Bug 527254

Summary:	Disable "columns" mode in Variables/Expressions view by default
Product:	[Eclipse Project] Platform	Reporter:	Andrey Loskutov <loskutov>
Component:	Debug	Assignee:	Platform-Debug-Inbox <platform-debug-inbox>
Status:	RESOLVED WONTFIX	QA Contact:
Severity:	enhancement
Priority:	P3	CC:	daniel_megert, sarika.sinha
Version:	4.8	Keywords:	usability
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	All
Whiteboard:
Bug Depends on:
Bug Blocks:	464898

Description Andrey Loskutov

2017-11-14 08:23:56 EST

Every time I create new workspace, I set the "columns" mode in Variables view off because it is unusable for me.  In most cases the variable names are differently sized, so the names column either is too wide and I see no values, or it is too narrow and I see not full variable names. Same is for Expressions view.

The proposal is to disable "columns" mode in Variables/Expressions view by default.

Comment 1 Andrey Loskutov

2017-11-14 08:48:04 EST

Sarika, Dani: objections?

Comment 2 Dani Megert

2017-11-14 09:18:32 EST

It's much harder to read without columns.


(In reply to Andrey Loskutov from comment #0)
> In most cases the variable names
> are differently sized, so the names column either is too wide and I see no
> values, or it is too narrow and I see not full variable names. Same is for
> Expressions view.

I've never seen that. Please open a bug for that.

Comment 3 Andrey Loskutov

2017-11-14 09:20:52 EST

Please look at the (default) state of the variables view I have on GTK3: https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/attachment.cgi?id=271460

This is barely usable.

Comment 4 Andrey Loskutov

2017-11-14 09:27:47 EST

(In reply to Dani Megert from comment #2)
> (In reply to Andrey Loskutov from comment #0)
> > In most cases the variable names
> > are differently sized, so the names column either is too wide and I see no
> > values, or it is too narrow and I see not full variable names. Same is for
> > Expressions view.
> 
> I've never seen that. Please open a bug for that.

By the nature of the fixed "columns" it will never fit to the current screen space / current code, so I see no value in "fixing" it or, other way around, I see no other way to fix as to switch off.

P.S. Ann attempt to fix it is like "trying to ride a dead horse" (http://www.roland-schaefer.de/totespferd.htm).

Comment 5 Dani Megert

2017-11-14 09:34:39 EST

(In reply to Andrey Loskutov from comment #4)

> P.S. Ann attempt to fix it is like "trying to ride a dead horse"
> (http://www.roland-schaefer.de/totespferd.htm).

The rule does not tell how/who to decide whether the horse is dead ;-).

Comment 6 Dani Megert

2017-11-14 09:42:37 EST

(In reply to Andrey Loskutov from comment #3)
> Please look at the (default) state of the variables view I have on GTK3:
> https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/attachment.cgi?id=271460
> 
> This is barely usable.

Nope, this is not the default look of the Debug perspective. I'd be OK trying to improve the initial width of the columns.

Comment 7 Sarika Sinha

2017-11-14 22:44:58 EST

(In reply to Andrey Loskutov from comment #3)
> Please look at the (default) state of the variables view I have on GTK3:
> https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/attachment.cgi?id=271460
> 
> This is barely usable.

On Windows, we have sort of equal width for Name and Value column.