* More of a Windows feel

[jamesingram]

I feel FH would be more user-friendly if there were more Windows-like features to it. Examples are greater use of right-click context menus and drag-and-drop functionality, but I don't mean all the colours and soft corners and fading menus and cosmetic stuff, or bloating things with loads of functionality under every click. Rather it's to help users with short memories by giving them just a few identical ways to carry out a large range of tasks.

I bought the software about three months ago, faithfully worked my way through the manual (well, about two thirds of it) and was very impressed.
I've not used it now for 3 or 4 weeks and, early senility aside, already I'm forgetting how to carry out certain tasks.

Example: I wanted to create a new Named List but couldn't remember how. My honest reaction was not to read the manual but to right-click various parts of the Named List frame hoping to get a context menu with a menu item like 'New List...'. Eventually I spotted the Lists menu on the main menu bar, but was left thinking 'why a whole menu on the main menu bar dedicated to just Named Lists ? Wouldn't this do better as a 'local' tool bar at the top of the Named List box ? Or under a right click ?'.

You may have guessed this next bit, but once I'd created my new list I then wanted to quickly drag a record from the left hand side of the records window and drop it into the new list. OK it didn't take more than a couple of seconds to think of going back to the Lists menu and finding 'Add to Selected Named List' but it seems odd to have such a context-specific function on a main menu.

I'm aware there's a lot going on in the user interface already, but along the same lines it would be very handy if say there was a context-sensitive window present that gave you a list of commands available according to what you most recently selected. I suspect I'm thinking of something like the XP Windows Explorer window, where you can have collapsible lists of functions under 'File and Folder Tasks' such as Delete File, Copy File and so on.

Regards










ID:854

[Jane]

The quick way to add to a list is to press F4 with the record you want to add selected. Or press the green arrow button on the icon bar.