Hole parameters task panel width

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ToniTen
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Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:11 am

Hole parameters task panel width

Post by ToniTen »

I do have a relatively old laptop that for use on the go. It's relatively old, and has a 1366×768 screen. I do have much better screens when working on my desktop. My problem is the width of the hole parameters task:

If FreeCAD's language is set to English
english.png
english.png (62.72 KiB) Viewed 1183 times
Min width for the task panel is 511 pixels

If FreeCAD's language is set to Spanish
spanish.png
spanish.png (70.45 KiB) Viewed 1183 times
Min width for the task panel is 608 pixels

In both cases, I'm measuring to the corner of the hole parameters dialog, not the task panel, but you need to add some extra pixels to create the separator between the 3D view and the combined view.

On a 2560×1440 or 3840×2160 display, this is not a big deal, but on my laptop, it takes a significant % of the screen, and it's not really necessary. The UI for this task should be redesigned to make more efficient use of space.

Code: Select all

OS: Ubuntu Core 20 (XFCE/xubuntu)
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.21.0.33118 (Git) Snap 700
Build type: Release
Branch: master
Hash: 6f8e3f374f7dead4a373e1114ab4cc30785d8daa
Python 3.8.10, Qt 5.15.7, Coin 4.0.0, Vtk 7.1.1, OCC 7.6.3
Locale: English/United States (en_US)
Installed mods: 
  * fasteners 0.4.19
  * Assembly3 0.11.3
  * lattice2 1.0.0
  * Manipulator 1.4.9
chrisb
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Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by chrisb »

ToniTen wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 4:50 pm I do have a relatively old laptop that for use on the go.
I know very well what you mean; I had to return recently to my old laptop and it is quite often difficult to edit all the fields while still having the 3D view visible to a considerable amount.

The first thing you should do is to discuss among the spanish members better/shorter translations, then go to https://crowdin.com/translate/freecad and make proposals, which you encourage other spanish members to vote for.

This will probably not get you much below the english version though.

The next problem is the division into 3 columns, where each of them takes the width of its widest entry. Perhaps we can have something like the Path operations panel, where things are folded/unfolded. Then things could be arranged more individually, especially by paying with some more height, which currently could be an even bigger problem.
That could be a gain in clarity as well (nobody wants to see all this countersink and counterbore stuff, if the hole doesn't use it at all.

@paddle has done quite some clearing in Sketcher, he may have some good ideas here too.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by adrianinsaval »

This has annoyed me for a long time too, but I don't have a good idea on how to make it more compact without sacrificing functionality. If you have ideas I would love to hear them, you can make a mock-up using qt designer for example, you can edit the current UI file if you don't want to start from scratch: https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/blob ... ameters.ui
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by adrianinsaval »

Regarding Spanish translation I know changed "Profundidad de la Rosca" to "Prof. De Rosca" in crowdin, that should save a little space
spanner888
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Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 10:51 am

Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by spanner888 »

I think this active post is also relevant as the example is about similar issues with Task Panels throughout FreeCAD: An exercise in UI/UX design
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paddle
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Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by paddle »

This taskbox is quite big indeed.
I actually never used the Hole tool in my design so I'm not familiar with the different options. So I can't tell how to improve it without diving into it.

General suggestions :
- A setting button (as in Sketcher Constraint/Element widgets) can be used to put seldomly used options.
- A "Advanced" button could be used to show/hide seldomly used options.
- Have a look at how the UI of this tool is done in other CADs. They usually put a lot of work to improve the UI so they are more likely to have reached an "optimal" UI solution.
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jimb
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Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:27 pm

Re: Hole parameters task panel width

Post by jimb »

- A "Advanced" button could be used to show/hide seldomly used options.
Not FreeCAD specific, but I for one have always hatted hiding stuff under "advanced". They just end up being dumping grounds for unrelated features/settings. I think all too often it is random stuff the developer didn't think you would use, but in fact you will need all the time. "Other" or "miscellaneous", would be a bit better (but not by much). A meaningful category/grouping would be a lot better.
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