[Qgis-developer] 'File' versus 'Project'

[John C. Tull]

Hi Larry,

On Apr 24, 2013, at 10:09 AM, Larry Shaffer <larrys at dakotacarto.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 10:51 AM, John C. Tull <jctull at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Antonio,
> 
> I think it is more about having consistency for the platform than anything else. We want the user to find the application familiar. The death-knell of many an OS X application on review sites is how non-Mac-like the application feels. Users expect the menubar to exist and to provide a means of navigating standard application operations.
> 
> Developers will provide their own customization in different formats. Microsoft Office has their "ribbon" interface that provides "organized" drop-downs and formatting elements outside of the menubar, but you are able to do most of the same stuff by navigating the menus and options therein.
> http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Office-for-Mac-ribbon-default-1024x614.png
> 
> I think we can achieve the customization desired while maintaining the HIG for OSX.
> 
> Ignoring the other suggestions for a moment, changing the File menu name to Project (or Composer) does not go against the HIG for OS X (the initial discussion of this thread). This has be established. It does affect user expectations, however.
> 


I think this is debatable. Per our irc conversation yesterday, there are semantics to what constitutes a document-basis for a program versus a non-document basis. My understanding of the exception in the HIG is that a program that does not have a document that the program operates on can consider removing or renaming the File menu item. From the HIG [0]:

"In general, each command in the File menu applies to a single file (most commonly, a user-created document). If your app is not document-based, you can rename the File menu to something more appropriate or eliminate it."

I consider a map project to be a document, whether it is based off of a physical file, *.qgs, as it currently does or whether it is a record in a db, a possible feature for the future of QGIS. I don't see the wiggle room on the HIG for QGIS consequently.

Regards,
John

[0] https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/Menus/Menus.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000356-TP6
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