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Color Coded Grids and Data Entry Screens indicating fields that can/will be overwritten by data updates


Fred Slota

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Color Code the grids and data entry screens to show which fields can/will be overwritten by data updates.

 

I would prefer the color coding to be the background of the cells, but could also be bold vs. regular font or colored vs. black font.  Either a third style/shade could be used for those that are optional (cover date, Creators, etc), or the current/last used setting could just be reflected on those fields.

 

For those who say "Eww, I know which fields are which, I don't like this change, it's ugly.", provide a programmable setting that will turn off this feature.  But, make this feature default on for new databases, so that new users will see this detail and understand that while all fields can be changed, not all fields will retain these changes.

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It seems to me that what you are really asking for here isn't so much a functionality change but a means of conveying information to the ComicBase user.  It might just be simpler to just post a pop-up message to CB users when they elect to undergo a content update.  Something along the lines of:

   

The following fields are not be changed by ComicBase content updates:
...blah blah blah blah blah...

Depending on the options you select for the content update, the following fields might be changed by ComicBase content updates:
...blah blah blah blah blah....

All other fields in your database will updated by ComicBase content updates.

<radio button> Click here to not see this message again.

<button>  Click here to proceed.

    

[next pop-up is the one that we already get where the user selects various options regarding the content update]

   

Since there isn't really a detailed user manual or wiki for CB, the above would convey the information you're concerned about to CB users without cluttering up the user's database screen during regular day-to-day usage of the program.  

 

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1) Okay then, bold font.

2) I don't know that you can't use different colors in columns as in rows...  blue rows for ownership and pink columns for local fields, with purple cells for overlaps.

3) the fonting/coloring could also be applied to the headers

 

I'm trying to suggest a way to better inform the user at the point of deciding to make edits, not at the point of downloading updates.  Warning before the data is overwritten, while friendlier than no warning, is too late.  Warning before entering data that could be overwritten is better.

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I still think that because you are asking for a way to inform the user as to how the ComicBase program works, and I'm not a fan of cluttering up the CB user interface with stuff about the program as opposed to stuff about my collection contents. 

My opinion is that what you really should be asking for is a CB user manual or a CB wiki.  @Peter R. Bickford has indicated in the past that the CB user manual gets read very rarely by CB users.  I don't know what his thoughts are about a CB wiki.  

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