Subscribe should work in one click

[David Allouche]

Currently, subscribing to something (a bug, for example) in Launchpad involves click-load-click-load because we use an intermediate form. This is designed so:

  * subsribing is a POST action, as it should be since it changes server state
  * the subscribe link looks like a link and not a form button

However, that extra click-load is just annoying overhead from a user perspective. Subscribing to an object should be just click-load.

When JavaScript is enable, activating the Subscribe link could automagically POST the +subscribe form.

A more fancy implementation could update the page in place, for example using haha: <http://microformats.org/wiki/rest/ahah>.

Accessibility note: the one-click subscribe should work when the link is _activated_ (e.g. by pressing return when the link is selected) not just when it is clicked.

[David Allouche (ddaa)]

This was not a duplicate of 977.

977 talks about subscribing while commenting. Use case: I experience the bug and have something to contribute.

This bug talks about just subscribing. Use case: I experience the bug, but I am satisfied by the information currently reported, and do not want to put a "me too" comment.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

For now we're making it two clicks but one page load. In future it'll be two clicks and zero page loads.

[Björn Tillenius (bjornt)]

No time do to this for 1.2.6.

[Emilio Pozuelo Monfort (pochu)]

I think there is three possibilities here:

* Subscribe yourself
* Subscribe someone else
* Unsubscribe

To subscribe yourself, there could be a link or whatever which just subscribes you to the bug with one click.
To subscribe someone else, doing what Launchpad currently does (opening an intermediate page) or even better, just opening a dialog to subscribe someone (like the dialog it's opened when you click on "choose" to change a bug to another project or package).

To unsubcribe either yourself or a team you are a member of, there could be a red (x) button next to its name in the Subscribes portlet which unsubscribes you/it in just one click.

Does this sound like a good design?

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

The current plan is:
* A checkbox next to anyone you have permission to unsubscribe.
* A checkbox next to your name, representing whether you've subscribed or not.
* Changing any checkbox from its initial value reveals mini Cancel and Confirm buttons.
* Clicking "Subscribe someone else" reveals a form with mini Cancel and Confirm buttons.

This would protect against accidental clicks, without requiring extra page loads.

[Emilio Pozuelo Monfort (pochu)]

I like more my idea, because I don't think people will usually mistakenly click
on those buttons by error, and reverting the change would mean just another click.

But the plans look good too.

[Matthias Urlichs (smurf)]

Hi,

Emilio Pozuelo Monfort:
> I like more my idea, because I don't think people will usually
> mistakenly click on those buttons by error

Some browser add-ons do follow all links on a page.

> But the plans look good too.

I agree, provided that JavaScript is not required (i.e. if it's
turned off, I'd like to get a normal confirmation form, not an
"unknown URL scheme 'javascript:'" error).

--
Matthias Urlichs | {M:U} IT Design @ m-u-it.de | <email address hidden>
Disclaimer: The quote was selected randomly. Really. | http://smurf.noris.de
 - -
The patient can oftener do without the doctor, than the doctor without the
patient.
     -- Zimmerman

[Michael Rooney (mrooney)]

I agree that one click when there is only one checkbox option would be awesome. Currently when you land back on the bug page, it already shows a message "You are now subscribed..", so with the one-click solution we can just go straight to that page and append an "Undo" or "Unsubscribe" link to the message, like Gmail does for its one-click actions.

[Eleanor Berger (intellectronica)]

This will be implemented using our general subscription widget, once that's ready.