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From: ke2y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Font menu SANITY!!
Message-ID: <3644.25fff4e7@vax5.cit.cornell.edu>
Date: 16 Mar 90 00:02:47 GMT
References: <cZyo5eC00WBLE1o1kH@andrew.cmu.edu> <1990Mar12.234628.22333@cs.umn.edu> <3262@pur-phy> <1990Mar14.134618.12628@phri.nyu.edu>
Distribution: comp
Lines: 66

In article <1990Mar14.134618.12628@phri.nyu.edu>, roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes:
> 
> 	Here's a human interface question.  Let's say you wanted to make a
> 4-level pull-right menu for fonts, so you can set family, size, weight, and
> slant, i.e. Helvetica 18 demi oblique.  The question is, which order do you
> want to have them?  Like I did above, or you you prefer Helvetica oblique
> demi 18, or 18 Helvetica oblique demi, or .....
> --
> Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute
> 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
> roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy
> "My karma ran over my dogma"

  Well, I just finished sorting through all this Font Menu stuff, especially
that concerning weights.

  Roy - I don't know if I'm really qualified to answer your question, but
I'll throw some advice your way:

                    DON'T use 4-level heirarchal menus!!!

  Not only do Apple Human Interface guidelines say that hierarchal menus
with more than 2 levels are a big no-no, but if you've got a 9" screen,
you'll run into BIG problems trying to fit

     New Century Schlbk __
                           -48__
                                -Demi__
                                       -Oblique
 on your screen!

  My suggestion is that you try one of two approaches:

1.  Create a 'Text Attribute' dialog.  Inside, have pop up menus of Font,
    Size, Weight, Slant and Misc. (for Shadow, Outline, etc.)
    (Eg. something similar to the MS Word 4.0 'Character' dialog, but add a
     menu for weights instead of the 'Bold' checkbox)

2.  Use a 'Text' menu, with hierarchal menu options for Font, Size, Weight,
    Slant, etc.  This will probably make it a bit faster since menus seem to
    be quicker to access, esp. when changing only one item.  Also menus
    tend to 'draw' faster than dialogs.  A drawback is that it can clutter up
    a menu bar a great deal.

  With either approach, I would suggest putting in a 'Status' area, displaying
the 'full' name of the current font.  As to order, I suggest font family first,
followed by weight, slant, and size.  I'm not sure where I'd put other
style modifiers.

  Hope this is helpful.

                                              -- John

PS:  I wish the big names would offer at least 'Weight' menus instead of
     the standard 'Bold' option.  If it seems to big a hassle to 'standard'
     users, it could be a 'Power-User' option - i.e. only under 'Full Menus'
     or toggle through Preferences type feature.

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|  John T. Chapman                       |                                    |
|                                        |  Witty message under repair...     |
|  ke2y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu             |                                    |
|  ke2y@crnlvax5.bitnet                  |                                    |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       Disclaimer: These opinions are mine.  You can't have them!            |
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