[Usability suggestion] 'Windows'
Completed
Hi -
(Am new to the beta...)
It genuinely took me over 5 minutes to figure out how to preview in the app. I did not expect to find the option in the 'Window' menu item. Instead I would have thought it would be in File (as the Marked preview is) or View (where you would expect to find view related things). Same with the Notes list toggle.
There is nothing in the documentation (that I could find) around this either.
I personally think the Window menu item should focus only on top level tab/window management. This is how it works in virtually all other apps.
Additionally, providing toggle buttons (for preview window and the notes list) would help alleviate this.
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> Additionally, providing toggle buttons (for preview window and the notes list) would help alleviate this.
To provide a counterpoint, from my point of opinion, I rather like how things are kept as clean as possible, with few visible interface components. As someone that never uses the built-in preview, since I have Marked, it would be an always present button that I'd never use in my life. I tend not to ever use buttons anyway, which is why I like toolbars---solely for the reason that they become a magnet for most buttons in the UI, and toolbars have the ability to be hidden. :)
That aside, I do agree with your notes on how the View menu is probably a better place for functions that modify the window's internal layout. I was thrown a bit by finding those options in the Window menu as well. If View menu clutter is a problem, there are some things there that could be reorganised. Saved Searches could make more sense under Edit, where searching tools are usually located. Track Changes would feel more at home in Format, or possibly Edit, to me. There are some editor toggles that could be grouped into a View/Editor submenu, like Typewriter Mode, Invisibles, Line Breaks, and the numbering settings.
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1. Re: toggle buttons -- probably won't do this, as Brett and I both (not to speak for him....) prefer minimalist interfaces without a lot of visible clutter. The menu shortcuts are faster than buttons.
2. As for which items belong in which menu, we will continue to look at this. However, I will also point out that the menu Help->Search (Cmd-?) will allow you to quickly find any menu item by typing a few letters. I use this all the time in just about every app, to the point where I almost forget how the menus are arranged...
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The next version has some changes to View/Window menus.
Thanks!
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