Value List Widget

This page describes the design for a value list editor. It is currently used in ParaView in the Contour filter.

Current vtkContourFilter UI, in ParaView 2.4. The value list editor occupies the 'Contour Values', 'Add Value', and 'Generate Range of Values' portion of the UI.

Proposed Value List widget, which supports all current functions through direct manipulation, and a right mouse menu.

In general, I believe that we should have as much 'active content' on the screen as we can, and get rid of things that should be modal dialogue boxes, or that can be supported through direct manipulation of a widget. This proposal describes a directly-manipulated list of values, meant to replace the UI that ParaView currently uses for creating a list of values in the Contour filter UI.

The proposed design includes all the current functionality, but presents it as an editable list of values.

Design

The design and interactions for this widget are spelled out in this file.

Issues

• First obvious one is that the entry of a range of the form '10 vals from 1e-10 to 1e14' might not be that easy to understand, and it may be an expert mode thing. In that case, the New Range menu item would be 'New Range ...', and a dialogue would pop up with easy scmeezy no-fault widgets in it.
• Feedback, especially in the case of editing the range phrase, is essential.

Additions

• There should be a 'Scientific Notation' menu item that is checked or unchecked. This controls the format of all the displayed items. Users can enter a non-scientific notation number, even if this item is checked.