These changes are now in. There's one last meta thing I wanted to point
out. The argument "but it has always looked this way" is rarely a
persuasive argument in the WiX toolset. We try to push the boundaries to
see what is *really* ideal in the WiX toolset. In this case, saying that
the original MSI sizes should be the standard is really saying that UI
designed for Windows 95 to fit on 800x600 screens (sometimes smaller,
sometimes with 256 colors) is the standard. It *is* possible that those
were the best options but the world has changed a lot since then, and I
think it is prudent to test it.
Now, the argument "many people dislike the current option and prefer the
new option" is a great place to start. However, we have to be careful about
the vocal minority taking us in the wrong direction. <smile/>
In closing, the Visual Studio 2012 setup UI got rave reviews when it came
out (that was measured) (some people actually argued the setup UI looked so
good it was a shock to see the actual application UI look so flat and
colorless). Granted that was completely custom but I've had some very happy
customers when the current smaller dialogs get a nice background behind the
controls. I think Wesley Manning shared a snapshot of his install with some
graphics on it a while ago. It looked solid nice and small.
Anyway, lots of personal preference in there. I'd love for us to have
prettier default UI that is measurably awesome (i.e. lots of people's views
instead of just our opinions here <smile/>). I just have no skill at design
so I'm note sure even where to start.
Oh, and thank you for providing more options. If nothing it'll show us what
people prefer by having varied options (i.e. one of the best ways to
measure).
On Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 10:01 PM, Bob Arnson <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 19-Apr-13 16:50, Neil Sleightholm wrote:
> >
> > ...but I get the feeling that these UI changes are not welcome in the
> > WiX code base.
> >
> I didn't say that. I said: "I agree with Rob: We shouldn't change the
> dimensions of the existing BAs in 3.x releases." To make it more
> explicit: "In the 3.x releases, changes in behavior or visible UI should
> be opt-in only." That's been the case since WiX v3.0. At least, I can
> only recall examples and can't think of any counterexamples (modulo bugs).
>
> We recommend people use the latest bits wherever possible; default
> changes complicate that.
>
> > I submitted these changes following the positive feedback I got from
> > the extended BA I published. In my opinion the stock UIs are too small
> > and cramped but I guess that is just personal preference.
> >
> Of course it is.<g> (Even though I made it, I think WixUI_Mondo is a
> horrible dialog set.)
>
> > Do you think there is any point in me doing any further work on this
> > code? Would it make sense to make these additional UI options?
> >
> Absolutely and yes -- I think it's fine to include the variants you did,
> just as additions, not replacements.
>
> > If so, can you suggest more descriptive names?
> >
> Well, not at the moment. (See http://beeroclock.in/.) Off the top of my
> head, Hyperlink2Theme could be HyperlinkSidebarTheme. Maybe
> HyperlinkBiggerTheme and RtfBiggerTheme? Kinda lame but
> straightforwardly descriptive. Another option: Using loc overrides
> <
> http://www.joyofsetup.com/2012/07/14/localizing-more-than-strings-in-wix-v3-6/
> >
> to adjust the sizes, so there's one theme and multiple localizations.
>
> --
> sig://boB
> http://joyofsetup.com/
>
>
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