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Opal Feature Requests

I've just started using Opal, and I like it.  It is simple, clean, and easy to use.  I have a couple of comments, which I will make (one per topic).

The display shows triangles which seem as if they should be disclosure triangles - click to see what is "under" them.  In fact, they are just decoration, and to get the disclosure, you have to double-click (or use menu/shortcuts).

Is it feasible to make them real disclosure triangles?

Hollow vs. filled is a nice way to indicate whether there is content below the topic.

Regards,

Justin

Thanks for keeping to one idea per topic!

Opal triangles aren't disclosure triangles because they serve a dual purpose: they represent the topic as a whole. They afford selection, and let you drag it around. So they don't behave like a disclosure triangle, and thus look different.

(Historical note: Acta had its triangles long before Mac OS did.)

> The display shows triangles which seem as if they should be disclosure triangles - click to see what is "under" them. [...] to get the disclosure, you have to double-click (or use menu/shortcuts).

I agree with Mr. Walker. Although Acta may have pioneered disclosure triangles in the past, their use in Mac OS X applications has evolved to behave as Mr. Walker describes.

Since Opal is feature frozen ( a *good* thing!), I would frame this as a feature request for a newer version.

Best wishes,
Clint

How do you propose distinguishing a click to disclose (expand/collapse) from a click to select?

Ah, there's the rub.  We've got some of the same behavior with the same symbology, and it's nice when all of the behavior can come along for the ride, but we've also got some functionality that the Finder doesn't have and it's got to fit in ther somewhere.

The part I wish was the same as in Finder windows is the way you can command-arrow to open and close them (in the Finder) and also the option-variant thereof where you can open/close all visible levels ...

To answer David's question:
  "How do you propose distinguishing a
    click to disclose (expand/collapse)
    from a click to select?"

Selection works now by clicking to the left of the bullet/outline id (as in "IV", "A", ...), so that shouldn't change.

The triangles themselves would become active elements (if that is the proper term).

Few of my outlines have on-screen labels (I don't know how most people set things up). In this case, there's nothing to the left to click on.

Conceivably a "click to expand" preference would require you to click twice to select, sort of the opposite of the way things now work. Off the top of my head, I don't know how well this would work with multiple selection.

TERRIBLE SINKING FEELING!!!

or to put it another way: NOOOOOO!!!!

The behavior of the triangles in OmniOutliner (i.e. as described herein by the OP) is the main reason why I wanted Acta resurrected.  Opening a topic in a single click is exactly backwards in my opinion - it makes reorganizing a nightmare.

Please, please, don't change this!

(As always, if you want to make it an option then knock yourself out :-)

Jim

By the way, the second thing I hated most about OO was the use of the small black circles for bottom level topics vs. small black triangles for topics with subtopics - they are much harder to distinquish at a glance than Acta/Opal's solid black vs. outlined white triangles.

Jim