistent. I forget that this is
the case, and mess up my documents. And if it happens to me, it happens to many
users.

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