New feature request

Hi All,
I'd like to be able to set a Label's visibility. I have this label structure...

Business1 <-- Here there would be a right-click option to show all sub labels
..Accountant <-- I don't get much mail for here so I would like to hide it
....AcctFrom <-- Because the Accountant label is hidden this would also be hidden
....AcctTo <-- Because the Accountant label is hidden this would also be hidden
..Sales
....SalesFrom <-- I'd like this visible
....SalesTo <-- I'd like this hidden
..CustomerService
etc

Possible?

Please post feature requests (even for mail) in the wish-list forum. And, please use a thread subject that describes what you're asking for. "New feature request" is a non-descriptive subject and against the forums rules.

But, to control whether a label is shown or not, click the wrench icon on the "Labels" access point header (or right-click it) and goto customize.

I did look around for a more appropriate forum but could not see anything for "Mail" since it is basically an add-in I assumed here was the place. I will not disgress again.

I am also humbly chastened for my cavalier Subject matter. I will endeavor to be more didactic in the future.

Hi BurnOut,

Thanks for the suggestion, but, there is no Wrench icon on the Labels, only on the Account bars. The Wrench on Accounts does exactly what I would like done with Labels. Bummer.

You're missing it. It's on the "Labels" bar when you hover over it. Or, just right-click it.

Originally posted by burnout426:

You're missing it. It's on the "Labels" bar when you hover over it. Or, just right-click it.

OK, thanks, I think. I have now really screwed up. That menu shows all of the Labels checked but visible so I figured the check mark was meant for something else, so I clicked "Hide Labels"

It really did that. Now I can't find how to "Show Labels" I have been through the "Customize" for everything I can find and cannot find how to reinstate the Labels bar.

Phew, OK got it back. I right-clicked blank space below Accounts and selected "New Label" and they all came back into view. Seems dumb not to have a "Show Labels" option somewhere after the Labels bar has been hidden.

OK, I am getting the hang of it. That list of checked items needs to have a heading of "Visible Labels"

Also, it would be nice to have some indication that one or more sub-Labels have been hidden. I currently have 15 Accounts and thus 15 sets of Labels, some with 10 or 12 sub-Labels (some even with sub-sub-Labels)

If the icon could change color for the Labels that have hidden sub-Labels, it would make life easier. Now I have to go searching all sub-Labels looking for the particular Label I may have hidden.

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

OK, thanks, I think. I have now really screwed up. That menu shows all of the Labels checked but visible so I figured the check mark was meant for something else, so I clicked "Hide Labels"

When the checkbox for a label is checked, it should show. You uncheck it to hide the label.

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

It really did that. Now I can't find how to "Show Labels"

"Hide Labels" means to hide the "Labels" access point in the mail panel. To control what access points are shown, click the view button (wrench) on the mail panel toolbar and check/uncheck the ones you want. You'll see that "Labels" is in there.

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

OK, I am getting the hang of it. That list of checked items needs to have a heading of "Visible Labels"

The checkboxes should be self-explanatory.

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

Also, it would be nice to have some indication that one or more sub-Labels have been hidden.

That would defeat the purpose of having the label hidden if there's something in the mail panel that indicates they're there. The customize menu shows which labels are shown.

It's not really set up for toggling the visibility all the time. If you find yourself hiding and showing a label all the time, you'd be better off just nesting the label under another and then just expanding/collapsing the parent.

BurnOut,

A lot of this is simple to you as you have no doubt grown used to it, but to a new user there is a lot of ambiguity in some of the methods used here.

I have been a programmer since 1976, and have built and sold several successful programming businesses. It was and seems will be a reality of life that programmers should not design user interfaces. In probably more than 100 programmers I have employed over the years, I would say less than 3% ever had good user interface design skills.

Don't get me wrong here, I love the way Opera looks, it is just that some of the inner workings need tweaking to bring them to precise indication as to what is going on. That menu...

Hide Labels
--------------
Chk Business
Chk Customer
Chk Sales

SHOULD look like this

Chk Hide All Labels
-----------------
--Label Visiblity
Chk Business
Chk Customer
Chk Sales

That way, a user can click "Hide all Labels" to do just that.
It then follows that the Chk will control the Label visibility.

It is nuts to have "hide Labels" at the top of the menu and then Chk-marks for Labels that are NOT hidden. If you are going to do that then at least have a Chk mark alongside "Hide Labels"

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

If you are going to do that then at least have a Chk mark alongside "Hide Labels"

Having a checkbox next to "hide labels" wouldn't make sense because the only time you'd see "Hide Labels" is if it was checked. If it wasn't checked the "Labels" access point would be hidden and you wouldn't be able to get to that menu.

Renaming it to "Hide all labels" wouldn't make sense either as it doesn't go through and uncheck each label. It keeps them the way you have them and just hides the "Labels" access point. Right-click on the "All Messages" access point header for example and goto customize. You'll see that it says "Hide All Messages" where "All Messages" is the name of the access point. It has nothing to do with the showing/hiding of the individual views in the "All Messages" access point.

Originally posted by dogbrake2:

--Label Visiblity
Chk Business
Chk CustomerChk Sales

I have nothing against "Label visibility", but a checkbox is for enabling/disabling and is standard/universal across UI designs. So, the checkboxes should be very intuitive if you've used a checkbox in anything else. The fact that a label is hidden when it's disabled is easily discoverable when you disable the label.

But, if you want something to be improved, make a proposal in the wish-list forum, not here. If you feel that something is a bug use <https://bugs.opera.com/wizard/> to file on it. But, it's my personal opinion that there's no bug in this case.

Hate to say it, but you are looking at all of this from a well-trained Opera user and not an new user. I know what I am talking about in User Interface design, and Opera ain't got it *all* right. A lot if it is good and I am very happy with it compared to blunderbird but there is some room for adjustments to make it *all* more obvious to a new user.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.

Judging from what you wrote (and suggested), you misunderstood the "Hide Labels" text and didn't know that "Labels" was referring to the name of the access point and not the labels in it, which threw you off. That's very understandable. Instead of "Hide name" (in this case, "Hide Labels"), if it just said, "Hide this access point" or "Hide this category" (or for the "Labels" access point specifically, it said "Hide the Labels access point), you probably would have understood.

So, I agree it could be less ambiguous.

As for the "Label Visibility" text above the checkboxes that are under "wrench on access point header -> customize", I said I wasn't against that. I just personally don't think it's needed, but wouldn't bother me one bit and would help make things even clearer.

I also agree that the checkboxes under the wrench icon on the mail panel toolbar and under "wrench -> customize" on each access point header could be more discoverable.

With that said, what would you propose now?

Originally posted by burnout426:

With that said, what would you propose now?

Probably follow your earlier suggestion of posting in the Wish-list forum.