There should be a button for Plug-in Options in the OIP

[Christiaan]

It took me a lot of messing about to get the new wall closure feature working properly. This is partly because wall closures necessarily have a complex relationship with walls but I think the main problem was that Plug-in Options are tucked away in a contextual menu. And many of the problems I see people having with wall closures (and plug-in object offsets) also relates to the discoverability of Plug-in Options. I've even seen people say they haven't seen the Plug-in Options window before.

 

Plug-in Options are quite a bit more important now that they include wall insertion and wall closure options. Indeed equally important as Settings.

 

I think there's a simple fix for this: every single plug-in object should have a "Plug-in Options..." button in the object Info palette. And if the plug-in has a Style dropdown menu in the OIP, that also needs a "Edit Style Plug-in Options..." option.

 

Examples of people having problems due to this lack of discoverability :

• https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/65619-ability-to-control-where-a-windowdoor-is-offset-from-in-a-wall/#comment-415277
• https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/87667-2022-wall-component-modeling/#comment-405066
• https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/87703-any-luck-with-win-door-in-2022/
• https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/102011-door-tooloffset-gone/
• https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/103702-problem-with-doors-in-v2022/#comment-452794

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Christiaan

[Christiaan]

What do you think @Matt Panzer?

[Matt Panzer]

31 minutes ago, Christiaan said:

What do you think @Matt Panzer?

 

Hi Christiaan,

I do agree that these options could be made more discoverable and think adding a button would be reasonable.

I also think it would should investigate other ways to make these settings discoverable.

 

Would you mind submitting a VE for this as well?

We can then link it to this thread.

[E|FA]

I agree completely.  As an added bonus, being able to access these settings via key commands would be nice.  AFAIK contextual menus are not "discoverable" by the Workspace Editor.

[Christiaan]

Done! VE-102473

 

Thanks for the chat today Matt, that helped crystallise my thoughts above.

 

That's my first time attending online sessions like that and I found it really useful even though I wasn't prepared for them. I'm going to create a list of things for next year's summit and clear my diary out (don't worry it'll be a list of training-related stuff, not feature requests 😁)!

Edited November 3, 2021 by Christiaan

[Matt Panzer]

2 hours ago, Christiaan said:

Done! VE-102473

 

Great!  Thanks!

 

2 hours ago, Christiaan said:

Thanks for the chat today Matt, that helped crystallise my thoughts above.

 

Absolutely!  I was great meeting you "face to face"!

 

2 hours ago, Christiaan said:

That's my first time attending online sessions like that and I found it really useful even though I wasn't prepared for them. I'm going to create a list of things for next year's summit and clear my diary out (don't worry it'll be a list of training-related stuff, not feature requests 😁)!

 

Whew!  Remember, I have a record of you stating this!  🤣

 

But seriously, I'm always open to talk about anything as long as time permits and people aren't lined up waiting to ask their questions.  It's always a pleasure to talk with VW users.  After all, I've been one for over 22 years before coming to work here.  🙂

[line-weight]

There are several ways in which "plug-in objects" are confusing.

 

I completely agree with the request in the OP.

 

I would add:

 

- Make "symbols" and "plug-in objects" separate categories in the Resource browser.

 

- In the Resource Browser, "plug-in objects" should be renamed "plug-in object styles". Because when I am looking at, say, a door style in the resource browser, I am not looking at a "plug-in object" - I am looking at a "plug-in object style".

 

- I don't think it is necessarily clear to users that, say, a door is a type of PIO. This is another reason there's confusion about why you have to find "plug-in object options" when you think you are looking for "door settings".

 

- I think it would be worth considering an overhaul of terminology, across the board, for all PIOs. Make it consistent (I know that's a radical idea for VW) and dead clear what you are dealing with at any one time. This includes what something is called at the top of the Object Info palette. For example, when I select a door, it could be called a "Door PIO". Maybe it could be called either an "Unstyled door PIO" or a "Styled Door PIO instance" because these are different things. The Resource manager category could be called "PIO styles". When I hover over a door PIO style in the resource browser, it could be called a "Door PIO style" instead of a "2D/3D point plug-in object" (eh??) as it currently is. When I right-click on a styled door, instead of the context menu offering me "Plug-in Object Options" it could offer me "Door PIO instance options".

 

- Is calling things "plug-in objects" actually useful to users at all? I think it potentially just causes confusion. What if the term "plug-in object" was simply removed everywhere? A door is a door. A door style is a door style. If I want to change settings/options that apply to a door style, just call them door style options - why does the term "plug-in object" have to be involved?

 

 

[Andy Broomell]

I agree with all of those points, @line-weight.

 

My favorite thing to hate on is the phrase "New Styled Plug-In from Unstyled Plug-In" – does an average user really know what the heck that means? At least call it "Create New Plug-In Style" if not "Create New Door Style."

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Andy Broomell

[line-weight]

It's all a little reminiscent of this issue - a lack of clarity/consistency leading to confusion about whether you are adjusting settings that apply to an individual object or  more globally.

[E|FA]

I confirmed that the contextual menus are still not discoverable by the Workspace Editor in VW2024, so a keyboard shortcut is not possible.  An alternative to adding a button to the OIP for accessing these settings would be creating (yet another) palette for the "Plug-in Object Options..."  

 

Tagging @Stephan Moenninghoff for this UI topic.  A related thread regarding wall insert UI is at:

 

Edited January 28, 2024 by E|FA

[Tom W.]

At least the 'Plug-in Object Options' dialog can be opened from the object in the drawing (by right-clicking on it): to access the 'Plug-in Object Style Options' dialog you have to right-click on the object + select 'Locate Plug-in Style in Resource Manager' then right-click on the style in the RM + select 'Plug-in Object Style Options...'

 

This has been discussed at length elsewhere + @Matt Panzer says they are looking at options for making the dialog more easily accessible... Although that was some time ago so not sure what the latest is?