Save Frames (and show) reminder?

Pangolin

Pangolin

Staff member
Hi All,

As some of you know, since around version 2.50 or so, we implemented a "Save Frames Reminder" which will tell you that "The Frame File has changed since you loaded it, would you like to save it"? Same thing happens in Showtime with respect to Shows.

We put this in to help... lets say a certain segment of users... :rolleyes: so that they would not do a bunch of work and then forget to save their files.

But now one of our dealers writes that there is yet another (similar) segment of users... who will "screw around with the show" or frame files, and then want to exit the softare or load another show. Of course in this case, the "Save Frames (or Save Show) Reminder" will come up and remind them that their file has changed. BUT!!! Instead of actually reading the message and saying "No, don't save the file because I was only screwing around", they don't read the message and instead just press the YES button and over-write a perfectly good frame or show file.

As the system ships from Pangolin, this "Save Frames and Show Reminder" is turned on by default, but could be turned off by the user by clicking the "Help/Save Frames and Show Reminder" menu item.

So my question for all of you is, should this be "off by default"? This is a really hard question for me to answer. We implemented this thing in the first place for... lets say... a certain segment of the population :rolleyes: to keep them out of trouble. And so it seems that this perhaps same segment of the population does not read anyway, so they are still getting themselves into trouble...

Bill

[ January 22, 2004, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: Pangolin ]
 
Hi Bill,

I think you should keep the warning active as default. This helps less experienced users to save their own work - perhaps they do not have realized, that frames and show structs have to be saved seperatly according to the pangolin show model.

There are two situations in which a user may click the wrong button.
1. User does not read your warning, because he is sick of all that windows messages. He confirms everything without thinking it over - this group of users will only learn to read messages if data is lost.
2. User does not understand your message. When I saw your message the first time, I had to think about it to select the right button.

Perhaps you should create a new form instead of using standard windows msgbox. This box looks very unimportant, because we have seen same looking boxes with unimportat questions hundrets of times. Set up a new form with a detailled explanation what to do in which situation. CANCEL option should be implemented, too. I think, the LD/ST quit dialog (leave frames in QM2000 RAM, unload OS etc.) is a good example how this box should be.

John
 
Bill,

I too agree that the message should stay on as default and as John said maybe it should have a more important look. I know that as a Pangolin user of about four years it has made me stop and consider if I have properly saved or not. I would also like to point out that there is a portion of the population that automatically hits no on these types of messages. I hope this helps. Ahh decisions...decisions... :confused:


James
 
Hi Bill!

I think you should leave the default as it is (warning active).

If someone is doing a lot of work in programming a show and he forgots to save, much time and maybe ideas are lost. That is bad and if he forgot to save, he has no chance to get his work back.

In the other case, if someone click on "Yes, i want to save (and overwrite)", there is normally existing a backup copy to get the original file back in a few seconds if the opened file is "destructed" by clicking "Yes".
And i think there are two kinds of people on the computer for who you CANNOT write a "save" software: people that don
 
Hello Bill,

I also think it should be left on by default. How long does one mouse click take to prevent the accidental loss of hours of work?

The experienced users can always turn it off.

Eric
 
Personally, I switch it off as I save every few minutes because of many experiences with power cuts. Also, I have installed quite a few systems in china and make the operator use english windows (I'm so mean)and almost every operator there just clicks yes without reading the dialogue........... no matter what the dialogue is!

Perhaps if the user clicks yes to save, the dialogue box should just close and leave you back in LD/ST so you have to go and manually save. That way no mistakes can be made to over-write.

Also, if people who like to fiddle around have access to the machine, I'd make the files read only - there's no way they can make the mistake then.
 
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