It looks like there’s a lot of work being done on Actions this year, so I thought I’d throw this one in the hat. When configuring actions, the action editor takes the whole screen and there are a couple of things that make it very annoying to deal with it:
It would be nice to be able to see what table “This item” is referring to. It might not be a big deal when all you have is Lists or Detail pages for those lists, but as soon as there’s a Relation in the mix, I find myself going back and forth between Action editor and Data Editor 3-4 times for each change just to figure out what the heck I need to change. In addition, if the required relation doesn’t exist, it complicates things further. It would be nice if I could just have a reminder of what “This item” is referring to (see screenshot)
Totally a user error but almost every time I try to “close” the action editor, I hit the “Back to dashboard” button Not a big deal if I was going to click cancel, but if I was editing an action, Glide “quits” that silently, not even alerting me, and I lose progress. I think it has to do with the fact that this “back to dashboard” button is closer to where I’m working on actions and since Actions Editor takes the whole screen, it kind of looks like it should take me to the previous screen (Layout editor).
@Nisi_Thompson (or someone else), I’d be totally game to show/talk about it if clarification needed =)
hehe, there have been some discusssions about this one outside the forum. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it and I can’t ever recall clicking the wrong button. But I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority, so you are not alone
Yep, I’m pretty sure that button “gets” me in other parts of the system too (like when I switch back and forth between “Layout” and “Data Editor”) but at that point, it’s not destructive, so it’s just annoying more than anything. With Actions it actually causes me to lose progress which is not ideal, obv =)
Ha, fair question! It depends
At the very least there can be some error prevention mechanism. Maybe a modal/dialog that would alert me that I’m about to quit and lose my progress? Frankly, I personally wouldn’t mind having that whenever I click that button. (Although, now that I’m thinking about it, I know there WERE some modals/dialogs that I dismissed early on. I wonder if this was one of them If there was one, maybe it can be forced so that users are not able to dismiss it?)
That “back to dashboard” button is hardly the primary action on any of these screens. I wonder if it can be de-emphasised somehow
Also, I wonder if part of the problem is that the button kind of looks like it should take me to the main screen of my app, so maybe adding a label that the button will take you to the dashboard would not be a bad idea?
A more involved approach might be bringing the “action area” and buttons closer together. I don’t think that “Actions editor” works as an infinite canvas? It might be tough to pull off since now we’re losing space on the right… But also, the “Save” button tucked away in the top right corner is completely invisible to me. So maybe at least moving it closer to where I’m looking while working on Actions?
What if the back arrow in top left actually performed a go back action on any screen other than the main screen… and on the main screen the back arrow takes us to the dashboard?
I’m using Glide everyday, have participated in conversations about the back arrow, and still make this mistake… @Darren_Murphy you may in fact be in the minority on this one.
I thought about it, but it’s probably a much bigger undertaking than any other option. For one, what is the main screen in Glide? Right now, Data Editor, Layout, and Settings are all on the same level of hierarchy. If the Layout screen becomes the main screen (I def think of it this way, but it might not be universal), there will have to be a change in how those options are represented.
Secondly, if the button is going to perform different actions depending on where you’re at, it needs to be “screen-aware” and probably change appearance anyway based on where it’s going to take you. Otherwise, that behavior is going to be unpredictable and even more annoying =)
My guess is, that module (back button, interface selector, share/upgrade buttons) is independent of the page right now… So the most minimal effort would be to label the back button clearly and add some error prevention.
But, again, looks like Actions are in the works right now, and at the very least will get their own section in Glide. Just hoping to provide additional insights to the Glide team.
It does, but it’s a bit clunky. Try adding a bunch of conditionals to a custom action - to the point where it extends past the right edge of the screen - and you’ll see what I mean.
hehe, I don’t have a design team - I’m just another Glide user like you.
But @tristan might be interested in your ideas.
Not a big deal if I was going to click cancel, but if I was editing an action, Glide “quits” that silently, not even alerting me, and I lose progress. I think it has to do with the fact that this “back to dashboard” button is closer to where I’m working on actions and since Actions Editor takes the whole screen, it kind of looks like it should take me to the previous screen (Layout editor).
