Rename "Click to activate" mode

[humdinger]

This is hrev37473.

The "Click to activate" mode should be renamed to make its behaviour more obvious. What exactly means "activate"? As far as a user is concerned, the "active" window is the one with a yellow tab. The distinction to "focus" isn't obvious.

Since there's already a "Click to focus" mode, my suggestion is "Click to focus & raise".

In fact, the label "Focus mode:" would be more accurate as "Window behavior:"

Please discuss. If you don't I'll just go ahead and do it... :)

[koki]

​http://www.freelists.org/post/haiku/Mouse-Click-to-focus-mode-what-is-it-for,17

[axeld]

It's called "activate" because that's how it's called in the Be API - BWindow::Activate() does exactly that.

However, I agree that it's very unclear distinction to the new "Click to focus" mode. How about "Click to front" instead? That's short and delivers the message.

Also, one could add a tool tip explaining the modes when hovering over it with the mouse.

[humdinger]

"Click to front" sounds funny. "Now I click to front this window..." :)
Since we use e.g. "Auto-raise" in the Deskbar preferences, I'd go with "Click to raise". I agree, the additional "& focus" isn't necessary. Any opinion on renaming the setting "Window behavior:"? It makes more sense, when you see the setting without activating the pop-up menu:

Window behavior: Click to raise
Window behavior: Click to focus
Window behavior: Focus follows mouse

OK, the last one not so much, but "Focus follows mouse" is just in too common usage, I suppose. "Hover to focus" sounds a bit... unfamiliar. Though it describes it quite well... Hmm.

WRT tool tips, I think we have to be very careful where to deploy those. In general it's a bad idea IMO to use them as help text or you soon can't rest the mouse on the GUI without a tool tip popping up. Better find good labels and meaningful names in the first place (as we did above, I think). Tool tips could be a nice way to offer help, but only if they are not shown by default, just when holding a "HELP" key (maybe OPTION?).
This is getting off-topic... :)

[tangobravo]

I remember all this being discussed on the ML a while back, and I still wonder if there isn't a better arrangement for the settings.

What about:

Focus Mode: "On Click", "Follows Mouse" (drop down)
[x] Unfocussed Windows Accept First Click
[x] Raise Background Windows on Click

Then

FFM -> Focus: Follows Mouse (accept first click checkbox disabled).
"Click to Activate" -> Focus: On Click and Raise on Click
"Click to Focus" -> Focus: On Click and Raise on Click disabled

It also gives the slightly weird hybrid of FFM and Click to Activate. I think I see the Focus Mode and Activation as pretty orthogonal.

To really go off-topic - for me the "accept first click" should be default behaviour. I think it's more confusing for users to have to click twice on controls to get a response. The tab is always there if you just want to mess with the window order or position.

[mmadia]

Fixed (or at least improved) in hrev39421. Feel free to open new tickets for the other issues in the comments.