Subject: [Gimp-gui] Tool Presets - Improvements and suggestions

From: Americo Gobbo <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2016 22:35:12 -0200

PRESETS ON GIMP
===
The preset feature on GIMP is a very important part of app.
The presets can be used in many tasks on GIMP, mainly in the painting, the
preset has an important function.
The Digital Painting to GIMP is also a part very important and with paint
dynamics we have many possibilities to make better the painting.
In 2014, I have reported a bug on the presets -
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=731279.
Recently I revised and write the bugs in another way... but to read these
texts, I found very buried in my opinion, and so, I have preferred to write
a document with some ideas/suggestions to resolve the bugs in a simple way,
perhaps without the necessity to modify all around the presets.
My idea here, is suggest some discussion and to try resolve this bug with
some improvements in the flow.

CREATE NEW/EDIT PRESET FROM TOOL OPTIONS DIALOG
---

The dialog has two ways to create/Edit a preset:
1- Tool Presets Menu, icon upper right side;
2- Buttons bar on the bottom on dialog.

All two possibilities to create/edit a preset are presenting problems in
the UI.
When you create a preset, in one of each two options, what is recorded on
the preset are the 'current values' of the Tool Options dialog. The
synchronization of data is done only at moment you are clicking in one of
two options to create a new preset (1 or 2).

To create presets is not broken... but the flow is only one sense and not
is possible go back, it's closed.
To edit again the values, is necessary, begin again the process and
overwrite the same preset (that's is the case to edit a preset).

Suggestion to resolve it:
a) When you click in one of two options to create/edit a preset (1 or 2),
the preset must remains in a "temporary state" (ready to receive any
changes on the tool options);
b) another step to where is synchronized and sent to Tool Presets Editor...
successively you clicking on 'Save' button, the preset is definitively
saved/modified.

A) Modifications on menus/buttons

+ Tool Presets Menu
--
Create/Edit a Preset
Now in the current status of menu, we have two steps to open the option to
create a new preset... I suggest to have a item menu to create and another
to save/overwrite:

The Tool Options Menu modified
Tool Options Menu >
\_New Tool Preset [new entry... and to remains focused in the tool options]
\_Save/Overwrite Tool Preset > [entry modified in the text, in the first
place on the menu, we have the preset name that we are creating, below the
presets that we can overwrite] [See below]
\_Restore/Edit Tool Preset > [Read Edit a Preset]
\_Delete Tool Preset >
---
Reset Tool Options
Reset all Tool Options

So, when you click in the '\_New Tool Preset >' the focus remains on Tool
Options, you customize the preset, and after you save it using the voice
'\_Save Tool Preset >'.
The flow is more clear. First, we create the preset entry, we modify the
values on Tool Options dialog and finally save or overwrite it.

The menu item Save/Overwrite Tool Preset modified
The Save/Overwrite Tool Preset >
\_Tool Preset name to save [Here appears the temporary name of Preset]
---
\_Preset overwritable 1
\_...
\_Preset overwritable 2

--
Edit a Preset
To edit a preset is necessary, first, call the preset on tool options;
maintaining the focus always on tool options; modify the preset and after
save it. To edit a preset, we need to have the focus on Tool Options and
only after the customizations save it... the current Reload Tool Preset...
make exactly this, we need modify the label adding the Edit.
The label will be modified from '\_Restore Tool Preset >' to
'\_Restore/Edit Tool Preset >'.

+ Buttons bar on the bottom dialog
In this bar we need also a new button to 'New Tool Preset'. In this case,
we have the same behavior, when you click in the 'New Preset' button, the
focused is always on the Tool Options dialog. To save the preset, we use
the button 'Save Tool Preset...' already existent in the current version.

Buttons Bar Modified
[New Preset = New Entry] [Save Preset] [Reload/Edit Preset = New way]
[Delete Preset] [Reset to default values]

B) Issues about the label 'Save New Tool Preset'
In the current status (GIMP 2.8.16 and 2.9 GIT Master), this step is a bit
confuse, because really we have two instances to save (in the Tool Options
and on Tool Preset Editor).
Another function of these instances to save, is also the overwrite... for
me is interesting to put also in the label.
I have followed the behavior of each one... the save of Tool Options works
during the GIMP sessions, but do not save anything on the preset folder;
the save button on Tool Preset Editor saves the archive on the preset
folder. In my opinion, would be interesting rename the first save from
'Save Tool Preset... Perhaps, to change the label from 'Save New Tool
Preset' to 'Commit/Overwrite Tool Preset'.

CREATE AND EDIT A PRESET VIA TOOL PRESETS DIALOG (LIST)
---

The dialog has three ways to create/edit a preset:
+ Tool Presets Menu, icon upper right side;
+ Contextual Menu via mouse;
+ Buttons bar on the bottom o dialog.

Create Preset
All three possibilities to create a preset are presenting problems in the
UI.
When you create a preset in one of each three options, what is recorded on
the preset is the values that are present in the Tool Options dialog. The
synchronization of data is done only at moment you is clicking in one of
three possibilities to create a new preset. In the current status, is not
possible modify the preset after you are clicked in 'Create New Tool
Preset'. Only, returning to Tool Options, where we need reload it and after
modify the values... and then save over the same preset name.

Edit Preset
All three possibilities to edit a preset are completely broken.
The reason is: when you select a preset in one of each three options, this
overwrite my customizations of Tool Options.

Suggestion to resolve
The Tool Presets dialog could be only a list to
organize/administrate/filter via tags the Presets.
So, we need disable the creation and editing of presets on the Tool Presets
dialog (list).
In this way the inconsistencies and problems with the flow are resolved in
an easier way...

A) Modifications on menus/buttons

+ Tool Presets Menu >
\_Copy Tool Preset Location
\_Show in File Manager
\_Restore Tool Preset (perhaps not usable too)
\_Delete Tool Preset
---
Refresh Tool Presets

+ In the Contextual Menu,
\_Copy Tool Preset Location
\_Show in File Manager
\_Restore Tool Preset (perhaps not usable too)
\_Delete Tool Preset
---
Refresh Tool Presets

+ In the buttons bar, we will have only 'Delete Tool Preset' and 'Refresh
Tool Presets'.

Thanks,
Americo