In gnome-keyboard-properties, layout options tab, "Apply system-wide" option is unclear

[antistress]

In gnome-keyboard-properties, layout options tab, "Apply system-wide" option is unclear
http://blog.klauskiwi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/screenshot-keyboard-preferences.png

I don't even know what is its role

If its role is to apply the setting to all users then say it : "Apply to all users" and not "Apply system-wide" which is too abstratc

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

The option change the system default, it will not take over other users choices, Ccing Matthew who might have a suggestion there

[antistress (antistress)]

"The option change the system default"

i didn't expect less from a setting that sit in GNOME Preferences menu

Do you mean that the user can also choose a different setting without changing the system default ? i can't see what's it for?!

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

you don't see why different users might want different settings? the account might be used in different environment, one being specific to work and one other not for example

[antistress (antistress)]

sorry for the misunderstanding : i thought you were saying that the "Apply system-wide" setting had no effect on other users that's why i didn't see what it was for

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

no, it changes the default system configuration but an user might decide to not use the system default but custom settings

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

I think "Apply to All Users" wouldn't make it obvious that it also sets the default keyboard layout for the login screen.

[Prada (pradacr)]

I have being trying to set Esp as default without success.
There is no help about what "system wide" means and Google got me to this page.
So "apply system wide" should mean instead: "Set as default for this user"?

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

No, it means apply it to (a) any newly-created user account and (b) the login screen. That's hard to explain in the confines of a button.

It would be nice if the authentication alert was able to explain this in more detail.

[antistress (antistress)]

"That's hard to explain"
Indeed
For the record i still don't understand : maybe that i'm a little slow...

[antistress (antistress)]

i still don't understand that setting... maybe this bug is good for One Hundred Paper Cuts ?

[Pat McGowan (pat-mcgowan)]

I agree this dialog is a good candidate for paper cuts as a priority. I am also not clear what the apply does when the default radio option is on and off.
Note that as I understand it the login screen layout does not change, as username is restricted to latin characters as it is used to create files.. Also users must be able to type in characters used to establish their account information.

The user must switch to the layout in order to either use the test input box or set the layout for their session. This is done by a key sequence for "Layout Switching" (Alt-alt or shift-alt as defined in Layout options)
Suggestions:
There needs to be a button to Set the selected layout as active for the session, i.e. switch layouts
The user needs to easily test the new layout in the input field.
There needs to be better visibility into the means for switching to the next layout, or a specific layout, at any time.
The apply button should go away or get better definition.

[Vish (vish)]

As per Comment #9

[Allan Day (allanday)]

The 'Apply System-Wide' button has a couple of other problems:

 - it doesn't allow a user to see what the current system settings are
 - it is unclear which of the settings in the layout tab are applied to the system-wide settings

Would it therefore be preferable to have a separate 'System keyboard preferences' settings dialog instead of the current 'Apply System-Wide' button? That way you would have an 'Edit system settings' button at the bottom of the keyboard layout tab which would open another dialog.

Another question on this topic - how does the 'Reset to Defaults' button relate to the system-wide settings? Are these 'Defaults' the same as the 'System-Wide' settings? If they are, consistent terminology should be used.

[Allan Day (allanday)]

I've done a design review of the keyboard preferences dialog. You can find it on GNOME Live: http://live.gnome.org/UsabilityProject/Whiteboard/KeyboardPreferences. Comments or suggestions would be welcome.

[Vish (vish)]

mpt , Allan Day,

How about changing the button from "Apply System-wide" and making it a *checkbox*

[/] Make default layout for any newly-created user account and the login screen.

now when user checks the option , the user is prompted for the password.

or if this cannot be done this way , add a button "Unlock" above the checkbox ,
Before unlocking the option is greyed out.
Unlocking , should make the option availabe to edit.

A checkbox should be better than a button. if needed we can explain how much ever we want with a checkbox ;)

[Timothy Arceri (t-fridey)]

This button no longer exists in gnome-control-center 3, making as fixed.