Re: Looking for table design interface advice for pgAdmin Database Designer

On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Guillaume Lelarge
<guillaume(at)lelarge(dot)info>wrote:

> Le 14/07/2010 17:56, Thom Brown a écrit :
> > On 14 July 2010 16:38, Luis Ochoa <ziul1979(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
> ...
> >> Regards, Luis.
> >>
> >
> > Thanks for working on this.
> >
> > I'm wondering if it might be better if there wasn't a type selected
> > automatically for a column so that the user doesn't accidently leave
> > it and forget to change it.
>
Yeah, I also think so. And there's a good chance people won't be happy
> with our default choice for the datatype. So, it's better not to have one.
>

That's a good point, and will be fixed soon.

>
>
>
> Also, could the data types line up so it's easier to read?
>
I know
>

I'm not sure about line up data types you can see other modeller like this:

http://www.fabforce.net/dbdesigner4/images/ss/dbd4_ss_simplemodel.png

and in fact they align at left table's columns. Probably line up datatypes
won't get a better reading, because columns sizes differences, for example:

id :
integer
cmpy_emp_first_name_id : integer
id2 : integer
id 3 : integer
cmpy_emp_last_name_of_external_boss_id : integer
id 5 : integer

> it's still under development, but clickable elements should probably
> > be bigger and clearer to reduce the chance of clicking on the wrong
> > thing.
>

I'm not sure if clickable elements should be bigger that their current size
(8x8), at first time I defined then like 16x16 but the look weird, but well
this can be tested & changed if needed later :) but as a comment: when you
past over handles elements like the +, - and join, the mouse over action,
can change the mouse pointer, right now I don't do that but later I'm going
to do that.

> And anything the user has to squint at to see (like the F for
> > foreign key and U for unique constraint) would be a problem.
> >
>

Right F and U where only temporary solutions, but I think that Guillaume
comment about using standard icons of pgAdmin is the best way of create
consistency at user interface between database designer and others parts of
pgAdmin.

> > And tooltips for everything? Many of those icons could be seen as
> cryptic.
> >
>

Yes I think about tooltips, and I'm going to add them in a future

> > Regarding the joins, will there be a clear indicator as to which
> > column is linking to which?
>

my idea for joins is this: When you select a join, columns from source table
(always primary of that table) will change their color to the same color of
the join when is selected, and then destination table column (foreign keys
to that primary keys) will change too theri color.

> > Would tables be renamable?
> >
>

Yes *1. ;)

*1 Some restrictions apply, if table is just in modeler (not implemented
yet) it can be done, or if table accomplish with all requirements to be
rename, it can be done too. Just remember if a table name is changed, is
changed at modeler level, when you commit changes, modeler try to rename it,
if not possible some kind of warning is raised and table name remains as
started. +1 for the four comments.

>
> > And what's your Twitter handle? I don't see it above. :)
> >
>

Sorry for that :$ but it was fixed yet by Guillaume (thanks)
http://twitter.com/xiul/

>
>
Thanks for your comments.
Regards, Luis.