Yosemite's UI version ?

[benjaminpelissie]

Hi,

I'm wondering wether there will be a Yosemite version of the UI, and more generally if there will be a "refreshing" of the mac app (icons, templates, list view, notes view,...). It works like a charm, no doubt about it, but as a typical (and now classical) "mac app", wouldn't it benefit from a more neat, slick, modern design? Something more in line with the new iwork for example.

It might sound superficial, but I would love it and would look forward to it.

Thanks!

Ben

[Jon]

We will be making some UI updates to some windows, with new app icons to come later. But lists and notes aren't slated for a change. What exactly did you have in mind?

Jon
Sonny Software

[benjaminpelissie]

Thanks for the quick answer! I was thinking about a better, more modern rendering of references in the list view, especially the titles for which the template is too big (for my taste). I also find that the note cards take too much space when the linked note or highlight is short.

I'm also thinking about something else. It would be very convenient to be able to split the left panel in order to access to a list of authors or keywords on the lower part of it. I often find myself using either groups or authors to filter my refs and doing so in one click would be very efficient.

Thanks again,
Ben

[Jon]

You know that you can edit the column view in preferences, and that the column widths are adjustable? As of the note stream, I don't think variable height notecards would look very good (but that's just my opinion).

As for the left pane -- do you know that the Groups pane can be replaced with Term Lists (e.g. authors or keywords)? And you can select more than one to AND or OR the results? I ask because it sounds like what you are asking for.

Jon
Sonny Software

[benjaminpelissie]

Sorry I was talking about the titles in the single column display. Variable heigh for the note cards would be great because if I (for example) highlight just few words but a lot of time (or make tiny notes, as "remember", "wrong" or "good!") in a paper, I still can see 6 notes on the right while I could see around 25 if each didn't take more than, say, one line... I think it's a pity.

Yes I know about the Term Lists option, but that's not it. I'm thinking about having the possibility to display (in the left pane) Groups at the top AND a Term List at the bottom. For the moment, if you don't have a huge number of groups, lot of space is lost at the bottom.

Cheers,
Ben

[iandol]

I'm sure it won't take much to make BE look more in tune with yosemite (flatter icons without the strong icon borders, removing the shading in the title area), I don't care one way or the other about making the group list "vibrantly translucent" or whatever the marketing speak is for that view. Sente already looks more "integrated" into Yosemite in this aesthetic sense.

There are other bits of the UI that need much more work — my biggest bugbear is the overwhelming context menu for list items, lots of menu items shouldn't be in there and the bits I use most often require scrolling because all the other items I never use get in the way — but that is probably the theme of another thread in itself...

[Jon]

What things in the contextual menu "shouldn't be there"? I'm curious, because what you never use may be quite useful to someone else.

Jon
Sonny Software

[iandol]

What things in the contextual menu "shouldn't be there"? I'm curious, because what you never use may be quite useful to someone else.

split into a new thread...

[benjaminpelissie]

Iandol I totally disagree. Making BE a little more polished and integrated in the new os x echosystem would be valuable for all aspects of the app. Don't get me wrong: it is already fully functional and not ugly at all. Just saying that it is a classic os x app, then it deserves (I believe) to be 100% integrated: new templates, more modern windows borders, updated icons and single column view. That's all. Not a big deal, for sure. Though it would probably attract more users...
Cheers,
Ben

[iandol]

Iandol I totally disagree. Making BE a little more polished and integrated...

Sorry if my post sounded negative, actually I just wanted to say there isn't much work for Jon to do to get BE looking like a Yosemite app (unless BE uses lots of non-standard UI code).

Actually I agree that fit-and-finish and having most my apps blend into a common aesthetic is beneficial. Currently BE has quite strong 3D shading of the title bar and heavy-bordering on buttons that makes it look different to many of my other apps (even apps that are not updated yet, but they must use more standard UI widgets or something and thus they have blended into Yosemite better). Hopefully Apple won't make any other major aesthetic changes for a few updates to come so developers don't have to keep jumping to redesign their app every year!

EDIT: both Sente and Endnote X7 use translucent sidebar and flat icons already for example. But IMO BE is still better looking than at least Endnote, which has that amazingly ridiculous iTunes style Thomson Reuters branding in the toolbar and very pixellated badly drawn icons, flat or not (though the new endnote X7 app icon is actually not too bad!)

[benjaminpelissie]

In fact I read your message again and it was not that negative at all. My apologize, I guess I should post things after my morning coffe...

Then I agree a lot. It shouldn't be that difficult to blend BE a little more into os x. For now it just look like a snow leopard app. Still better then some others (x7 is definitely ugly, but they set the standard for it also), though Sente is coming with a major relesase soon and Papers is (slooooooowly) correcting his bugs. I think BE should make a big UI move right now; it would be a good strategy. Plus, it is technically the best reference manager for os x, especially if (like me) you are working with Pages. Let's give this app a look and feel and honors his marvelous fundations.

That plus icloud drive sync and nobody would be able to compete for years.

Cheers,
Ben