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The result of Find in Files is displayed in the output window area, which is quite small. So there is not much space to see the results of the search, and it is important to save as much space in this area as possible. Currently the three buttons at the bottom (Show All Details, Modify Criteria and Stop Search) take up quite a lot of vertical space. I suggest to move them to the area on the left (below the Previous/Next button), which will save a lot of space. I am attaching a screenshot of the output window. My screen resolution is 1280x800.
Created attachment 85185 [details] Screenshot of the Search Results window
I agree with the space concern. But buttons at the bottom are used more frequently and IMO should be more visible than the buttons on the left side. Might be we could improve space situation by eliminating some free space above and below buttons and/or redesigning buttons themselves. Ondrej, what do you think ?
Agree the space may be a concern, but I won't give you a clear yes/no answer. Let me go through the buttons one after another. Show all Details - should be in a left column as a toggle filter .. (similarly to filters in tasklist, for consistency reasons) Stop search - should be standard IDE progress, possible to cancel using standard NetBeans UI (progress indication in the bottom right corner, not a dedicated button in the form. Modify criteria - probably the element in question here. Either a button as it is now, or if we really think space is a big concern, topmost icon in the left column. It can be seen as a compromise between the ease of discoverability (an icon will never tell as much as the text button) and space concerns.
Thanks for the data.
Thanks Ondro. I would vote for putting the Modify Criteria button on the left. Even if this makes the button slightly harder to find and even if some users overlook it, it is easy enough to start a new seach, so I think the benefit of the gained space outweighs the slight decrease in discoverability.
My viewpoint is the issue is absolutely valid. These buttons are located in the internal frame, but not in a dialog. In this case, a tool bar with buttons is a preferred solution instead of an extra panel with buttons. Moreover, the tool bar is already exist in this frame. I think, it will be coherent with user's expectations. Also, I agree that a widget for interrupting of the find operation should be visible only if the operation is actually in progress. A usual place, i.e. status bar of the IDE is the best place for this widget. Therefore, the GUI in this part should be redesigned.
Hi, any chance to fix this for NB 6.8? I know it's a relatively minor issue and not critial, but IMO it would be a nice subtle usability improvement.
no chance, sorry.
Fixed in the main trunk http://hg.netbeans.org/main/rev/8e11e0054120 Icons are provided for all control buttons, and they are moved into one tool bar.
v.