[Managing] Move notes from one tag to the other by D&D?

[decamelon]

Hello,

I posted the below on the general forum board last week. I repost it here on the appropriate board. Sorry for the confusion.

Post subject: Move notes from one tag to the other by D&D?
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:37 pm

Hello,

Thank you for an excellent program for taking notes!

Do you plan to add a function, moving notes from one tag to the other by drag and drop? I have found this way more comfortable than changing the tag from Edit mode...

I mean that when I change a tag, instead of editting the tag, I would like to D&D the note onto the other tag in the tag sidebar, which automatically edits the tag change.

I appreciate your kind attention.

decamelon

[CintaNotes Developer]

Hello,

sorry couldn't get to answer this earlier. Thanks for the suggestion.
Actually D&D is already in my issue tracker.

But there are a couple of questions here. Why should it remove the original tag and not just add the tag the notes has been dragged onto? What if several tags were selected? What if "All" was selected? Remember that tags are not really folders..

[decamelon]

Hello, Alex.

Thank you for your reply. I understand you have been working very hard updating the software. Let me say, again, thank you for the great innovative software as CintaNotes!

"F4" (changing tag) is enough function but D&D is more user friendly, considering if my dad use this software I have recognized the tag system allows us more flexible categorization compared to a tree folder system. So the point is somewhat incorporating D&D interface to this tag system.

For example, I choose two notes with a tag "A" and "B" in the view area and D&D onto a sidebar tag "C", the two notes will be tagged "C."

A -> C
B -> C

Even when notes are tagged "A B" and "C D" D&Ded onto a tag "E," it works same way.

A B -> E
C D -> E

It is same with a note tagged "A B C" D&Ded onto a tag "C."

A B C -> C

It is same with an untagged note D&Ded onto a tag "A."

untagged -> A

Does this make sense to you?

decamelon

[CintaNotes Developer]

For example, I choose two notes with a tag "A" and "B" in the view area and D&D onto a sidebar tag "C", the two notes will be tagged "C."

And why not "A B C"? Why dragging onto a tag removes all other tags? Is it really intuitive and convenient?

[decamelon]

Hello Alex,

Thank you for your quick response.

You are right. Reducing "A B C" to "C" is not a good idea. How about this way?

Two notes with a tag "A" and "B" in the view area and D&D onto a sidebar tag "C"

A -> A C
B -> B C

Two notes are tagged "A B" and "C D" D&Ded onto a tag "E"

A B -> A B E
C D -> C D E

A note tagged "A B C" D&Ded onto a tag "C"

A B C -> A B C (no change)

An untagged note D&Ded onto a tag "A"

untagged -> A

How do you think?

decamelon

[Noddy330]

Hello Alex,

Thank you for your quick response.

You are right. Reducing "A B C" to "C" is not a good idea. How about this way?

Two notes with a tag "A" and "B" in the view area and D&D onto a sidebar tag "C"

A -> A C
B -> B C

Two notes are tagged "A B" and "C D" D&Ded onto a tag "E"

A B -> A B E
C D -> C D E

A note tagged "A B C" D&Ded onto a tag "C"

A B C -> A B C (no change)

An untagged note D&Ded onto a tag "A"

untagged -> A

How do you think?

decamelon

Decamelon, that looks a good intuitive method to me, Nod

[CintaNotes Developer]

Yes, I think this method is much better, it won't surprise the user in any way.

[decamelon]

Hello Nod and Alex,

Thank you for your prompt response. And glad to hear that the idea is ok to the other user as well

I am not sure if this change would be meaningful for many others yet. If many like it, please add this function onto the future version of this great software! I am looking forward to it.

Thank you for your kind attention.

decamelon

[ale]

Also the opposite may be considered, dragging tags onto notes (I think for example this feature is implemented in Gmail), then if the current selection is 1 note that note takes the new tag (and keeps all the "old" tags), if multiple notes are selected, dropping to any note in the selection assign the tag to all selected notes. While I also think swapping or taking away tags is a bad idea, we might think for example "Untagged" as a special tag that deletes all assigned tags to a note.

Actually I really don't know which is the better metaphor or most used in software, dragging notes onto tags or viceversa or maybe both. Probably the best experience varies from user to user. I can tell my experience some months ago with a picture viewer, XnView, I tried to assign tags while evaluating the software (it was my first use) and told myself, "why doesn't it work? is it broken?" it took a while but I finally realized you had to drag pictures onto tags and not viceversa as I was trying to do.

[CintaNotes Developer]

ale, I agree with you, it is definitely a per-user preference.
And I guess if the software supports D&D at all, the operation should not depend on the order. Note dragging will be useful when tab-based categories come along too. So yes, I will be doing both.

Also the question here is: should I be able to drag non-active tags from the sidebar? if yes, then this eliminates the possibility to drag more than one tag. But if not, this doesn't make sense at all: notes not having the selected tags won't be visible anyway..

And another cute idea: how about dragging a tag from the note to the sidebar to remove it from the note?

[decamelon]

ale, thank you for your ideas increasing intuitiveness. D&D tags onto notes as well as using Untagged to remove all the tags. I like both of them.

Alex, I agree with you to have both the order sort and D&D interface. Order sort is very helpful.

Regarding dragging multiple tags on notes, how about using shift+ctrl+left click? As you know, now ctrl+left click sorts and shows notes. Without changing the view, shift+ctrl+left click could select tags and drop onto notes to add the tags.

I also like your idea "dragging a tag from the note to the sidebar" to trash the tag. I guess this can co-work with "dragging a note(s) to the sidebar" to trash all the tag.

decamelon