[Libreoffice] [PATCH] Removes data sources button from standard toolbars in Calc and Writer

[Alexander Thurgood]

Le 12/06/11 02:49, Samuel Cantrell a écrit :

Hi Samuel,

> I'm confused. I just tried applying the patch on Writer on my home
> desktop, and I can still access the data sources explorer by pressing
> F4, and through the View menu. Or were you only being sarcastic when
> you mentioned my disabling the data sources functionality entirely?
> Email is such a pain for discerning sarcasm sometimes.

No, it was a genuine concern. As I hadn't looked at your patch, I was
concerned that you'd done more than just a UI configuration change and
it might have affected the slots and what not for accessing the DSB.


> 
> I think the issue I saw mentioned elsewhere is that the default window
> is cluttered with buttons. The person I read mentioned removing the
> data sources button only from the standard toolbar. This would allow
> for a cleaner look. Also, power users would know how to add back the
> data sources button. (My patch merely disables it from being seen by
> default, but it's still accessible in the Customize Toolbar section.)

Knowing from bitter experience how fragile the current toolbar and the
OOo/LibO configuration files are, personalisation of them has always
been fraught with danger, and many a time on a simple version update of
OOo, I have been left with an unmanageable configuration. The same can
actually be said of LibO, and I would be loathe, but that is just my
personal opinion, to have to start making personal configuration changes
to my default installation knowing full well that the next update would
likely screw them up again.

I have nothing per se against being able to reconfigure the toolbars at
one's whim, which would in effect justify removing (or rendering them
deactivated) those not considered to be used by the majority of users,
but in that case, it must be made certain that the configuration isn't
going to go pear-shaped up when a new version is installed, which
currently has a very annoying tendency to overwrite the existing configs.


> 
> The data sources explorer is still accessible from the View menu, and
> my patch didn't affect that.
> 
> I agree that data sources are useful. I don't necessarily agree that
> it's necessary to have an extra button on the standard toolbar that
> users have to decipher its meaning so they can find the buttons they
> want.

Often a clearer or more significant icon will do wonders, but that is
just my opinion, I'm not an UI designer.

This is not a gripe at you in particular, but I have this terribly awful
sinking feeling that Base is being slowly pushed back into a state where
it will be soon of no use to anyone. UI changes are one of the first
most visible signs of such a slide IMHO. First, we remove the buttons,
then people think, oh, you can't do db stuff from the spreadsheet or
wordprocessor, so just forget the db thing, etc, etc, well you get my
drift. I apologise if I appear paranoid here, and like I say, this is
not directed at you in person, but this is a real fear that I have, and
so far my fears have not been allayed.


Anyway, as I'm not a "developer" so to speak, it is not up to me to
decide whether or not your patch is good, clean, wanted, etc :-))


Alex