Status icons on open file tabs

[revsorg]

Hi, I just started using UltraEdit 17 so this might be something that I can change in Configuration that I haven't been able to find yet...

Just a thought... one of the W3C standards for accessible websites is that you shouldn't rely on color alone to convey information:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/#gl-color

I realise that UltraEdit is an application, not a website, but I wonder whether the same rationale holds true? You know, thinking about the needs of disabled users...

It's just that in UE16 and before, if you edited a file the tab would show an asterisk next to the file name that indicates you have to decide whether to save it.

But in UE17 a green icon turns orange. I have no idea how many people with color blindness this might affect, but you realise you are using color alone to convey the information?

[Mofi]

Turn off Display status icons at Advanced - Configuration - Application Layout - File Tabs - Miscellaneous and the asterisk will be used again to indicate a modified file not yet saved.

[revsorg]

Thank you. Fortunately I'm not colour blind so I'm going to try out the display status icons and see if I prefer it this way.

On Wikipedia it says: Protanopes and deuteranopes see no perceptible difference between red, orange, yellow, and green. All these colors, that seem so different to the normal viewer, appear to be the same color for this two percent of the population.

Meaning that 2% of your users may not know they should be looking to change this setting. The only reason they might investigate is if they used a previous version of UltraEdit and wonder why the asterisk feature has disappeared.

[Mofi]

As you can read at top of every forum page this is a user-to-user forum. So if your topic is a recommendation for IDM to change the colors of the status icons to get noticable differences when viewing them with grey colors only, you should email that to IDM. I think, UltraEdit is written to support also visually handicapped people because it contains also icon sets using only black and white. Perhaps the user interface for visually handicapped users looks different than for us according to a setting I don't know.

[addylo]

I see no icons in v17.00. I found the "Display Status Icon" setting and made sure it was enabled. When turning the icon on or off I can see the file name shift right or left in the tab but no icon is ever displayed.

Anyone else having this issue?

[JoeM]

Turn off Display status icons at Advanced - Configuration - Application Layout - File Tabs - Miscellaneous and the asterisk will be used again to indicate a modified file not yet saved.

That's an ok workaround I suppose, but it would be better if we could use custom icons like we can for the menu items. I happen to be color blind and the green and orange (I thought it was yellow) are not distinguishable to me. It's unfortunate that I have to lose icons altogether when custom icons could be used. Maybe in version 18...

I realise that UltraEdit is an application, not a website, but I wonder whether the same rationale holds true? You know, thinking about the needs of disabled users...

Absolutely it holds true. This is stressed in the MS certification study guide for C# application development.

[Mofi]

I see no icons in v17.00.

No icon is displayed, if the file has not been modified since it was opened. So you have to modify the file to see an icon, or the file is read only which is always indicated with an icon.

Maybe in version 18...

Maybe even earlier that depends on many users request such an enhancement by email to IDM support.

I have disabled the status icons because all I need is *. I'm not editing files opened via FTP and so I never see the status icons for unsaved/saved modified FTP file. The read only status is already indicated in the status bar, in my customized toolbar because of the Read Only command, the different background color and the padlock symbol on the file tab and so the new read only status icon is just a replacement for the padlock symbol. New files have the name Editx and file size is always 0 for such files in the status bar. So the new file status icon is also not really needed. If a file is saved already after a modification is indicated by the asterisk which is the most important information. So the only new status indication would be that the opened file was opened and not modified, or the file was opened, modified and saved by me. But I use UE nearly only for editing files and not for viewing and therefore this difference is of no interest for me. I think, this feature is mainly introduced because so many users nowadays are focused on the file tabs that they don't even know all the other indications. Especially the status bar is totally overlooked by many, many users of Windows applications.

JoeM, do you see in your toolbar the monochrome icons? It could be interesting for other visually handicapped users how to activate the monochrome icon set.

BTW: In ueres.dll the bitmap with id number 62002 currently contains the 7 file status icons. With using a resource editor this bitmap could be modified. But it would be required to do this again after every update and therefore it is better to send appropriate enhancement requests to IDM.

[JoeM]

JoeM, do you see in your toolbar the monochrome icons?

No, I don't see monochrome. You're not saying that there is a monochrome setting are you? If you are asking about my color blindness, I don't see in black and white. I'm not a dog. LOL. I still see colors. I just can't distinquish between colors that are close to the same (or maybe not so close to the same). But I still see colors. But that's a common misconception about color blindness.

BTW: In ueres.dll the bitmap with id number 62002 currently contains the 7 file status icons. With using a resource editor this bitmap could be modified.

It's interesting that you brought that up. That's exactly what I started to do but overlooked that particular .dll and couldn't find the right icons. I may try it again. Thanks.

[Mofi]

Thanks for your reply, JoeM. I could ask IDM which setting results in showing the monochrome bitmaps, but hoped that you maybe have set an accessibility option of Windows which results in showing the monochrome symbols in UltraEdit which could be interesting for others. I know that color blindness does not mean to see everything only with gray colors. One of my colleagues needs also a special color scheme to see everything well. Well, it is a fact that nobody perceives the world as anybody else and that with increasing age the view on the world changes permanently (but usually very slow). That's the reason why it is impossible to create graphic symbols which look good for everyone.

[Mofi]

With UltraEdit v17.20 all file status icons have now different symbols. There are no icons anymore which differ only in color. Therefore also color-blind people can determine the file status on the icon.