ivan wrote:@Sebastiano
Wouldn't you rather want L to show the unread messages on your webmail? If not, what would you want instead of the mail list?

of course, that would be great.

also as I mentioned I have the contacts plasmoid on my desktop, it would be nice if the size of the contact icons could be configured.

Best regards, Sebastiano

@Sebastiano
Icons? Contact avatars or what? L tries to load avatars from contacts, but it has to do it by guessing. If the avatar is not found, the default oxygen icon for online contacts is used.

@Ivan
Thanks for consider my sugestions ...

I was think more about the idea of using Lancelot as a panel, and a thought about more changes. The picture is in 800x480 that is the resolution of nokia n810, 7" eeepc and classmatePC.



1. Make the search bar smaller so you can have a larger area to other things.

2. Create another tab where you can put the system tray to have more space to task manager in the new kicker. When I was drawing the mockup I realize that Lancelot is a plasmoid and I don`t know if is possible to put a plasmoid inside another. But it just a brainstorm so I decide to post it.

@Don
Well, I can not discuss this now. Just like Jrick's proposal, this is mostly about developing a new application or heavily modifying current Lancelot. I have to say that I do like your idea, but that really is not going to happen anytime soon, unless somebody is willing to write a new /shell/ for Lancelot.

ivan wrote:@Sebastiano
Icons? Contact avatars or what? L tries to load avatars from contacts, but it has to do it by guessing. If the avatar is not found, the default oxygen icon for online contacts is used.

yeah that's it. But nevermind, I think it deals with contact avatars in quite a smart way.

1) When the search field is in use and all letters are deleted I would like L to go back into the "Applications-menu".

2) Now the search field need 3 letters before it start searching, I would like it to start searching after 1st letter (if not as default then maybe as an option).

3) I think it would bee nice if the menu-point in applications still are highlighted when you are in the sub menu so that you can see witch menu-point you are in. (I know this information is in the top (under the search-field), but this would bee more intuitive, at least for me:star: )

@Mar
1) I think it is an ok request
2) Bug the devels of KRunner for that one
3) Yes, I plan to do it eventually. Now, this happens only when you're navigating using keyboard.

I would like to see Lancelot getting more simpler. Right now it looks too busy I'll try to create some mock ups later.

Another suggestion is improving the search. For example when I search for "audio cd" or, the results could be like this:
- Create a new audio CD (This opens K3B with a new cd project)
- Open Music Player (Amarok or any other music player)

This way the (new)user doesn't have to know what app is needed for creating cd's. It's like asking a question and getting the answer at the same time.

Checked out lancelot just a few hours ago (using trunk, 4.1.73, not sure where to check the exact revision number of Lancelot since I was stupid enough to forget the number...) and the following are what comes to mind.

1. If you right-click on entry: the possibility to add icon to panel/desktop should be present like in kickoff. Dragging works (to the desktop, but not to the panel) but for some right-click is more intuitative, especially since there is a "Add to favourites" entry".
2. In the contacts category: It shouldn't rely on people using kopete. Personally, I prefer Kmess but others should be available as well if installed/preferred.
3. Favourites: it should be possible to sort the list.
4. Documents/New: The user should be able to add programs there instead of and/or adding to the pre-defined actions. Not sure why I have only Inkscape and Gimp there for instance and would love to have Kate, OOWriter, and K3b there for example.
5. It should be possible to clear/sort recently used programs/documents list.
6. Computer/System: it should be possible to add/remove what's shown there (i.e. specific yast modules for suse, nvidia-settings, and what not)
7. Computer/places: pretty much the same issue as computer/system, and maybe it should reflect what's defined in the places sidebar in dolphin. The ordinary fileselctor honors it, and I think the menu should too.

A couple of bugs while I'm at it:

1. If you right-click on entry: if it's already in favourites (or desktop/panel if you add that right-click feature) then "Add to favourites" should not be present
2. In the Contacts category: It sometimes says "Mail client is not running" even though Kontact is iconified in the systray.
3. The icon in the panel doesn't like to scale to the size of the panel when logging in. if I change the icon by lancelot-settings, it gets the correct size (may be due to the KDE version I'm running though).

A great menu despite those, in my opinion, short-comings. And it can only get better!

@lzfy
Concerning the 'simplifying the menu': For that to happen, the simplifying can not be an overhaul of the menu. Lancelot now has a user base that got accustomed to the current behaviour and appearance.

And as far as the searching goes, complain to the KRunner people

1. The problem is technical in nature - Lancelot, unlike Kickoff, is a separate application, and in a completely different process from Plasma. So L would have to send a message to its applet (and there could be more than one applet at the same time, so only one of them should handle that message) so that applet could create an icon on the panel... Too much hassle for me at the moment.

2. Obviously, Kopete is supported since I'm using it. There are plans to support Telepathy (via Decibel) once it becomes stable enough. And to support custom plugins. I will not write plugins for all existing IMs, *maybe* for some that are more popular... The same goes for KMail.

3. Yes

4. ATM, this is hard-coded to add gimp, inkscape, oowriter and oocalc (i think ). L probably can not find OOo so it is not shown. This will be made configurable.

5. Yes

6. Maybe

7. I have explained that a couple of months ago. L uses separate mechanisms for places, for devices etc. So, if it were to use the dolphin's sidebar items, it would have to check what should go where etc. and the conclusion is like in (1)

Make it start faster if possible.
At least when L. is started the first time after booting, it needs much more time to come up than Kickoff.

(The most, and only, annoying thingy in Lancelot for me)

@Nashwan
Well, this should be the past as of this moment The applet was not starting Lancelot (the application) until it was requested to show, thus the slow first start. (it was fast if you shown categories in the applet though, because in that case the applet needed to start L to get the list of categories from it) Now it works as expected.

I don't know if it was suggested already, so:
Open lancelot->Applications->Multimedia
Now we see two columns:
Categories and Applications.
Negative points are: columns have different size, and no connectivity between selected Category and Applications column (except topbar, but it is not connected with those two in user mind).

I suggest to highlight Category in Categories column, so that user get that he is in this one now and that there are other options on in categories column.

It could be done for example like this:
1) Draw background for selected category (in categories column) with different color.
2) draw all other categories in light gray (unseleted), so that selected category and applications column are in same color (white) and all other are in gray.

With this option user will get conntectivity between columns (which is unclear for now) and will see full path when he go throw many levels of categories.

'Top bar' is not connected in mind with those two columns and doesn't help user until he get familiar with lancelot.

@OnlyWhisky
Different size: Intentional - if you enter a category, it means that you want to see what is in it, and Lancelot gives you more space for the thing you want (btw, it is golden ratio between the widths of the two columns)

As for the marking the path where we came from in the lists, it was already discussed here, and I said that it is already on the TODO list.

ivan wrote:@OnlyWhisky
Different size: Intentional - if you enter a category, it means that you want to see what is in it, and Lancelot gives you more space for the thing you want (btw, it is golden ratio between the widths of the two columns)

As for the marking the path where we came from in the lists, it was already discussed here, and I said that it is already on the TODO list.

I wasn't saying size of columns should be changed, I just said it reduce mindability, but if path (wich will solve this problem) is already in todo list, then thats all, thank you.