unity-design team mailing list archive

[Gregory Merchan <gregory.merchan@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 2:09 PM, supernova <supernova.it@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> So it would be better if on passing of mouse appear automatically two icons
> showing the two first  programs?

If the mouse rested on an icon for a little while (maybe a second?), I
imagine it would be useful to show some information about what the
icon represents. Something like a large tool tip or speech balloon
could fade in listing:

file name, file type
last use, last change
special info depending on type
Use with:
  default program
  other program 1
  other program 2

Moving the mouse to another icon would take this information display
away. Less time spent not moving the mouse (less than half a second?)
would be needed to open the next displays. This allow the user who has
seen the tool (the information display) to use it again promptly, but
once there's a context switch (once the user does something unrelated)
the initial delay is restored.

Clicking on the information display could turn it into (close it and
open) the full file property panel. The information displayed at first
would have to be similar enough that the connection is obvious.

Just an idea. I'm not claiming it's a good one. Rollover effects
should generally be limited to opened menu and button-down modes, tool
tips, and maybe subtle indications of targeting in cramped UIs. By
"cramped UIs" I mean things like wiring diagrams, multi-line plots,
and CAD drawings.