User request: Confusions about Field entries

Dear all,

recently I ask some other students what they think about my project and lots of 
people answered that they cannot distinguish between different field entries. 

Lets assume we have a TextField, CheckboxField and a DropdownField which are 
all empty. They look all the same and nobody knows what will happen if a click 
action is performed. Even if some text is chosen a dropdown menu can't be 
distinguished from a text, etc. 

This is quite confusing, especially for newbies or when new blocks are 
introduced.

Suggestions and ideas:
The text block is a very nice example to show how it could look like. Two 
images around the field indicate that the field is a text field. 
Unfortunately is not every textField automatically a string. Someone may use 
the field to type in something which is internally differently handled. 

Other images are required. 
Text: A symbol similar to that used when a mouseover operation is performed (it 
looks like an 'I').

checkbox: Do not hide the hook completely, just make it half or quarter 
transparent. I don't have an idea for an image.

dropdown: A triancle which fills the bottom right half of a square

Additional symbols:
I also implemented a functionality where a click on a checkbox mutates the 
shape of a block. Symbols similar to those mentioned on 
http://jqueryui.com/themeroller/ (try to open/close the font setting on the 
left side)

For me it would be enough to have some cool looking images but the integration 
into the fields would also be nice (it would be automatically handled and never 
forgotten) 

That's so far from my side and I hope you may find it useful or come up with 
other ideas how to prevent the user confusions.

Best regards
Marc

Original issue reported on code.google.com by borntob...@googlemail.com on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:01

clarkyblade / blockly

User request: Confusions about Field entries #105