Layers View UI Review

Prerequisites

• Put an X between the brackets on this line if you have done all of the following:

  • Running the latest version of Constellation

  • Attached the Support Package via Help > Support Package

  • Checked the FAQs: https://github.com/constellation-app/constellation/wiki/FAQ

  • Checked that your issue isn’t already filed: https://github.com/constellation-app/constellation/issues

  • Checked that there is not already a module that provides the described functionality: https://github.com/constellation-app/constellation/wiki/Catalogue-of-Repositories

Description

Layers view current interface is mainly data-driven and does not exactly give the best user experience. See images below

From the images above you can see that the current state of the layers view enables up to 20 odd layers visible within a normal view frame. This is great for when the user wants to use many layers but not good for real estate when entering in queries or adding a description to the layer.

Ideally, the user would want:

• 10 first layers easily accessible.
• View query strings and descriptions with minimal/no extra clicks
• Visibly differentiate an active layer from inactive

The issue currently is the width of the window for text input - It gets chopped or added into a scrollbar which makes it hard to view and edit. The interface at the bottom of the current view to add or disable all layers could also be docked. This would allow it to always be visible even with many layers added.

This ticket should be used as a sounding forum for new ideas and thoughts.

[aldebaran30701]

I’ve done some UI mockups with very basic functionality, and would like peoples’ thoughts.

Notes:

• I’d like to have the orange bar at the top saying Layers but not allowing it to be collapsible (just redundant i think)
• I’d like to have the bottom menu bar pinned to the bottom so you won’t have to scroll when expanded
• I’d like to disable the layer 0 and not allow it to be deleted. Also updating the text to better reflect that it is the whole graph.
• I feel like the layers without a descriptions kind of seem bare.
• The below structure is very quickly scratched up so relations are not correct, and is a WIP

Current progress:

Current Structure:

[antares1470]

Looking good @aldebaran30701. Agreeing with most of your notes. Regarding layers with no descriptions seeming bare, I think that is just going to be a natural consequence of structuring the UI the way you have and maybe just one that needs to be accepted. The only thing I could really think of to “fix” it would be to add a default description, but I reckon there’s a chance that might look even messier than no description at all