[GRASS-user] Some suggestions

[Hamish]

> Micha Silver wrote:
..
> > First: the overall structure of the application windows. I find it
> > bothersome and un-intuitive having several overlapping windows to
> > deal with.

Michael:
> Users commenting wanted the option of being able to keep properties
> dialogs open if desired so that they could quickly alter properties,
> redisplay, alter properties in another, redisplay, etc. This means
> that it is up to the user to close properties dialogs and reduce
> screen clutter, but offers more flexibility.

could there be a "keep alive" checkbox in the module GUI windows that
would ^Z,bg fork the window when [Run] was hit? Otherwise the GUI closes
after a "Operation Complete" [Ok] dialog.
?

> The second has one extra window (layer manager), but leaves
> more room in the display window for map display. GRASS has long
> followed the second model. It is a bit more cluttered if you are
> looking at one map, but less so if you are looking at more than one.

back to the idea of start with one window but allow tear-away. I expect
folks with multi-head displays will want the map display in a window in
one monitor and the controls in the other (original GRASS design AFAIK),
without having to tear-away manually each time. no idea what support is
like for this in wxPython.

> > Second: Currently (tcl/tk) the menu items appear as a long string
> > describing what each command does.

AFAIK tcl does not allow tooltips on menu items. Maybe this is different
for wxPython? Note the command name shows up on the bottom line of the
GIS Manager window as you pass through the menus.


> > Third: I'd like to see a fully interactive terminal window as part
> > of the main application window.
..
> Currently, you have most of what you are asking for in the TclTk
> console

suggestion: the "Output" window's interactive box (lower) should have
some caption indicating its existence, or include a prompt GRASS> + take
[Enter] to mean Run. see the GRASS prompt in the QGIS grass toolbox.


> What is missing is a fully interactive terminal--one that will prompt
> you for entries and you can respond.

Do you mean like:
  GRASS_UI_TERM=1 i.landsat.rgb
does, but output to tcl/python code not in the xterm?


Hamish