Links View : a suggestion

[mkhabbaz]

Dear all,

I have a suggestion regarding the amazing new links feature.
I am suggesting to make it into a view. currently, in the Display pane there two views : attachment view and Formatted view. It would be great to add Links View. Selecting a reference in list automatically update the list of linked materials. To link references, the automatic update is controlled through a toggling 'lock'. when the lock is off, the links view updates with the selection of reference. when the lock is on, the links view 'locks' to the current reference selected.

So to drag references to the link view you need to lock it first, then drag references to it. I quickly sketched a view on photoshop.

What do you think ? any input ?

[Jon]

Thanks, it looks cool. I wonder what people with small screens will think (e.g. iBooks)?

An alternative (that I'm leaning against) would be to have both -- a Links view in the bottom pane that always updated to reflect the currently selected reference and to which you could *not* add links, and the Inspector, which would not change the parent unless you did it yourself and to which you *could* add links.

I've also had the suggestion to have any reference created with the "Replicate as book chapter" function be automatically linked to the book it's in.

I'm looking forward to any and all feedback on the new links function.

Jon
Sonny Software

[nicka]

I've also had the suggestion to have any reference created with the "Replicate as book chapter" function be automatically linked to the book it's in.

I think this is a very good idea. Why ask the user to tell the application to remember something it already knows, after all?

[Jon]

Reference linking was implemented in 10.4.1, and we added automatic book:book section linking in 10.4.2. Now that it's been in user hands for a while, I'd like feedback from people who use this feature. Is the implementation in an inspector a good one? How about the suggestion from mkhabbaz that the inspector be discarded and it be incorporated as a third view? Suggestions on other ways to improve reference linking (if such a thing is possible! :-) ) are welcome.

Jon
Sonny Software

[jmckeown]

I have just updated and noticed the Links feature, and I am very pleased, especially the chapters in edited book feature. (Half my entries seem to be chapters in edited collections). I will work through my existing database doing links this month and will come back later with some feedback on the interface etc.
Thanks, John

[Anita Easton]

I'm enjoying using the links feature, but... I find the inspector implementation kinda clunky, partly because it's yet another window, and partly because I have to remember to switch back to links if I had it on attachments instead.

What would work really well for me (I think ) would be to be able to drag and drop from the main list window onto the links icon in the reference I'm linking to. That would be faster and more intuitive for me (and require fewer windows and key strokes).

[Jon]

Hi,

But that means you need to have the reference window open, right (the list view and the reference window would have to be open)? So this is really just another 2 window solution (the original poster wanted a one window solution). A tip that might be helpful: Option-Shift-A is a toggle, it opens the Inspector and also closes the Inspector. I use that all the time with links to quickly create them and then remove the Inspector window. You might find that works well for you, too.

Jon
Sonny Software

[mkhabbaz]

I found the toggling (command + Option + A) to be very effective, especially that it remembers the location of the window. I found myself using to refresh/reload selection and to link materials to reference. As it seems, there are no enough people supporting a single window solution.

thanks Jon for your consideration.

[Jon]

HI,

That certainly works to change the parent. But in case others don't know, dragging any reference to the imagewell in the Links Inspector will instantly make that change, making it the parent.

Jon
Sonny Software