Suggestions for improvement

Tell us what could be improved in MyInfo
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Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Suggestions for improvement

Post by Vargr »

I have been using MyInfo for several months now and find it quite useful for keeping track of all my notes for my roleplaying game.

During the usage I have come up with a list of improvements I would like to see.

I will list them here and will be happy to elaborate on them if anyone should want me to.
  • Being able to format the heading (title) individually of each document as well has having a setting for the default formatting. Ie. I would like to have a more prominent heading (with bigger characters, maybe in bold and in a different colour) - at least for some of the headings.
  • An indication that changes have been made, but not yet saved. For example a star in front of the name in the MyInfo window bar as seen in most other software. Maybe the save icon could be ghosted when no new changes since last save has been detected.
  • Being able to define a list (actually several lists) of words and their explanations and then being able to assign one (or more) of these lists to each document/topic, for several or all documents/topics. The words on the list will be marked somehow (a dotted underscore or a special character right after the word (a floating question mark?) when written anywhere in MyInfo. Hovering the mouse over the word will bring up the explanation.
  • Real tabs as we know them from Libre Office and Word.
  • Shortcuts (as for state icons) should also work with the number pad and not only with the numbers above QWERTY.
  • Zoom in and out in the documents by using CTRL MOUSEWHEEL and also CTRL + and -.
  • Being able to use mouse wheel to scroll when in "browser window".
  • When a document within same topic changes name so should the hyperlinks pointing to this document. Or is it because the hyperlink changes, but the describing text (which is what we can see) doesn't?
  • Having a document named "Ronan Rehberg-Courdy" will give the full name every time a link is made quickly.Would it be possible to have the option to quickly (automatically) choose a shorter name, just "Ronan"? I can't see, how that should be implemented, though. More hassle than worth it, probably.
  • If you make a document named for example Leaping Tiger and insert a hyperlink somewhere else to Leaping Tiger and then change the document's name, then the links should also change name.
    Is it even possible?
    Possible problem: What if you have given it another in the link?
  • Batch tagging. Highlight several documents and insert a tag (or comment) in one and it will be added to all (remember a check to see, if it has already got that tag (comment), so we will not get two identical tags (comments).
  • Be able to give a document more than one name that you might link to. Ex. Melthus which is the man's name, but he is known as the Night-sarge. The document's name is Melthus, but it would be nice to be able to add "the Night-sarge" as name, so a link using [[ can be made using both "Melthus" and "the Night-sarge".
  • A horisontal scroll bar in the dokument window is missing. When having a table wider than the screen it is impossible to see the portion to the right of the screen. This happens for me when I make the table on my main computer and later have to use it on my netbook (with a much smaller screen).
  • A keymacro function - so that f.ex. [[ may be assigned to a key such as CTRL + ½.
  • Costumize [[ to something else. I would like to use | for example (easier to reach).
  • Toggle tree pane (both by mouse and a short cut) open and closed - useful on smaller screens.
  • Layered bullets
  • Paste Special option so that things might be pasted as is, without formatting, etc.
  • Impossible to see colours on selected topic. Perhaps a selected topic could simply have a red border (make it an option and make it possible to choose the colour).
  • The possibility to decide where the settings for MyInfo is kept. I would like to keep the settings in a dropbox-like environment, so that the settings are the same, no matter what computer I use. This way favourites etc. will be the same.
  • The ability to choose entry forms on a document basis. Using MyInfo for RPG I use some documents in the topic for characters - I would like to use one entry form for those, another entry form for cities and for some no entry form at all.

Greetings,

Vargr
Tester
Posts: 176
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:08 pm

Post by Tester »

Vargr, concerning your first suggestion, I think that all you would like to do, you can already do now with MyInfo:
Vargr wrote: [*]Being able to format the heading (title) individually of each document as well has having a setting for the default formatting. Ie. I would like to have a more prominent heading (with bigger characters, maybe in bold and in a different colour) - at least for some of the headings.
Take a look at:
Format ---> Styles

There you have a list of Styles (in alphabetical order), among them are 6 different headings.

What you can do is the following:

a) use one of these 7 headings

b) change the appearance of one (or more) of these 7 headings:
Just click on the heading you would like to change (e.g. Heading 4). Then click on one of the buttons on the right to modify "Font" (including also the size of the characters, bold or not bold etc.), the color of the text or the background color:

Image

When you are satisified with the modifications, click on "Apply".

c) If you want a completely different heading, you can create it by yourself:
Click in the Style window (as shown above) on the button "New", choose a name for your individual style (for example "Heading 7") and create it how you would prefer it.

Here an example with a quite individual "Heading 7" that I created to show you the possibilities (having chosen as font: Asimov, size: 20, color: Orange etc.).
In the formatting toolbar you have a window where you can see which style you are using in the line where your cursor is:

Image

If you want to change the style/heading you can simply do it by choosing another one in the dropdown list which opens when you click on the arrow (just don't forget to select in the text window the line/s on which you want to apply this heading):

Image
Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Post by Vargr »

Thank you for your very thorough reply.

It is a very good description of the usage of styles (a thing I haven't got round to using yet), that I am going to bring to good use.

Thank you for that! I really appreciate it.

However (there always seems to be one of those), I was referring to the heading above the text field (I know, I could probably have explained it better, for which I apologise).

I was thinking of this heading here:
Image
This heading stays in place, even when you scroll the text in the text.

Sorry for the confusion and thank you for the good description of styles, which is a great help!
Tester
Posts: 176
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:08 pm

Post by Tester »

Oh, I see what you mean. My first thought also was this line because this one indeed cannot be changed in its appearance (as far as I know). (I for myself call it "{line with the} document title".) But as you wrote about headings I got the impression that you meant the other thing.

Anyway you need not worry about the confusion. :mrgreen: No problem. Fine that my description of the styles was of use for you.

**********************************

Just are remark concerning this suggestion:
Vargr wrote: [*]When a document within same topic changes name so should the hyperlinks pointing to this document. Or is it because the hyperlink changes, but the describing text (which is what we can see) doesn't?
I think you mean this situation:

Image

The link goes to a document called "XYZ". Later on you change the document's name for example to "ABC". So I assume you would prefer that the (name of the) link (the one shown in the above picture) also changes automatically to "ABC".

In this context we should be aware that there are (at least) two different ways of creating (or better: naming/labelling) a hyperlink:

A)
Your suggestion makes sense if your link name is identical with the name of the document you refer to (and if you want it to stay identical ). Typically this will be the case when you create a link in this way:

- Choose Insert --> Hyperlink (or click on the Hyperlink symbol in the toolbar)
- Click on the document you want to link to
---> This document's title appears as name (description) of the link (and you want to keep this description).
Here an "automatical" change of the link's description may be indeed useful.

B)
And there is also another way of creating the links (respectively their name). That's the one I always use:

- You have already written in your text a word (or more) which shall become the link.
- You select this word(s).
- Only afterwards you start the process of creating the hyperlink (as written above).
---> Now the name (description) of the link is the word you have selected.

In this case an "automatical" change of the link's name (in case that the name of the document it refers to changes) would not be good (if it were technically possible at all). Here the reason why:

The link's name/description will be often the name of the document, but it can also be something else. For example I use sometimes as description of the link not the title of the document which I refer to, but something like "for further details see the following document". That means the name/description of the link are the words "following document". And of course they remain (and should remain) as description whatever the document's title is or will be in the future.

And concerning this suggestion:
Vargr wrote: [*]If you make a document named for example Leaping Tiger and insert a hyperlink somewhere else to Leaping Tiger and then change the document's name, then the links should also change name.
Is it even possible?
Possible problem: What if you have given it another in the link?
Here I do not see a difference to the suggestion quoted above. :?: As far as I can see it, what I mentioned above applies also to this suggestion. And here you refer by yourself to the situation that the link's name is different of the document's name. :wink:

******************

And about this suggestion:
Vargr wrote: Be able to give a document more than one name that you might link to. Ex. Melthus which is the man's name, but he is known as the Night-sarge. The document's name is Melthus, but it would be nice to be able to add "the Night-sarge" as name, so a link using [[ can be made using both "Melthus" and "the Night-sarge".
I do not know if I understood your wish correctly. But I do not think that for this purpose you need two different names for one document (which I also imagine difficult for practical/technical reasons).

My idea:
Create a link with "method B" described above, that means:
- In the document where you want to place the link you write the words Melthus/the Night-sarge (or Melthus - the Night-sarge or Melthus alias the Night-sarge or however you like it).
- You select these words (= the one written above in bold letters)
- You start the process of creating a hyperlink (clicking on the symbol in the toolbar etc.)
- You choose from the documents list the one with the title Melthus

---> The result is a link that leads
- to the correct document (with one name)
- but it has in its description both namings of the person which you want to read there.

(PS: Of course you can achieve the same result with "method A" provided that you type the desired name of the link in the field "Text to display" within the Hyperlink window.)

Addition:
Now I see: you refer to the special method of creating a link by typing [[. (I never use this function, so I did not realize it immediately.) Well, in this case it could help you if you give (the one) document a title consisting of a double name, just in the way as written above, for example Melthus alias the Night-sarge. So you would have both namings in the link description automatically created when using [[ and in one document title too.
Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Post by Vargr »

Regarding Changing link name when document name changes:

Yes, you are right - that is what I am talking about.

I almost always use links for names of characters and sometimes I change the name of a character - but the name in the various texts doesn't change and thus I get the wrong name when looking through the information. But it would be nice if it could be made to work.

And yes, what you write makes sense and also what I thought would be the case (hence my closing question in my suggestion). It will probably be impossible to program something that can figure out when to change link names and when not. And maybe not...

A possible solution could be to make the link name dependent on the document name when and only when the link has been made by using the short cut [[ (double square bracket start) or through an option to tick off when making the link through Insert --> Hyperlink forcing the link name to be the same as the document name.

I know - it is far easier to make suggestions than to actually program the suggestions into the software.

And yes - the other of my suggestions you answer is basically the same. That is what happens when you collect the suggestions over a couple of months.

Regarding multiple link aliases leading to one document

Your suggested solution will certainly solve the problem - albeit giving some less fluent text. :)

I use [[ almost all the time. I tend to write a lot of notes during play and when preparing and then I love the fact, that I don't have to remember the exact name of the character or of the shop or what-not, but in stead I simply type [[ and the first couple of letters and then I can pick the right name / document.

Perhaps it would be possible to have one or more aliases at the top of the document - when using [[ it will look through document names and aliases appropriate to the letters typed in and present them (as it does today). The user will (possibly) get a wider selection to choose from. The dependency would go to the document like it does today.



With all suggestions (especially those requirering a lot of work on part of the programmer) it is important to look at, how relevant the changes are and how many will benefit from them.
If I am the only one needing these rather speciel features, then it will probably not be worth it :D

Once again thank you for your elaborate replies. :D
Tester
Posts: 176
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:08 pm

Post by Tester »

Vargr wrote:Regarding Changing link name when document name changes:

[....]
A possible solution could be to make the link name dependent on the document name when and only when the link has been made by using the short cut [[ (double square bracket start) or through an option to tick off when making the link through Insert --> Hyperlink forcing the link name to be the same as the document name.
Yes, perhaps something like that could be a solution: some ways in which link names change "automatically", and some others in which they can be changed only manually (the method it works now).
Vargr wrote: it is important to look at, how relevant the changes are and how many will benefit from them
Indeed user needs may be very different, especially in case of a software like this which you can use for so many purposes.

For example:
Vargr wrote:I use [[ almost all the time.
On the opposite (as already mentioned) I for my part never use it. Only from your posting I learned about the existence of this function. :mrgreen:

Or another example:
For many users the existence of tags is very important. I do not use them at all.

On the other hand for me it is essential that I can search as quickly and comfortably as possible for a document title. (Something that to a high degree is realized with the search function "Go to Document" (Ctrl+G).) For other users it may play no important role.

A remark to another of your suggestions:
Vargr wrote: A horisontal scroll bar in the dokument window is missing. When having a table wider than the screen it is impossible to see the portion to the right of the screen. This happens for me when I make the table on my main computer and later have to use it on my netbook (with a much smaller screen).
As far as I see, a horizontal scroll bar already exists. It appears (only) when the windows becomes so small that the table within the text field is being cut off:

Image

But I have the suspicion that the appearance or non-appearance may have to do with the way the tables are created. Please try out once more if the scroll bar becomes visible for you (perhaps also by reducing the size of the window on your main computer). If still it does not work I will take a look into my notes concerning the creation of tables and I will tell you.
Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Post by Vargr »

CTRL+G
Tester wrote:
On the other hand for me it is essential that I can search as quickly and comfortably as possible for a document title. (Something that to a high degree is realized with the search function "Go to Document" (Ctrl+G).) For other users it may play no important role.
Great! I hadn't noticed that possibility. Very handy. :D

Horizontal scrollbar
Tester wrote:
But I have the suspicion that the appearance or non-appearance may have to do with the way the tables are created. Please try out once more if the scroll bar becomes visible for you (perhaps also by reducing the size of the window on your main computer). If still it does not work I will take a look into my notes concerning the creation of tables and I will tell you.
I can not try out my usual set-up as I am abroad at the moment and only have my ailing netbook with me.

I did a little playing around. Depending on the way I make the table the horizontal scrollbar might appear or not.

A table with "Fit to window" gives no problem as everything stays within the window. No need for horizontal scrollbar.

A table born with say 8 columns each being 200 wide (pixels, I suppose) will be too wide for my netbook. Here the horizontal scrollbar will appear.

A table that is later widened (by adding columns, by widening the already existing columns, or "importing" from a set-up with a wide screen where room is not a problem) does not get the horizontal scrollbar.

This is as far as I can tell from a quick test. Unfortunately I rarely know exactly how my tables should be when I first make them, so I tend to change them and expand them, more often than not giving me the problem of the scrollbar not appearing.
Tester
Posts: 176
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:08 pm

Post by Tester »

Vargr wrote: I did a little playing around. Depending on the way I make the table the horizontal scrollbar might appear or not.
That confirms my own experiences.

The following explanation about the tables is a little bit complicated, especially because in my case (I use the professional version of MyInfo) the important criterion was: How are the tables displayed on the website (created with MyInfo Professional)?

So, what I can say is the follwing:

A)
In some posting here in the forum Petko had explained me the two basic types of how tables can be created with MyInfo. He wrote:
"Please note that MyInfo supports two types of tables: fixed-width and percent-based. You can see what is the table type by using "Table" ---> "Table Properties": if the table width is in percents, then it is percent-based table and if it is in pixels – it is fixed.
You should use fixed-width tables, if you want they to look the same in both MyInfo and the web site."
(My problem was that the width of a table on the website was considerably different from the one in MyInfo itself.)

B)
I tried various methods of "creating" (respectively pasting and modifying, if so) a table.

The methods have in common that I create the table in a Word document and from there I copy and paste it into a document in MyInfo. With other words: I do not create my tables with MyInfo itself (via Table ---> Insert Table). The pasting is the most practical procedure for me because anyway I already have the tables ready in Word (so that creating a new one with MyInfo would mean additional work). Fortunately the pasting itself works excellent. :D (One of the big assets of MyInfo compared to most of the similar programs I tested.)

1) The following has become my standard method on which are based all my tables in MyInfo:

After pasting from Word I do not change in any way the width of a table. Nor do I determine any values in pixels or percent in the Table Properties of MyInfo after pasting.

It is for me the method with the best results: That means that there is only a relatively slight difference in the width of the table between MyInfo and the website version (with no method I could achieve a complete identity of the table width): On the website the tables are distinctly wider; but the difference is acceptable. Moreover, on the website the table width is automatically adjusted to the size of the window (that means: smaller window ---> smaller table). Consequently no scrolling is necessary. (But of course the word wrap in the web version of the table may become different to the word wrap in MyInfo.)

2) Another method was to determine the table width in percent (after pasting the table into Myinfo)
(done via Table ---> Table Properties ---> tab "Table" ---> Width)
Concerning the window size on the website the result is the same as with method 1 (automatical adjustment of the table width, no scrolling necessary). But with this method 2 the tables generally became too small on the website (much smaller than within MyInfo).

3) The third method was the determination of the table width in pixels (px).
In this case also the table on the website becomes more or less wider than in MyInfo (according to the number of pixels you choose). On the website the width of the table remains the same, whatever the size of the window is (as described by Petko). If it is too small to display the whole table, you have the possibility of horizontal scrolling.

So it is to a large extent a matter of taste which method you prefer. For me the optically and practically best result is achieved with method 1.

Vargr, I know that your concern is not a website version, but I described the methods because so you can see which possibilities you have in MyInfo itself to determine (or not) the width of a table: percent / pixels / doing nothing (in case that you paste a table from Word). You should experiment with this possibilites in order to see how you can achieve a steady horizontal scrolling. (With method 1 ["pure pasting"] horizontal scrolling works in MyInfo [when reducing the size of the window] whereas on the website it is not necessary because of the automatical adjustment of the table width.)

(I assume that for the described results a role plays also the way how I create my tables in Word, but I think it is of no use to explain this too, unless you would also paste your tables from Word. :wink: )

I fear that in your case this may additionally complicate the situation:
Vargr wrote: A table that is later widened (by adding columns, by widening the already existing columns, or "importing" from a set-up with a wide screen where room is not a problem) does not get the horizontal scrollbar.

[....] Unfortunately I rarely know exactly how my tables should be when I first make them, so I tend to change them and expand them, more often than not giving me the problem of the scrollbar not appearing.
I cannot tell any experiences in this respect because my table width remains the same after the pasting (I do not change the width of a table or of certain columns in any way later on; only it may happen that I add some rows, but of course this is of no effect on the width.)
Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Post by Vargr »

Thank you for yet another elaborate reply.

I understand the points you are making with regard to tables.

It clearly seems to be best/easiest to copy'n'paste a table from elsewhere.

Perhaps the program could read the width of the table in pixels everytime it is changed. Then the program should read the width of the editor window. If A > B then insert horizontal scrollbar.

Well, I will have to live with the quirks of the scrollbar for now. At least I have some options I can try when the lack of the scrollbar gets too annoying.
Petko
MyInfo Support
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Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:33 pm
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Post by Petko »

Thanks for all you suggestions. We will review and consider them for MyInfo 7 or later. Of course, we will try to correct all bugs in MyInfo service releases:
Vargr wrote:Shortcuts (as for state icons) should also work with the number pad and not only with the numbers above QWERTY.
Numbers above the keyboard and these in the num pad are different (not only in MyInfo, but for example in Ms Office too). They can be assigned to different commands. For example Ctrl+1 can be assigned to one command and Ctrl+Num 1 to another.
Vargr wrote:Being able to use mouse wheel to scroll when in "browser window".
This is a known limitation. You need to first click in the internal browser in order mouse wheel to scroll there currently..
Vargr wrote:A horisontal scroll bar in the dokument window is missing. When having a table wider than the screen it is impossible to see the portion to the right of the screen.
I am unable to reproduce that. Could you give me the specific steps that you do, when you have a table wider than the editor and no horizontal scrollbar?
Vargr wrote:Toggle tree pane (both by mouse and a short cut) open and closed - useful on smaller screens.
This happens for me when I make the table on my main computer and later have to use it on my netbook (with a much smaller screen).[/quote]You can use the shortcuts for "Maximize Tree" (Ctrl+Shift+T), "Restore tree/editor" (Ctrl+Shift+R) and "Maximize Editor" (Ctrl+Shift+E) to do that.
Vargr wrote:Paste Special option so that things might be pasted as is, without formatting, etc.
There are commands for pasting plain text and normal style text in the editor. Is that what you are looking for?
Vargr
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:04 am

Post by Vargr »

Petko wrote:Thanks for all you suggestions. We will review and consider them for MyInfo 7 or later. Of course, we will try to correct all bugs in MyInfo service releases:
Vargr wrote:Shortcuts (as for state icons) should also work with the number pad and not only with the numbers above QWERTY.
Numbers above the keyboard and these in the num pad are different (not only in MyInfo, but for example in Ms Office too). They can be assigned to different commands. For example Ctrl+1 can be assigned to one command and Ctrl+Num 1 to another.
I understand. Well, at least there is a good reason for the difference. :D
Petko wrote:
Vargr wrote:Being able to use mouse wheel to scroll when in "browser window".
This is a known limitation. You need to first click in the internal browser in order mouse wheel to scroll there currently..
Understood.
Petko wrote:
Vargr wrote:A horisontal scroll bar in the dokument window is missing. When having a table wider than the screen it is impossible to see the portion to the right of the screen.
I am unable to reproduce that. Could you give me the specific steps that you do, when you have a table wider than the editor and no horizontal scrollbar?
Please see my explanation given to Tester earlier in this thread. I hope it makes enough sense for you to reproduce.
Petko wrote:
Vargr wrote:Toggle tree pane (both by mouse and a short cut) open and closed - useful on smaller screens. This happens for me when I make the table on my main computer and later have to use it on my netbook (with a much smaller screen).
You can use the shortcuts for "Maximize Tree" (Ctrl+Shift+T), "Restore tree/editor" (Ctrl+Shift+R) and "Maximize Editor" (Ctrl+Shift+E) to do that.
You are right! That works very nicely. I don't know why I haven't noticed those shortcuts earlier!
Thank you.
Petko wrote:
Vargr wrote:Paste Special option so that things might be pasted as is, without formatting, etc.
There are commands for pasting plain text and normal style text in the editor. Is that what you are looking for?
Yes. Right now I am not sure why I included this in my list in the first place....

Thank you for your reply. Much appreciated.
uzzer
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:05 pm

Post by uzzer »

Being able to use mouse wheel to scroll when in "browser window".
There's a workaround to this, which works across all Windows applications: http://ehiti.de/katmouse/
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