all menus to stay open until the mouse moves away from them for more than 0.x(user definable) seconds
Often you need to select multiple checkboxes in a dropdown menu (such as the graph editors view menu). This currently requires you to re-open the menu every time you've ticked one of the options you want to change.
Would be better if they stayed open until the mouse leaves them.
The short delay would help make unintentional mouse movements more forgiving.
10 Comments
At the root of the problem is that the UI is not consistent about it all.
In the Timeline editor, the Playback menu allows you to select multiple checkboxes without closing. In the Graph editor, the View menu closes after each checkbox is clicked.
So I don't think we need a delay function added; we just need all the menus to work correctly.
It is consistent. Menus close after one action or moving away from them, while Popovers stay open only when you move away.
The UI is not consistent.
In Playback, it's a button (menu) with a drop-down/up (menu) with checkboxes that STAYS ON THE SCREEN when you click multiple choices.
In Graph, it's a menu that activates a drop-down/up with checkboxes that CLOSES after any checkbox is clicked.
So - fine, let's focus on whether its UI code is a popup or a menu, that really solves the hassle.
I agree that dropdowns with checkboxes should stay open until you're done with them, but I don't think there should be a delay.
I like the idea of a slight delay, because every time I open up the menu to change the editor, I move my mouse from the menu popup button in the direction of the editor I want. This usually sends my mouse across a bit of blank space between the button and the popup menu, so I always have to click the button to pop out the menu again, then carefully move my mouse upwards until its on the menu, then diagonal to the option I want.
That's fair. Personally, though, I don't think any software should hold the user back by assuming that they will make a mistake. If the menu stays open, then if the next thing I want to click on is below the open menu then I will have to wait the half second or whatever for it to close before I can make my next input. I want the UI to be responsive. I want things to happen as soon as I tell them to happen. If I tell blender to close the menu by moving my mouse off of it, but I don't want that to happen, then that's on me and I should move my mouse in a curve instead of a straight diagonal.
I think for menus like the Editor Type menu where you have diagonal options, a better solution might be to have a triangular area of forgiveness as shown in green that won't switch to the next menu (View in this case).
Also, this feels like two different proposals. One for making menus stay open so that you can select multiple options, and another to add the delay for forgiveness.
perhaps the delay could be automatically cancelled as soon as something else is clicked on?
But my issue is if the next thing I want to click on is under the menu that's open so you wouldn't be able to click that to cancel the delay since it would be covered
perhaps have the delay customizable in the preferences then? For people who move light greased lightening such as yourself, they could turn it down to a millionth of a second :)
I don't think the triangular area of forgiveness would cut it for me, because I sometimes go a bit astray all around the thinner dropdown menus if I'm feeling a bit rambunctious.
I always expected that panels/menus with multiple options wait for mouse to move out. For the other issue I prefer a larger detection border ( customizable width ) instead of a delay.