easier flagging

drchadwick · 27 Oct 2006, 12:42 AM

right now, if you want to flag a message, you have to

-- check the checkbox next to it
-- select the "mark message flagged" menu item
-- click the "do" button

That's three steps, which can get pretty tiresome. How about just a click in the "flag" column (where the "F" appears) to toggle flagging on/off.

27 Oct 2006, 04:07 PM

The three-step sequence is okay for me; I don't flag messages often, and when I do it's almost always by "Ctrl+Space, F" (which takes half a second to type, much faster than any mouseclick). Because I flag messages very rarely, a "flag" button may become (for me) more of wasted screen space than a useful addition.

If you add the links you want, it will be harder to recognize flagged messages. Currently, I scan the "Flagged", and whenever I see a nonempty row I know the message in that row is interesting. If you add a link in every row in that column, that's no longer true

IMO, an option to change the action menu's default action (either globally or on a per-folder basis) is better. Different people will want different defaults.

drchadwick · 28 Oct 2006, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Daniel S
The three-step sequence is okay for me; I don't flag messages often, and when I do it's almost always by "Ctrl+Space, F" (which takes half a second to type, much faster than any mouseclick).

A mouse click might be slightly slower, but frankly, it's simpler and much more intuitive than a rather arcane keyboard sequence.

Quote:

If you add the links you want, it will be harder to recognize flagged messages. Currently, I scan the "Flagged", and whenever I see a nonempty row I know the message in that row is interesting. If you add a link in every row in that column, that's no longer true

Not at all -- what I'm suggesting wouldn't take up any additional screen real estate or create any visual clutter. Just allow clicking in the field that currently holds the "flag" indication to activate the flag and make the visual indicator appear. A good example would be the way Gmail's stars work.

Making the flag more visible would also be a help.

28 Oct 2006, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drchadwick
A mouse click might be slightly slower, but frankly, it's simpler and much more intuitive than a rather arcane keyboard sequence.

Some people prefer using the keyboard, some prefer using the mouse. I'm of the former category

(BTW, Alt+O is the shortcut for the action menu's "Do" button...)

Quote:

Originally posted by drchadwick
Not at all -- what I'm suggesting wouldn't take up any additional screen real estate or create any visual clutter. Just allow clicking in the field that currently holds the "flag" indication to activate the flag and make the visual indicator appear. A good example would be the way Gmail's stars work.

Are you suggesting to make the _empty_ cells in the "F" column clickable, without adding any additional elements in them? (i.e. like flagging works in OE or like marking read/unread works in Thunderbird) If so, I misunderstood you, and my above argument does not apply. I don't have any opinion on such a feature. I suppose it will be hard to discover for new users, but that doesn't affect my (nonexisting) opinion.

(edit)

drchadwick · 28 Oct 2006, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Daniel S
Are you suggesting to make the _empty_ cells in the "F" column clickable, without adding any additional elements in them? (i.e. like flagging works in OE or like marking read/unread works in Thunderbird) [...] I suppose it will be hard to discover for new users...

Exactly. It would be a nice parallel to desktop e-mail programs people are already accustomed to. The beauty of an intuitive interface is that you discover features just where you might logically expect to find them, not by hunting through menus and keyboard shortcuts.

It's this kind of intuitive design, by the way, that makes things like iPod immensely popular: they "just work" because they tap into a basic level of spacial user interface logic rather than relying on an engineer's perspective (which just leads to non-intuitive things like ctrl+space+F).

If FM is ever going to expand beyond being a niche power-user product, it's going to need to find a more intuitive interface.

hadaso · 28 Oct 2006, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Daniel S
... IMO, an option to change the action menu's default action (either globally or on a per-folder basis) is better.

In the compose screen the quicklist is sorted by use frequency. I thought perhaps the same can be applied to actions (in the mailbox screen and elsewhere). The most frequent action might become the action of the "Do", or perhaps two or three buttons can appear and represent the most frequent actions (per folder. Though in my case I think in several folders it would be "Delete permanently" which is rather risky as a one-click action).

mentiro · 31 Oct 2006, 04:12 AM

I'd love to see flagging e-mails work just like GMail's starring works. Ooh...that'd be so nice. =)

mentiro · 4 Nov 2006, 09:20 AM

One of the things I'd LOVE with flagging would be to have a view from the web interface (don't know if it's possible through IMAP) that shows all of the messages I have flagged, no matter what folder the flagged message is in.

Yes, I'm basically talking about something exactly like Google's starring system. One click flags messages without having to reload the page, you can then file the message wherever you want, but still have a view that lets you see the messages you've flagged.

Basically, my use for flags is usually to indicate messages that I want to go back and respond to, or take some action later. Right now - I end up leaving these messages in my Inbox, but I'd much rather automatically file them to a folder for organization, and flag them so I don't forget about them.

But 1) Flagging is too difficult as implemented, so I never use it and 2) If I flag messages and file them now, I would lose them - that's why I'd like a view that shows all flagged messages.

drchadwick · 7 Nov 2006, 01:03 AM

I agree -- a flagged message folder would be great. It's very easy to set one up in OS X Mail, but not on the web interface.

As a workaround (and this is kludgy, I know), you could make a folder called "flagged" and copy your need-to-respond messages into it. File the original as normal, and delete the copy from the flagged folder once you've acted upon it.

Another workaround would be to mark (or leave) messages you need to act on as "unread". That way no matter what folder they're in, you'll see the bold number next to the folder in the list.

27 Oct 2006, 12:42 AM	#1
drchadwick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 179	easier flagging right now, if you want to flag a message, you have to -- check the checkbox next to it -- select the "mark message flagged" menu item -- click the "do" button That's three steps, which can get pretty tiresome. How about just a click in the "flag" column (where the "F" appears) to toggle flagging on/off.

27 Oct 2006, 04:07 PM	#2
Daniel S Guest Posts: n/a	The three-step sequence is okay for me; I don't flag messages often, and when I do it's almost always by "Ctrl+Space, F" (which takes half a second to type, much faster than any mouseclick). Because I flag messages very rarely, a "flag" button may become (for me) more of wasted screen space than a useful addition. If you add the links you want, it will be harder to recognize flagged messages. Currently, I scan the "Flagged", and whenever I see a nonempty row I know the message in that row is interesting. If you add a link in every row in that column, that's no longer true IMO, an option to change the action menu's default action (either globally or on a per-folder basis) is better. Different people will want different defaults.

31 Oct 2006, 04:12 AM	#7
mentiro Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 37	I'd love to see flagging e-mails work just like GMail's starring works. Ooh...that'd be so nice. =)

4 Nov 2006, 09:20 AM	#8
mentiro Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 37	One of the things I'd LOVE with flagging would be to have a view from the web interface (don't know if it's possible through IMAP) that shows all of the messages I have flagged, no matter what folder the flagged message is in. Yes, I'm basically talking about something exactly like Google's starring system. One click flags messages without having to reload the page, you can then file the message wherever you want, but still have a view that lets you see the messages you've flagged. Basically, my use for flags is usually to indicate messages that I want to go back and respond to, or take some action later. Right now - I end up leaving these messages in my Inbox, but I'd much rather automatically file them to a folder for organization, and flag them so I don't forget about them. But 1) Flagging is too difficult as implemented, so I never use it and 2) If I flag messages and file them now, I would lose them - that's why I'd like a view that shows all flagged messages.

7 Nov 2006, 01:03 AM	#9
drchadwick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 179	I agree -- a flagged message folder would be great. It's very easy to set one up in OS X Mail, but not on the web interface. As a workaround (and this is kludgy, I know), you could make a folder called "flagged" and copy your need-to-respond messages into it. File the original as normal, and delete the copy from the flagged folder once you've acted upon it. Another workaround would be to mark (or leave) messages you need to act on as "unread". That way no matter what folder they're in, you'll see the bold number next to the folder in the list.