Make the “redo” panel use the horizontal strip-design #57731

New Issue

William Reynish · 2018-11-08T21:25:36+01:00

William Reynish commented

2018-11-08 21:25:36 +01:00

The current redo panel takes up a lot of space when opened. In the original design document, the vision for this was that it would most of the time be represented as a thin strip centered along the bottom, to stay out of the way as much as possible.

We should implement this design if there's enough horizontal space to display all the properties this way.

The current redo panel takes up a lot of space when opened. In the original design document, the vision for this was that it would most of the time be represented as a thin strip centered along the bottom, to stay out of the way as much as possible. We should implement this design if there's enough horizontal space to display all the properties this way. ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F5447388/image.png)

blender-admin commented

2018-11-08 21:25:36 +01:00

#55039 was marked as duplicate of this issue

William Reynish commented

2018-11-08 21:25:37 +01:00

Added subscribers: @WilliamReynish, @ideasman42, @RamiroCantu, @Regnas

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2018-11-08 23:41:47 +01:00

Added subscriber: @brecht

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2018-11-08 23:41:47 +01:00

To be honest I disagree about this, I think it's bad to have a different vertical/horizontal UI depending if there is enough space. It will be too random, you can't predict where things will appear.

William Reynish commented

2018-11-09 11:59:27 +01:00

@brecht: Well, the trouble is that the current design takes up a lot of space, and often overlaps big parts of the contents.

I almost think we could fully move to the 'strip' design always, if the inconsistency is a problem. If there isn't enough space, the properties could just re-flow to be in multiple rows.

@brecht: Well, the trouble is that the current design takes up a lot of space, and often overlaps big parts of the contents. I almost think we could fully move to the 'strip' design always, if the inconsistency is a problem. If there isn't enough space, the properties could just re-flow to be in multiple rows.

Ludvik Koutny commented

2018-11-09 12:16:12 +01:00

Added subscriber: @Rawalanche

Ludvik Koutny commented

2018-11-09 12:16:13 +01:00

Yes, if there's not enough horizontal space, then let's just do two rows, but please don't keep it the way it currently is. It's beyond ugly.

Gibran Kaleel commented

2018-11-09 13:17:39 +01:00

Added subscriber: @JonDoe286

Gibran Kaleel commented

2018-11-09 13:17:39 +01:00

+1 For a more, 'Centered' Horizontal-Strip Design. Will definitely save a lot of screen real-estate and remove that big black block from obstructing your work in the background. :) Right now, working with the Redo Panel is a bit cumbersome due to 2 things.

It's stuck to the left side of the Viewport. So every time you want to make changes, you've got to move your mouse pointer to the left-bottom corner of the screen. It's Cumbersome. (A nice improvement would be the ability to move it around & place it where you want it, and Blender remember it's position between sessions. But I remember reading that wasn't possible? Maybe I'm wrong.)
Hitting F6 to bring up the Redo-Panel at your mouse pointer is 'Perfect'. Always has been. But then again, you've got to reach over and hit F6 all the time. Which is also again, Cumbersome. And a lot of new users to Blender won't even know it's a thing. (I actually have it bound to one of my mouse side buttons for quick access. Can't expect everyone to have access to 3+ button mice and custom binds. Especially in a lot of educational institutes. But it should definitely be better and easily accessible by Design. For both Generic Mouse + Tablet users. Beginners & Vets alike.)

The perfect scenario would be to have it in just 2 places as per the initial design proposal.

Minimal, Centered, Semi-Transparent, Horizontal-Strip in the Bottom-Middle of the viewport, where it's Closest to where the user will be working on the scene at any given time. Also, Agree with William & Rawlanche. A 2 row design would still work if the vertical & horizontal padding between rows and columns are done just right. :)
As a Sub-Category of the Tool-Settings Panel in the Properties Editor. (But I remember Campbell saying it was not possible a while ago. Not sure if things have changed with the new API updates. We've come a long way since the Code Quest.)

So there will be the Active-Tool Settings sub-section and the Last-Operation Settings sub-section. Which would mirror the functionality of the top-bar and (in-viewport) horizontal-strip panel. But this gives users the Choice of hiding those 2 parts of the viewport for a cleaner, more spacious workspace and work Only with the Properties Panel open to the side. Or if they like working full-screen then the in-viewport strip can stay on. Win-Win! :)

There's also the 'Mesh Options, Normals, Workspace' sub-sections in the Tool-Settings panel. But those would mostly stay collapsed. as Active-Tool Settings & Last-Operation Settings are the most interacted with, 99% of the time.

Cheers 'n Thanks again for all the hard work you guys put in everyday. It's definitely been a journey. <3

+1 For a more, **'Centered'** Horizontal-Strip Design. Will definitely save a lot of screen real-estate and remove that big black block from obstructing your work in the background. :) Right now, working with the Redo Panel is a bit cumbersome due to 2 things. 1. It's stuck to the left side of the Viewport. So every time you want to make changes, you've got to move your mouse pointer to the left-bottom corner of the screen. It's Cumbersome. *(A nice improvement would be the ability to move it around & place it where you want it, and Blender remember it's position between sessions. But I remember reading that wasn't possible? Maybe I'm wrong.)* 2. Hitting F6 to bring up the Redo-Panel at your mouse pointer is **'Perfect'.** Always has been. But then again, you've got to reach over and hit F6 all the time. Which is also again, Cumbersome. And a lot of new users to Blender won't even know it's a thing. *(I actually have it bound to one of my mouse side buttons for quick access. Can't expect everyone to have access to 3+ button mice and custom binds. Especially in a lot of educational institutes. But it should definitely be better and easily accessible by Design. For both Generic Mouse + Tablet users. Beginners & Vets alike.)* The perfect scenario would be to have it in just 2 places as per the initial design proposal. 1. Minimal, Centered, Semi-Transparent, Horizontal-Strip in the Bottom-Middle of the viewport, where it's **Closest** to where the user will be working on the scene at any given time. Also, Agree with William & Rawlanche. A 2 row design would still work if the vertical & horizontal padding between rows and columns are done just right. :) 2. As a Sub-Category of the **Tool-Settings Panel** in the Properties Editor. *(But I remember Campbell saying it was not possible a while ago. Not sure if things have changed with the new API updates. We've come a long way since the Code Quest.)* So there will be the **Active-Tool Settings** sub-section and the **Last-Operation Settings** sub-section. Which would mirror the functionality of the top-bar and *(in-viewport)* horizontal-strip panel. But this gives users the **Choice** of hiding those 2 parts of the viewport for a cleaner, more spacious workspace and work **Only** with the Properties Panel open to the side. Or if they like working full-screen then the in-viewport strip can stay on. Win-Win! :) There's also the *'Mesh Options, Normals, Workspace'* sub-sections in the Tool-Settings panel. But those would mostly stay collapsed. as Active-Tool Settings & Last-Operation Settings are the most interacted with, 99% of the time. Cheers 'n Thanks again for all the hard work you guys put in everyday. It's definitely been a journey. <3

Duarte Farrajota Ramos commented

2018-11-09 13:37:31 +01:00

Added subscriber: @DuarteRamos

Duarte Farrajota Ramos commented

2018-11-09 13:37:31 +01:00

My greatest gripe currently is with the position. It is actually tucked to the left, but because the toolbar has variable width, and doesn't always reach the bottom it often looks random and misplaced.

+1 for making it at least movable, even if it can't remember positions. If possible pop it up close to mouse cursor

My greatest gripe currently is with the position. It is actually tucked to the left, but because the toolbar has variable width, and doesn't always reach the bottom it often looks random and misplaced. +1 for making it at least movable, even if it can't remember positions. If possible pop it up close to mouse cursor

William Reynish changed title from ~~Make the “redo” panel use the horizontal strip-design when there is enough space~~ to Make the “redo” panel use the horizontal strip-design

2018-11-09 13:53:09 +01:00

Campbell Barton commented

2018-11-12 06:27:35 +01:00

It would be good to take a few more complicated operators and show how they would look this this layout.

how to group XYZ args.
how enums/checkboxes look (which don't combine text inside the button)

While it can look "ok", it's not going to fit as nicely as the example shown.

Examples which probably won't fit so well.

Bevel.
Bisect.
Inset.
Loop cut and slide.
Subdivide.

It would be good to take a few more complicated operators and show how they would look this this layout. - how to group XYZ args. - how enums/checkboxes look (which don't combine text inside the button) While it can look "ok", it's not going to fit as nicely as the example shown. Examples which probably won't fit so well. - Bevel. - Bisect. - Inset. - Loop cut and slide. - Subdivide.

William Reynish commented

2018-11-12 16:26:39 +01:00

@ideasman42: Ok, I will make examples to demonstrate the design for these cases.