Hi Sophie, >>What should be gone then? The application UI? The integrated engine? The >>integration into other application? The integration into Writer only, or >>into Calc only? > > Well, from the feedback I had (from only one community I agree) is the > fact they have to deal any time with Base (the application) when they > have to edit a db or do a mailing, etc. is time consuming.
One thing I would love to see, but where we need to evangelize the other applications: Currently, there are a lot of places in the applications which integrate "database functionality" of some kind: Mail Merge, Labels, Database Ranges, Database Fields, etc. All of those can work with registered databases (Tools|Options|Databases). Some of those places can additionally work with .odb files directly, but again some only let the user choose an .odb file, automatically register it, and continue with the registered database. What I think those places should ideally look like is the following: Whenever it comes to "I want to have some relational data in my non-Base application", users should be prompted where this data resides (probably some kind of wizard), and the application should continue to work with this information, *without* an .odb file, and even better *without* a registration name. That is, currently the applications understand "data from a database" as ".odb file" or "registration name", but in real it should be "all information necessary to access this database data". There's quite some work to do 'til then, and some conceptual problems to solve, but IMO this would give the best user experience (still leaving other users with the Base application, of course). > Imho, I think that most of the new OOo users will evaluate Base (and > it's 3 meanings) as the tool that deals with database, like Writer deals > with texts. Yes. > But previous users currently see it as the tool that deals with the self > contained database document and really miss the F4 functionalities. It's > quicker to do a mailing without the wizard, it's quicker to edit a dBase > file without opening the Base application. What are "the F4 functionalities"? The fact that "data to fields" (or was it "data to text"?) does not trigger the "old" mail merge dialog anymore, but the full-blown wizard, is a bug, IMO. The wizard should at least respect the selection previously made in the data source browser (DSB). The fact that in usual installations, the DSB contains less registered data sources than in OOo 1.x, can be worked around by, well, Tools|Options|Databases (and note that if you create a .odb file, the wizard usually automatically registeres it for you, if you do not explicitly uncheck the respective option). "Editing a dBase file" is possible with the DSB, too - open it, display it, and start editing :). The very same as in 1.x. So, what are "the F4 functionalities" you're missing? >>*Whether* and *When* the other use cases will be addressed is not clear >>(to me) at the moment. It probably depends on how many users/customers >>think it's necessary :) > > Of course :) ok, so let us bring you a large feedback on this ;) :) Thanks & Ciao Frank -- - Frank Schönheit, Software Engineer [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - Sun Microsystems http://www.sun.com/staroffice - - OpenOffice.org Database http://dba.openoffice.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
