Optimize UX/UI for minimal topological naming errors

[freedman]

I started to get some ideas (in another post) about where some of the topological errors came from, maybe a few GUI design changes could help.
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=32586

I hope to use this as a target for a bug report. I know some will say that it's not a bug if a GUI does something correctly but I submit that allowing certain things to be done at the wrong time can be a bug.

I pretty much only use Part Design so that will be my focus. I'm sure much of the following will be applicable to all workbenches.

Obviously all the errors come from using the GUI because that's where we work but I want to focus on a few things that will decrease the topological error problem. Add on anything you can think of:

1) In Sketcher there is a checkbox "Auto update". It's excellent to see the solid update while sketching but; if you are editing an early sketch and you have a bunch of features and you open (broken sketch) the sketch while editing, it's almost a guarantee that the file blows up with topological errors. I really was planning to fix the sketch but "Auto update" rebuilt the model before I had a chance.
This one checkbox can destroy a solid design because of one small error in judgment.

2) While in the middle of editing a sketch we are able to go to the tree and edit properties of other features. We can also open other sketches with a click on the tree and the program closes the current sketch and opens a new one, that's a bold move for a program. I can see No reason for the program to need this much flexibility at the expense of a possible corrupted model. I feel that when you edit a sketch, you should be required to edit and close before you can make other feature changes or rebuild the model.

I'm not going to add more here and debate the fixes, I'll wait for some feedback.

If you don't like my ideas I hope you can at least appreciate my efforts.

[freedman]

To respond to myself:
On topic number 2

2) While in the middle of editing a sketch we are able to go to the tree and edit properties of other features.

This might need some clarification, moving other bodies and modifing my sketch to fit those bodies, this is acceptable practice. I'm trying to restrict modification of features in the current body that could affect my sketch directly.

[triplus]

Introducing restrictions, that don't resolve TopoNaming issues in any meaningful way, that is in my opinion not an optimal strategy. We could for example add restriction and prevent the parent child relationship. That would solve it! In addition your use case is not something i ever seen being reported by the end users. That is end users experiencing TopoNaming issues, due to modifying other features, while in Sketcher edit mode. Therefore in my opinion this should be a general problem first, reported from time to time, instead of being a problem nobody really has, and we should try to fix it.

As you posted this in UX/UI Design section. Best if end users interested in this area test such proposals (Assembly 3) and report back results:



That is on how reliable the topology change detection is in their use cases. And if the detection procedure and steps needed to fix the detected issue are intuitive, when it comes to the UX/UI.

[freedman]

Therefore in my opinion this should be a general problem first, reported from time to time, instead of being a problem nobody really has, and we should try to fix it.

I agree that feedback is a good way to drive change. I also think the experts here have found problems with controls and they just say "I'm not doing that again" without a formal complaint.

A couple questions for PDN:
I would think that Auto update is only useful for a simple model that has no external geo or face constraints. When it is on and you break a sketch you could easily break the model. Shouldn't this control be enabled only for the current sketch editing and then be disabled? Maybe a warning below the button.

When exiting a sketch it seems like it should be checked for a broken/open. If we allow users to bounce between sketches then it seems prudent to at least check the sketches for brokens before switching to another, wouldn't that be a good approach?

I tried my large model in A3 using only PDN, there is something in there that breaks some of the features.

triplus, are you tring to say that the above issues I have with the GUI could be addressed and possible fixed in A3 instead of the standard version?
Thanks