User talk:Fabartus/EditorFeature
Initial concept for posting to User talk: Interiot as feasiblity question, but length suggests this sub-page a better way. (Doesn't Clutter Either Talk)
Hi again! Just posted on a misunderstanding this on user talk: Tony Sidaway:
If I write any code these days at all it's C++, Pascal, or FORTRAN, so I'm not JAVA or script savvy, nor browsers and their controllable features. But it occured to me when thinking about (1), that such discourtesy is probably rooted in the difficulty of changing contexts when making an edit, or series of edits (Follow me here)
- The party is in the middle of an long edit on something important.
- He previews some changes, and the system puts up the alert saying he has new edits on the talk page (KT1)==(Key Time 1)
- He clicks from the preview 'alert banner link' to see the mail (Creating a 'Push' onto Stack) Also note that the page has been refreshed at some URL.
- Backing out 'one time' is easy (3-5 Backspace key strokes reachieves interupted 'KT1') so he edits his own talk with the answer. (expecting some sycophantic corespondent to lay at his feet for the answer)==(check 'Mr BIGSHOT's talk page over and over and over and over and ... for a 'crumb')
- He is too lazy to open a second browser window, or his desktop is already cluttered with a lot of windows, and arrogant and egocentric, and further additionally lazy that typing a user name in the new window is too taxing, so elects to not notify whomever interupted his important work, i.e. that he's just answered at all is enough (to him), as I can agreee that it is inconvienient to click on the 'talk' part of a signature (or worse, the user doesn't have a talk equipped signature) and open yet another edit window costing ten plus backspace keystrokes to reach 'KT1' and resume important work.
So my question:
- Assuming one dropped over to another's talk page to leave a terse courtesy note as cited. Can you equip a browser (Toolbar button?) somehow to automatically return to KT1 by clicking the requisite number of Backspaces for him.
- No! Not for the RUDE arogant SOB, but for the many editors that follows a link from one preview window, sees a need of another edit, makes that, follows a link from the new preview2 window, follows that finds another problem and so opens an edit-Nth window... Eventually we've got to save each final 'preview', and backspacing too far is very easy indeed! and can be disorienting to the point of confusion.
- I've lost big significant edits that way, same deal with second browser pages being open– it gets confusing as to what is 'done' and what still needs saved, and where that what is! Especially if you're also involved in more urgent interactive activities like mediating edit wars and the like while also trying to be productive on your own projects.
- I do that sort of editing all the time, and it IS a real pain (intense, have to stay very focused) trying to figure whether you've backed the right number of windows to the last 'unsaved' first or or some other earlier edit. Not to mention the intervening N-1, N-2,..., with (again the key factor) probably multiple previews. At the same time, need to keep ability to discard an unsuccessful attempt and return to an earlier state. (Backspace to two or three edit windows, cause the preview is worse than that state). This we can do now, but it's also what were trying to manage 'Away' when we're satisfied.
- How confusing can it be you ask? Try opening the first edit (needs saved last) window circa 07:30 am, and quitting at 2 or 3 am the next day! But forgetting to save edits 1, 2, and 3 in first browser window, and say articles 7, 11, and 15 in a second browser window. Note– ALL THE HARD WORK IS DONE – each edit is previewed and acceptable and ready to save. Did you save it? If not where were you editing it?... Confusing indeed!
- Now when I generate preview, I'd infer that the browser transfers my edit back to the server, which outputs the WYSIWYG displayed. If so, couldn't this be the focal point of such a feature... so that only the last change to the url is 'Popped' off a stack?
- Alternatively, it strikes me as feasible were there a toolbar button to 'manually PUSH (temp save LIFO stack) when needed, and POP Back on level. Would save a tremendous amount of time, (not to mention taking away excuses by egocentric impolite Arrogant bigshots <G>).
- Don't forget an 'UNDO' feature, and it can't be '^Z' as the pop will be back to an open edit window.
I'm sure you see my point. I'd also think 'discarding' a pushed item also be an occasional need. That occasion might be implimented by default, i.e.when the user doesn't hit save after popping a state. Or perhaps in this case it's 'Save and Pop back to Prev'
How hard would this be? Can such be done with scripts or is hard coded system software necessary? Thanks, FrankB 20:48, 19 March 2006 (UTC)