Clicking on a wave front in the wave front list can change the gaussian blur.

[githubdoe]

This is new behavior. I don't like it.

Somehow wave fronts know what blur they have. I did not know that nor know that clicking on one would change the blur value control.

I discovered it when I had two wave fronts that and been blurred at 20. I wanted to change one to 5. So first I changed the blur size to 5. Then I clicked on the desired wave front and turned the blur off and then back on, One of the ways I change the bur value. I did not notice that clicking on that wave front changed the bur value. Later I realized that the wave front was blurred once again at 20. So tried all of that again. That of course burred it at two because clicking the wave front changes the blur value.

What caused that to happen? Was that added as a new behavior? If so I do not like it. Once you know it happens you can work around it but that was not my intended behavior for the wave front list. The control should be the boss not the wave front.

[gr5]

I understand completely. You expected it to remember the new blur value and didn't mind recalculating twice (once when unchecking and once when checking again).

Yes this is the new behavior. In the old behavior, unless you memorized it, you couldn't tell which wavefronts had which blur value. Now you can click through the wavefronts and see what their current blur is.

Instead you could do what Dale usually recommends - select multiple wavefronts and change them all at once. If that's what you had wanted.

So you can select them all and click the blur box or change the blur amount and at least in the older version it affects all the selected wavefronts. Not sure if the latest version does that - it should.

Keep in mind that the new way also doesn't make you change something and change it back. It just shows the current setting and if you want to change it, you just change it.

[gr5]

Also the latest version keeps track of zernike's for each wavefront but let's not go there just yet. I'd like it to also keep track of the nulls (it already does but it's not shown in the GUI).

[githubdoe]

Instead of changing the actual blur control write the blur size into the bottom status field. Or add a right click menu item to the right click menu or maybe a tool tip. But do not change the blur control. Or add another status field to the control to show current blur size on an already busy control layout.

[gr5]

Those are reasonable ideas but then if you wanted to change from 20 to 5 now you have to do two operations (click the checkbox twice) instead of one (change it from 20 to 5).

Still I think that might work well. Maybe a text box and a button that says "change selected wavefronts". Something like that.

[gr5]

I never did like it that I'd start to edit the gaussian blur from say 9 to 11 and as soon as I typed the first 1 it would already start the operation. If we just add an apply button (and show the current value in a label), might that be best?

[githubdoe]

The way it is now I constantly have to do much more work to change the bur value. That value is used by a couple clients. It can change the selected wave fronts or any new wave front being generated. So now it has a side effect of not using the desired value that I had set because It changed when I had click another wave front with a different blur than I now want.

I have never wanted to know what blur was used on a wave front. I just set them to what I want. Why do you need to know what it might have been? That seems unnecessary to me.

[gr5]

It's confusing when you lose track. It happens to me all the time. And I shouldn't have to uncheck and then recheck. Again - if you just select all the wavefronts and then set the gaussian to what you want it works just like it always did.

I'll come up with a proposal to satisfy us both. I think the apply button idea would work. Let's talk tomorrow or some day soon. I have other questions.

[githubdoe]

I don't want to select all the wave fronts I want to do 1. I might have 100 wavefronts. It worked exactly like I wanted. Checking the check box is a simple thing. Not much different than pressing button. Not much room for a button. Anyway that is two button presses as well when the blur is off and you want to turn it on. In my mind I made it more simple and usually doing the right thing.

[gr5]

I get it. I'll make a sketch. I'll call you late afternoon because I have other questions.

[gr5]

@atsju - Dale doesn't like the change in behavior for gaussian entry. He wants to change the value, THEN click on a few wavefronts, THEN change those by unclicking and clicking. It's more complicated than that. But that's an example use case. If he is changing multiple wavefronts and wants to do them individually (and not select them all) then it keeps jumping back to the wrong (old) gaussian value until they are all changed. I like the way it is now but I definitely see his point.

So I have two proposals shown in mockup below. We actually have lots of vertical space.

1. add 1 control. A label. Current gaussian value shown only in label (circled) and not in edit box as it was before.
2. Add also an Apply button. Actually I think the button should say "Apply to Selected" as it indeed affects all selected wavefronts.

Dale seems to prefer option 1. I prefer option 2 as I think it's easier for most users but option 1 is fine as well. @atsju are you okay with either solution?

Dale, the other advantage of option 2 is that we can add "Apply to Selected" which informs users that they can select multiple wavefronts and do many at once. They might even suspect consciously or unconsciously that other functions (rotate, recompute, etc) affect all selected wavefronts.

Mostly I don't like having to uncheck and recheck and I don't like it when it takes me too long to type the new gaussian and it applies it more than once (unnecessarily slow). Okay I see now I can uncheck and recheck very rapidly and it just recalculates once but I didn't know that and up until today have been waiting for the first to finish. I don't like to over stress programs that might crash if I go to fast. So for thousands of times I waited.

[githubdoe]

It is easy these days to add delays that trigger when changes are made and wait for the user to stop before applying something. That can be applied to both the check box and the value window. You use a lambda inside the connect for the check operation and the value changed and a static timer inside the lambdas. It takes about three lines of code.

That way you do not need the "Apply" button.

[atsju]

Yes I have seen that.
Thank you for having handled the discussion because I still do not see your point (I'm sure there is something, I just don't get it).

Honestly I'm not sure to understand your 2 solutions, so I suppose I'm fine with both.

Uncheck/recheck sounds sketchy to apply a new setting. I understand this is "how it was before" but I would prefer a solution where you don't need to disable and re-enable to change blur value.

[githubdoe]

The use case is blur or do not blur. That is the normal usage.
The check box means do not blur if not checked. If checked blur at the value shown.

That value was applied immediately when changed before but it needs the one shot timer lambda to not change until the user is done.

No apply is needed.

[githubdoe]

All controls on the right side in the wave front list area do their job on the selected wave fronts. Lets do not add that text to each one please. If you must add a tool tip.

[atsju]

He wants to change the value, THEN click on a few wavefronts, THEN change those by unclicking and clicking.

I see the point too! Thank your for the uppercase.

As long the solution lets user know state of current wavefront AND permits this behavior I'm OK with it.
The missing first part was misleading (for some users, obviously not for you Dale) and was original reason of the change.