[GRASS-dev] new profiling tool and other gis.m updates

[Maciek Sieczka]

On Sat, 20 May 2006 09:42:40 -0600
Trevor Wiens <twiens at interbaun.com> wrote:

> On Sat, 20 May 2006 13:10:57 +0200
> Maciek Sieczka <werchowyna at epf.pl> wrote:

> > Nice, but why not something easy to handle with one hand? Current
> > key set isn't good for right handed nor for left handed. Maybe:
> > 
> >      Zoom-in:	s or k
> >      Zoom-out:	x or m
> >      Pan:	a or l
> >      Query:	c or n
> >      Measure:	q or o
> > 
> 
> Ideally I would like to have them user configurable

True. But possible now?

>, but
> 
> the left hand is
> I for zoom In
> T for zoom ouT
> A for pAn
> Q for Query
> D for Distance (Measure)
> X for pointer

Do you really think it is practical?

> That is in my opinion a perfectly functional one hand configuration
> unless you use a non Qwerty keyboard.
> 
> For the right it is less functional because of ? for Query, but rather
> obvious.

Key mappings for map browsing+query are firstly supposed to be rapid in
use (faster than doing all with mouse). Otherwise they don't make
much sense at all. They are not necessarily supposed to be intuitive.
Once you learn them (ie. read the manual, or the bubble help hints in
the GUI) you benefit from the quick map browsing, which is the point.
These are _only_ five key to get used to.

Your key settings are not rapid nor comfortable in use. See how your
hand jumps over the whole keyboard with the key setting you propose,
while it remains in one place and lets the 3 fingers do the job without
moving your palm, in the case I propose. *Both* for *right* (sxacq) and
*left* (kmlno) handed people. Accidental touching the touchpad on
laptops should be avoided BTW. And IMHO the pointer doens't need a key
mapping at all.

> Possibly U would work better or allow ? or U to work.
> 
> Personally, I would prefer to integrate zoom and pan into a single
> tool and pointer and query together too, but for new users, this kind
> of functionality is often missed. Thus the conflict; we want our own
> GUI (rather and QGIS) in part because GRASS is not for GIS newbies,
> but at the same time we want to keep the learning curve as gentle as
> possible.

My proposition conforms.

> Perhaps multi-functionality could be built into the zoom in and
> pointer tools (using Ctrl and Shift) and reduce the keystrokes to
> switching between zoom and pointer only.

That could be good as well. But not doable now (or is it?).

Maciek

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