[GRASS-dev] Making start of GRASS GIS easier for newcomers

[Vaclav Petras]

On Mon, Feb 2, 2015 at 2:09 PM, Michael Barton <Michael.Barton at asu.edu>
wrote:

> To make this more compact, there is still extraneous information not
> needed below the location and mapset windows.


I don't think we have a consensus of what is the information needed.
Shortest is no info but that's not ideal neither. Perhaps we should use
word database rather then directory as a primary term, so users actually
realize that it is something special.

gisdbase = database
location = 'subdatabase' (it also seems like a database)
mapset = namespace

Also, error messages should be in popup error windows, not displayed on the
> main dialog.


We are trying to do the start of GRASS more friendly. As I already
described, in 6.4 (and old 7) if you start GRASS and
1) the gisdbase is empty or
2) the gisdbase does not exist (after moving the grassdata dir or *during*
manual editing of the field) or
3) you are starting GRASS for the first time (i.e. you had no rc file, try
with mv ~/.grass7/rc ~/.grass7/rc.backup)
you get an error dialog. These are the states which beginner is likely to
get. Popping up error dialogs are really unfriendly and warm welcome in
command line with recommendation to get a "current catalog of available
computer maps" will not really fix it. Moreover, the error dialogs are
annoying for an advanced user too when all one needs to do it just to
change one value.

These error messages as a part of the window is a modern/current technique
how to deal with different errors and warnings which would soon overwhelm
user. Another advantage is that user can read the error message again and
again until the problem is solved. The need to press OK in error dialog is
just extra step which you have to do and the result is that everybody is
just pressing OK without reading the message and then the user doesn't know
what was the problem.

1) and 2) were already fixed in r57549. 3) fixed in r64405 was a bit
special because after pressing OK, you got browse dialog for gisdbase
without knowing what it is and what is the relation with the other things
(loc, mapset, data).

If there is no error message, the vertical space is used by Location and
Mapset lists. (Before one line was still there but the error message had to
be one line too).

We need long enough descriptions and we need the error messages. If there
is something extra, it is the banner and a little bit of Location and
Mapset lists which are now higher than before (even with an error message).
Look at the attached image and tell me if I should make the Location and
Mapset smaller (I hope it will be possible do implement).

http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/changeset/57549/grass/trunk/gui/wxpython/gis_set.py
http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/changeset/64405/grass/trunk/gui/wxpython/gis_set.py
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