So let me ask a very basic question here, since I feel it's at the heart of
the dumb internet argument we're having.

What is this design trying to solve? What problems with the old ComboBox
are we trying to fix? What use cases is it designed for?

Is it the usability problems? Are we adding the search field to behave more
like Chosen [0] ? Because that's really cool. If that's the main purpose of
the redesign, I'd like to keep the old GtkComboBox API so that users
benefit by the new usability immediately.

Is it a just a "visual refresh", making the new widget seem more "new GTK+"
than the old one?

Is it the ability to use widgets instead of cell renderers in ComboBox? OK.
Is that worth a new visual refresh and new usability scenario? Could we
upgrade both at the same time, and have one API for widgets, and one API
for cell renderers? Would that be feasible?

My issue, really, is that I haven't really been keeping up with GTK+
development and new widgets over the course of time. I hack on some
personal apps in my spare time.

If we add GtkCombo as a separate question, I have one simple question: when
should I use GtkCombo and when should I use GtkComboBox?

Cosimo talks about GtkPopover and GtkMenu, but those just sort of have me
stunned. Why should I use one instead of the other? We have GtkMenuButton,
GtkMenu, GtkModelMenu, GtkModelButton, GtkPopover, GtkPopoverMenu, and they
all sort of do the thing. I have no idea which to use nowadays.

(This is not a chance to explain what they do: I have an understanding of
what does what after reading the docs. But imagine someone who's never done
GTK+ development before. What's the new hot, "correct", widget to use if
you want a menu button in your app? What's it called? OK. Why are the
others there?)

[0] http://harvesthq.github.io/chosen/

On Sat, Dec 27, 2014 at 5:02 AM, Matthias Clasen <matthias.cla...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi,
>
> over Christmas, I had some for a little side project, a  new combo
> box. It is based on these mockups:
>
> https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gnome-design-team/gnome-mockups/master/theming/widgets/combobox-replacements.png
>
> One question I need some feedback on is naming: We currently have
> GtkComboBox and
> GtkComboBoxText. I've gone with GtkCombo for now, which has the
> downside that there is a widget by that name in gtk2. Alternatives
> might be GtkChoice or GtkComboButton (with a possible avenue for
> making the list-of-choices available for direct embeeding as
> GtkComboWidget later).
>
> There are some lose ends in the code, like the interaction of grouping
> and search, but it is complete enough to give it a try and evaluate
> the design. If you want to try it, the code is in the wip/combo
> branch, and there is a testnewcombo test app with some examples.
>
> I'm off for a few days now - would be great to hear some feedback when
> I come back.
>
> Matthias
> _______________________________________________
> gtk-devel-list mailing list
> gtk-devel-list@gnome.org
> https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gtk-devel-list
>



-- 
  Jasper
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