Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 61665
ux-ctest: Uncommon Reset button in OOo dialogs
Last modified: 2014-05-07 07:40:05 UTC
Recommendation: Remove Reset (Zurück) button from any dialog. Keyword: ux-ctest
The concept phase for OOo 3.0 has not started yet. Put this task "on hold" for OOo Later. I will reconsider this usability issue for an earlier release if resources are available.
I am no longer officially active on OOo. Please take over.
I haven't a clue what might have been intention here, but I doubt that that (still) is common sense.
I think the reason for this issue was that most applications don't provide [Reset] buttons because the user opens a dialog to change anything. If he don't want a change he simply click [Cancel]. So [Reset] seems obsolete.
Cancel is les powerful, because Reset/Back is possible separately for each Tab of the dialog, what is an advantage - if it works correctly, see related reports.
If changes were applied to document immediately then: Cancel = undo changes and leave dialog Reset = undo changes and stay with dialog But changes are not applied immediately so user needs to press OK to inspect actual changes in document and then returns to dialog for further adjustments but Reset has memory only from current dialog session... IMHO good suggestion.
IMHO is not an appropriate reason. Reset/Back buttons currently cause several problems because they do not work reliably in all dialogs, Help is a mess, nobody knows about function. So it is one option to remove these buttons. But there are other options like to improve documentation, add more features, repair bad function and and and. Without a careful weighing of benefit, costs, risks, possible further development, cited knowledge why these buttons have been introduced and so on no developer even will think about investing any time here. Short example: What if we decide that AOO shows result of changes in the document after "Apply" (currently AOO does not have that feature). You gable around a little with Writer Page Format, do some changes in Header, with page margins, Apply a background color and so on, and every change you do appears in page view after [Apply]. Finally you decide that everything is fine except Header borders. Now you need a simple [Back][OK] in that dialog tab and everything except those header borders will be
.. taken for the page formatting. But damned, Ediwn decided to remove Back buttons, we can not implement this feature? And what about accessibility? May be such a RESET button is important? Currently I can't find any discussion what might have been base for this report, may be that can help.
We have quite a lot requests for [Apply] buttons, see "Issue 10173 Comment 5 - Apply button to dialogs", what have impact here.
Probably related "Apply Button" Issues: "Issue 10173 - Apply button to dialogs" "Issue 15582 - Implement 'Apply changes' option" "Issue 45396 - "Apply" button in "Appearance" box " "Issue 51333 - Add "Apply" button to dialogs "Tools-Options" and "Tools-Customize"" "Issue 67848 - add a button 'Apply' on the dialog 'Object Properties'" "" "" "" "" "" ""
(In reply to Rainer Bielefeld from comment #8) > But damned, Edwin decided to remove Back > buttons, we can not implement this feature? Dear Mr. Bielefeld, This issue is more than eight years old! As I read, you are involved with the project for ten years. I joined to help the project a year and a half ago. Please don't blame me for your lack of action during the six and a half years when you and the issue were present, but I was not.