Usability Problem: "Outline" is missing consistent references to Characters, PlotItems and WorldItems (also concerns editor's notes/references field and the cheatsheet) #1186
Hi!
Again thanks for this great software. I only discovered one serious usability problem:
Observations:
The Outline tab only has the POV column, to refer to a Character.
But other Characters can only be added to a text section (not to folders) in the Editor tab with the {C:...} syntax in a text field (reference/notes).
WorldItems can only be added in this way.
Instead, both the Outline and the Editor Tab could each provide "multiple selection fields", to add/remove Characters or WorldItems to folders and text sections in an easy way (e.g. something like this: https://www.syncfusion.com/winforms-ui-controls/combobox/multiselect-combobox ).
You can drag a PlotItem over to the outline tree, to create a new text section, which references back to the PlotItem (using the {P:...} syntax in the reference/notes textfield). But you cannot do that with drag'n'drop to an existing text section.
Again, like No. 1, there could be a multiple selection field to add/remove PlotItems to folders or text sections in an easy way.
Re: 1 and 2: Changing the data format in this way, would make it also easier, to easily find text sections, that refer to a given Character, WorldItem or PlotItem... (because no text needs to be parsed). So, it would be easy, to make a dialog "show me all chapters/scenes, where this character/worlditem/plotitem is used!".
If PlotItems are referenced in the "wrong order" (e.g. Chapter 1 refers to "Plot-A Solution", while Chapter 2 refers to "Plot-A Crisis"), the storyline does not visualize this "reverted" order (which might be used in a flashback scene); also a PlotItem "missing" in the Outline is not indicated.
The Cheatsheet is a very handy thing... Nice! But, when you are writing in the Editor tab, and you click on a {....} reference, you are taken away to the other Tab and respective Item, loosing the place where you just worked.....
Instead, the click could bring up the respective cheatsheet, to give a quick look at the object, and only then the user might decide to leave the editor towards some other tab!
Thanks again for your work! Amazing software!
Note: I also wrote Issue #1185
If the suggestions there should somehow evolve into concrete form, then "MindmapItems" and "ResearchItems" should be treated the same way as "Characters", "WorldItems" and "PlotItems". This was my general idea after all, that Characters, WorldItems and PlotItems could be used more consistently.
Hi! Again thanks for this great software. I only discovered one serious usability problem:
Observations:
The Outline tab only has the POV column, to refer to a Character. But other Characters can only be added to a text section (not to folders) in the Editor tab with the {C:...} syntax in a text field (reference/notes). WorldItems can only be added in this way. Instead, both the Outline and the Editor Tab could each provide "multiple selection fields", to add/remove Characters or WorldItems to folders and text sections in an easy way (e.g. something like this: https://www.syncfusion.com/winforms-ui-controls/combobox/multiselect-combobox ).
You can drag a PlotItem over to the outline tree, to create a new text section, which references back to the PlotItem (using the {P:...} syntax in the reference/notes textfield). But you cannot do that with drag'n'drop to an existing text section. Again, like No. 1, there could be a multiple selection field to add/remove PlotItems to folders or text sections in an easy way.
Re: 1 and 2: Changing the data format in this way, would make it also easier, to easily find text sections, that refer to a given Character, WorldItem or PlotItem... (because no text needs to be parsed). So, it would be easy, to make a dialog "show me all chapters/scenes, where this character/worlditem/plotitem is used!".
If PlotItems are referenced in the "wrong order" (e.g. Chapter 1 refers to "Plot-A Solution", while Chapter 2 refers to "Plot-A Crisis"), the storyline does not visualize this "reverted" order (which might be used in a flashback scene); also a PlotItem "missing" in the Outline is not indicated.
The Cheatsheet is a very handy thing... Nice! But, when you are writing in the Editor tab, and you click on a {....} reference, you are taken away to the other Tab and respective Item, loosing the place where you just worked..... Instead, the click could bring up the respective cheatsheet, to give a quick look at the object, and only then the user might decide to leave the editor towards some other tab!
Thanks again for your work! Amazing software!
Note: I also wrote Issue #1185 If the suggestions there should somehow evolve into concrete form, then "MindmapItems" and "ResearchItems" should be treated the same way as "Characters", "WorldItems" and "PlotItems". This was my general idea after all, that Characters, WorldItems and PlotItems could be used more consistently.