status thingy

[Adam Iser]

I don't think I'd classify it as a problem with monitor layout though, since it's worked perfectly for me as I've set it up. And aside from this one monor issue I dislike in the new adium, it still continues to be an excellent system. I try and avoid using the menus as is because I find keyboard shortcuts to be far superior to using them.

Yeah, keyboard shortcuts are nice.

However, our current behavior is:
1) Select the status you want from the menu bar

You are requesting:
1) Press a keyboard shortcut
2) Select the status you want from a menu on the window that appears

You must still navigate a menu using the mouse, except that it happens to be, for your particular case, that the menubar is extremely far away while the window that appears is closer.

It may be the case that your monitor setup clashing with the Mac global menubar is only effecting Adium, but that does not make it an Adium problem nor one that is best fixed by changing Adium.

Look at it this way: If we implemented your request here and next week you download a new program which requires making a selection from the menubar, would you then request to the authors of that program for a keyboard shortcut that displays the menu contents in a window so that it's easier for you to reach with the mouse? What about the next program you discover, or the one after that?

This is why I suggested DejaMenu, which is a small program that allows you to call up a contextual menu version of the menubar under the cursor with the press of a key.

If solutions already exist in-app (standard list window) and via third party utilities (DejaMenu and others I'm sure), there is no reason for us to add this.

[eevyl]

Actually what'd be great would be customizable hot keys I could assign to specific status messages eliminating the need to HAVE to go to either menu. But I'm not pretending that's easy and/or plausible.

It's actually pretty easy to do that, just go to the "Keyboard shortcuts" tab of the "Keyboard and Mouse" pane of the System Preferences.

[michael]

It's actually pretty easy to do that, just go to the "Keyboard shortcuts" tab of the "Keyboard and Mouse" pane of the System Preferences.

Is there any way I can use this to change my MSN display name? It doesn't seem to like "Set Display Name..."

[rageous]

Actually what'd be great would be customizable hot keys I could assign to specific status messages eliminating the need to HAVE to go to either menu. But I'm not pretending that's easy and/or plausible.

It's actually pretty easy to do that, just go to the "Keyboard shortcuts" tab of the "Keyboard and Mouse" pane of the System Preferences.

You are absolutely right. I had completely forgotten about that.

[fuzzz]

Well seeing as I started this thread, i thought I should say something to make sure you guys know that I'm still alive and paying attention.

My main point was not about ease, it was about intuitiveness. And the Cmd+y made more sense to me. Now I noticed that a lot of people disagreed with me, but I still stand by what I said.

I probably could get used to going to the menu, but the option+click doesn't work at all with me. I get the tooltip preview, but that's it. Is there an easy way to modify the away message before I post it?

Also, what would be the problem of putting the old interface on the new message system? or at least the option of using the old interface or the new one? Because it seems that you could just add the status menu as a drop-down box in the custom box. (btw, please keep in mind that I'm not knowledgable about this type of programming)

Fuzzz

P.S again, is there any way to make the away message window not force it self on top?

[Adam Iser]

Also, what would be the problem of putting the old interface on the new message system? or at least the option of using the old interface or the new one?

The problem is that we'd have to design it, program it, test it, debug it, and then maintain and test it for years and years to come. Adding an option such as this would ammount to months of work over time, and I'm not about to spend months on something that less than 10 people will find the prefence for, much less use.

It's a common misconception that features and options are code and forget, or that tossing in something as an option would take 20-30 minutes tops. I speak from experience when I say this is certainly not the case

[GregChant]

Okay so that's now three people who disagree with evands' worksforme claim, although none of the devs have said anything about this. Should I put in a trac ticket about not being able to option-click in the status menu to change the prefilled text in the custom away message dialog, or is this just not considered a bug by the developers?

[Adam Iser]

Okay so that's now three people who disagree with evands' worksforme claim

Where?

although none of the devs have said anything about this. Should I put in a trac ticket about not being able to option-click in the status menu to change the prefilled text in the custom away message dialog, or is this just not considered a bug by the developers?

You don't need a dev's blessing to post a trac ticket on what seems like a bug

[GregChant]

Okay so that's now three people who disagree with evands' worksforme claim

Where?

Here:

The away message dialog box should change the away message displayed when a new away message is selected from the status menu. I think this is a much more sane way of handling things, and appeals to our intuitions on how this stuff should work.

worksforme

This does not work in .82b2. To replicate:

1. Press and hold Option.
2. Open the status menu.
3. Select an away message.
[At this point, the custom away message dialog box appears, pre-filled with the away message selected.

Now, at this time, there are two things I could gather one could do.

Choice 1:
4. Press and hold Option.
5. Open the status menu.
6. Select a different away message.
[Nothing happens: the custom away message dialog does not change.]

Choice 2:
5. Open the status menu without holding down Option.
6. Select a different away messsage.
[You go away, with the custom away message dialog box still present and with the old away message information. Cannot edit the new away message selected.]

Either way, it does not do what is being suggested it should do. I am proposing that, if one follows the steps in choice 1, the custom away message dialog should repopulate with the settings and text attached to the new away message selected.

Here:

I probably could get used to going to the menu, but the option+click doesn't work at all with me. I get the tooltip preview, but that's it. Is there an easy way to modify the away message before I post it?

And Here:

It's standard behavior, though, that you should be able to select a different option from the menu to change the custom box that is currently up. Selecting an item from the menu should have some effect. And Evan's "worksforme" indicates that this is a bug. I think once this bug is fixed, the interface will be good enough to make everyone happy.

I just wanted to make sure about the bug status of this. Personally, I think this way, once fixed, is going to be exactly what the Doctor ordered for everyone in this thread.

[Adam Iser]

Okay so that's now three people who disagree with evands' worksforme claim

Where?

Here:

1) Fred FredAkbar wasn't disagreeing, meerly observing.
2) I had assumed Fuzzz was using 0.81 and not 0.82b2 (hence why option wasn't working ).
3) You're counting yourself, no fair

But go ahead and toss me in there for 4 people, because I can't get it to work from away to away either

[jstamos]

I will chime in and say from away message to away message, it doesn't work for me either.