Ethereal-dev: RE: [ethereal-dev] Filter dialog box

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From: Jeff Foster <jfoste@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 16:23:20 -0600
>> When you select the Edit->Filter option or click the 'Filter:', a new
>> instance of the filter dialog box pops up.  I would expect the current
>> filter dialog box to raise to the top, not create a new instance of the
>> filter dialog if one already exists.
>
>Note that note all filter dialog boxes are necessarily the same - a
>"Filter:" button creates a dialog box that, if a filter has been
>selected in it and the "OK" button is clicked, puts the filter in the
>text entry field next to the "Filter:" button.
>
>As such, if you select "Edit->Filter" and, before dismissing the dialog
>box, click the "Filter:" button at the bottom of the main window, it's
>not entirely clear whether a second dialog box should pop up or not -
>the "Edit->Filter" won't fill in any text entry field, but the "Filter:"
>button will.
>
>If you happen to have a "Capture:Start" dialog box open, and click on
>its "Filter:" button, and then click on the "Filter:" button at the
>bottom of the screen, it's the same, only more so - "Edit->Filter" isn't
>connected with a text field, so *maybe* you could say its dialog box
>doesn't need to be separate from a "Filter:" button's dialog box, but
>the "Capture:Start" "Filter:" button and main-window "Filter:" button
>both pop up dialog boxes tied to the text entry adjacent to the button.
>
>Were the filter dialog boxes to be given window titles reflecting the
>reason they were popped up, e.g.:
>
>	Capture Filter
>
>	Display Filter
>
>	Find Filter (for the "Edit:Find Frame" dialog box)
>
>	Edit Filters
>
>and only one dialog box *of a particular kind* is kept around, that
>might be the right answer.
>

I agree with your conclusion...  One window for each kind of filter.

I do find the difference between 'Edit->Filter' and 'Filter:' to
be very subtle (read as "confusing to beginner").  I can live with it,
but think that a clearer distinction should be made.  Maybe the 'Filter:'
button would just be a dialog box of the filters that have been created
with the 'Edit->Filter' option.  Or it could be a pulldown list of the
filter names that have been created.  Just throwing out ideas... open
to other suggestions.


Jeff Foster.
jfoste@xxxxxxxxxxxx