Ethereal-dev: RE: [Ethereal-dev] protocol specific actions in the context menu

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Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 11:32:07 +0100

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ethereal-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:ethereal-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of ext Ulf Lamping
> Sent: Monday, 05. December 2005 11:04
> To: Ethereal development
> Subject: Re: [Ethereal-dev] protocol specific actions in the context
> menu
> 
> 
> ext-henning.treu@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> >Hi List,
> >
> >i´m looking for a possibility to add protocol specific 
> actions in the right-click context menu. What i am trying to 
> do is, to enable or disable a protocol specific feature "on 
> the fly" by selecting the packet, right-click it and 
> select/deselect the feature in question.
> >
> >  
> >
> Which context menu do you mean? There are several: one for 
> each of the 
> packet list, packet details and packet byte view, several in the 
> specific statistics menu.

the packet list and the tree view would be a place where i would expect such an option. but maybe only the tree view is the right place, because there you can choose a protocol for which to change the option.


> This is currently not implemented.
> 
> What you can do is right click in the packet details and use 
> "Protocol 
> Preferences" which will jump, well, to the Preferences of 
> that protocol.
> 
> Personally I don't like your idea very much. I don't want to see 
> *another* mechanism to set such values, mainly because I 
> think it will 
> get just another usability nightmare:
> 
> If you can change it this way, will it also be a preference setting?
> If yes, will it be saved when you change it?
> If no, why can't you save this setting?
> How do you implement it in tethereal (where you obviously 
> don't have a 
> context menu)?
> 
> I could give you some more reasons why this isn't a very good idea...

...

> 
> What might be a better idea is to have an automatism to change the 
> Preference settings from the context menu directly (at least with the 
> types where that's possible, e.g. booleans).
> 

This is what i thought about in greater detail. the option in question is boolean and it should change the preference setting. just a way to reach boolean preferences very quick. (i understand your concerns)

> >All i realy need is a point where i can start... after 
> trying to figure it out by looking in the sources, i am a bit 
> confused now.
> >So a hint in which direction i should turn would be very appreciated.
> >  
> >
> The main context menus are created in menu.c.
>
> Regards, ULFL


Henning