Re: gEDA-user: Layer button backgrounds

[Kai-Martin Knaak <kmk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stephen Ecob wrote:

> Photoshop (and also GIMP) use a small on/off icon that looks like an
> eye to control layer visibility.

In gimp, this is inside a dedicated layer dialog, not in a side bar.


> This may or may not be a good way to
> do it, but it is certainly a familiar UI to many people.

This advantage wears off as the user uses the feature more often.
Using layers is very basic to PCB. Typical use switches layers 
very often in a session. Because of this, long term aspects become 
more important, like efficient use of screen real estate and good
visibility of important aspects.

Eye icons would demand an additional share of space that cannot be
used for the canvas. Greyed out buttons buttons are a very intuitive
and obvious way to signal invisibility.

By the way, there is a about half a centimeter wasted screen to the 
right of the layer buttons. The tool buttons don't need it, either. 
IMHO, this is because the width of the side box is hard coded. It 
provides some extra space in case the layer names are longer than
default. 
Sugestion: 
Make the width of the side bar depend on what its contents need. 

---<)kaimartin(>---
-- 
Kai-Martin Knaak
Email: kmk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://pool.sks-keyservers.net:11371/pks/lookup?search=0x6C0B9F53
not happy with moderation of geda-user



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