Importing file formats -- too many steps!
I downloaded 3 of the no-longer-built-in file formats. I was disappointed that (a) I could not multi-select all those files when choosing what to import (in the "browse for file to open" dialog);
(b) the only thing to be imported from each file (that was conveniently already checkmarked and the only thing not in red) was shown at the bottom of the resulting "file formats" list, so I had to scroll to the bottom to see it;
(c) I had to click through a large number of dialogs to get it to import the single setting in each file.
It seems to me that there's no reason not to have put all the extra formats into a single XML file to be downloaded. That would have simplified the download process (1 file not N). When it gets to the "what do you want to import", I could un-select the formats I don't want imported.
Putting the entries in the import file at the top of the dialog -- the ones that are auto-checked -- rather than at the bottom would be more user-friendly.
I should also point out that I was looking for a special "import file formats" menu item -- it took me a while (perusing the help files etc) to figure out that the task was just an ordinary "settings import" of a file containing a subset of all possible settings, rather than some special "file format definition" format. Mentioning that the same "import settings" dialog is used for file format import as for everything else would have. A "file format definition" seems different enough from various "user settings" that I don't think it was unusual not to have understood that the same mechanism is used.
A sentence like [quote] A file format definition is an XML settings file containing the definition of a single file format. [end quote] in the Help would have made clear what was going on right away. (As I write this, it's occurring to me that had I ever investigated "settings files" I would have known this, but I'm probably not the only one who's never done that.)
(b) the only thing to be imported from each file (that was conveniently already checkmarked and the only thing not in red) was shown at the bottom of the resulting "file formats" list, so I had to scroll to the bottom to see it;
(c) I had to click through a large number of dialogs to get it to import the single setting in each file.
It seems to me that there's no reason not to have put all the extra formats into a single XML file to be downloaded. That would have simplified the download process (1 file not N). When it gets to the "what do you want to import", I could un-select the formats I don't want imported.
Putting the entries in the import file at the top of the dialog -- the ones that are auto-checked -- rather than at the bottom would be more user-friendly.
I should also point out that I was looking for a special "import file formats" menu item -- it took me a while (perusing the help files etc) to figure out that the task was just an ordinary "settings import" of a file containing a subset of all possible settings, rather than some special "file format definition" format. Mentioning that the same "import settings" dialog is used for file format import as for everything else would have. A "file format definition" seems different enough from various "user settings" that I don't think it was unusual not to have understood that the same mechanism is used.
A sentence like [quote] A file format definition is an XML settings file containing the definition of a single file format. [end quote] in the Help would have made clear what was going on right away. (As I write this, it's occurring to me that had I ever investigated "settings files" I would have known this, but I'm probably not the only one who's never done that.)
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