Selecting in Exporting blocks

[khotchkiss13]

Talking with a few students, It seems like a good idea would be able to choose "select all" or "de-select all" when exporting blocks. I feel like this is a good idea, as it could save a lot of time.

[studej]

If you right-click in export blocks menu it will shows you "select all" and "select none" items. Yea, Snap! is full of hidden things :-)

[khotchkiss13]

Thanks @studej This shouldn't be a hidden feature though. This is a pretty common visible feature in many different programs and website, and so, I think it should be in the user's field of view.

[cycomachead]

This is a pretty common visible feature in many different programs and website, and so, I think it should be in the user's field of view.

I don't doubt that the current UI should be more clear / consistent, but I'm not sure these need to be always visible. In most applications I'm aware of selection is behind a context menu.

I don't see that many students using export blocks to begin with. I'd like to know how students actually use it.

[marwahaha]

many students seem to export blocks to share with their project partners -- testing functions, etc.

I think that these buttons should exist permanently -- within dialog boxes, it's unclear whether right-clicks do anything.

[marwahaha]

Other reason that CS10 students use Export Blocks (heard in the Orchard/CS10 lab) -

cool block made in a lab or old project, I want to use it in a new project or homework

[brianharvey]

I agree, there should be select-all and deselect-all buttons in that box.

[cycomachead]

Where would they go and what would they look like?

Not that I think it's a bad idea, but Snap! currently doesn't have a great UI for these options. I don't think they should be as big as OK or Cancel. I definitely think this could be made easier for users but the locations for buttons I can think of seem a bit random.

(The reason I said students don't use export blocks that often, is because to do things that Kunal describes, I've seen students simply share and export projects more than use exporting blocks. Especially since blocks cannot (currently) be exported to the cloud, the students that have wanted to share blocks, simply share a project.)

[khotchkiss13]

@cycomachead That is something that would have to be figured out. I honestly don't know where they would go either.

[marwahaha]

Select all / Select none buttons should look like "Make a variable" buttons, and should be located at the bottom of the list of blocks to be exported (within the dialog box).

[brianharvey]

Because the functionality is there (albeit hidden) this is low priority, but it'd be a good student project. I would put little checked and unchecked boxes above the block window, followed by the word "all": ☑ ◽ All with the boxes marked (by different background color?) as clickable.