Hello everybody!

Currently the selector drop down defaults (back) to 'class' when a new element is selected. Looking at our workflow and following some discussions in the forums we were thinking about changing it.

Our proposal would be to keep the selection option (type, class, ID) active when switching the selection. It would only change if the user would select another option. Now, this is an important part of the workflow so if the current behavior is totally ingrained in your processes we might not want to touch it...

Thought or feelings anybody?

My vote would be to leave it alone.

Change it or give users the option to select their preference. I'm always overwriting a class when I was working with an ID.

I would prefer it to stay the same. 'Class' is, by far, the most frequent setting I use, and, to use your phraseology, the "current behavior is totally ingrained in [my] processes."

The thing is though, if you are using a class it keeps that option selected...unless you change it

I think Eric's comment about inadvertent overwriting of values is important. I find it too easy sometimes to assume I'm working with ID when actually I'm back to working with a class, the 'Apply To' box having been scrolled up out of view.

Although I personally favour the change proposed in the first post in this thread, I think that, whatever decision is made, it is important that there be some way to keep in view whether one is working with a Type, ID, or Class, and in which (hover etc.) State. At present, when the Design panel is in view, the space immediately below the pencil icon seems unused, and perhaps could be used for that purpose.

Frank

I support Frank's idea of somehow make it more clear. Like Eric, I am too often overwriting classes.
May be you could block an element when selected and specifically ask before a change is applied (and make this a user-selected option in settings).

Ok, thanks for the input everyone. I personally like the suggestion from Frank to use the space at the top of the design pane for clarification. Since the opinions were a bit divided we might not make this change for V1.5 just yet

So how would that work if I'm editing a component with an ID, and then I switch to a component that doesn't have an ID -- would it assign an ID automatically (I hope not) or would it automatically revert to a class, or what?

I'm thinking what would be most intuitive is for RSD to automatically put me in the most discriminating mode. Meaning, if I select a component that has an ID, it defaults to ID. If the component doesn't have an ID, then it defaults to class. If I'm on an ID and I want to edit the class, I can change the selection option to do what I want.

I think this is an important usability factor because the current workflow almost lost me as a customer when, as a newbie, I had been blissfully editing things only to discover that I was changing classes instead of IDs.

Curtis

Interesting thought! Our idea is still to not guess the workflow or the intend of the user though, difficult to predict what exactly is happening. What, for example, if he/she is jumping through a bunch of flex elements, assigning IDs to individually specify the flex order? In our experience and from how we see people using the app the best approach still would be to NOT change the selector so it only changes when SPECIFICALLY changed by the user. And make it more clear what is currently selected

I think this is an important usability factor because the current workflow almost lost me as a customer when, as a newbie, I had been blissfully editing things only to discover that I was changing classes instead of IDs.

Curtis[/quote]