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[markf2748]

Issue:  It is impossible to tell whether the Error Free Mode state is on or off from its custom toolbar icon alone.  Therefore the button is essentially useless without also checking the View menu at least once and maybe twice to verify (keyboard shortcut <ALT><v> ; Toggle state <ALT><v> --> <e>).  An improved custom toolbar button would make it more useful.

Request: Please enhance the Error Free Mode custom toolbar button's tooltip to have two states:

Error Free Mode Off
(click to change)

Error Free Mode On
(click to change)

In other words, consider modeling it after the tooltip for the Repeat Button (immediately to the right of the Progress Bar). But since only two states are involved, incorporate the flyout menu only if necessary from a coding perspective.

Additional: Add two states to the icon appearance to reveal the current EFM state with a "hands off" glance.  For example, grayed out is off; bright color is on; single click toggle.  I recognize this may be hard (or impossible?) to do within the limitations of a custom toolbar button, but it would be a big improvement overall.  This would also work for those who prefer to turn off tooltips.

4/4/2024 Multiple edits.  Add description of keyboard shortcut.

[Matt]

The toolbar button should change to the highlight color when it's on.

[markf2748]

The toolbar button should change to the highlight color when it's on.

Thanks for pointing that out!  With setting Customize Toolbar > Icon Mode > Dim icons (which affects all toolbar icons by default), the EFM button works as you describe.  However I have always been running with Customize Toolbar > Icon Mode > Full Color Icons.  In this case there is no change in the EFM button appearance - it is always full color. 

Experience so far:

(1) Fix needed:  The EFM toolbar button transition from Off --> On is always very fast.  However, the reverse transition On --> Off is sometimes disturbingly slow, i.e. 1-3 seconds for the transition to occur.  Can that be fixed to avoid user confusion?

Note that both transitions are instantaneous when initiated from the View menu, and the sync between View menu and EFM custom toolbar button is always instantaneous.

(2) Fix needed:   Disturbing and misleading blink.  Use EFM button to turn on EFM and get bright button.  Now move mouse pointer over the View menu item, LMB click it without actually moving pointer down the menu list.  The EFM button greys out, giving an erroneous indication.  Once mouse is moved down the list, the EFM button becomes bright again.

(3) I rather like the Full Color Icons, but I'll give the dim icons a go to get the EFM functionality I desire.  I find the dim state buttons low contrast and difficult to read.  Is the dim state contrast/color skinnable?  I tried changing the skin's main.xml <TOOLBARS> -->  <Colors InactiveBlend="d6d9e0" /> to other values, but I don't see any effect on the dim state toolbar icons (lightly modified Black on Black skin, and same in all other skins I tried).  How can dim state icons be made higher contrast, or color adjusted?

I will also tame down the EFM button appearance with a unique custom face.

(4) Enhancement Request:  A third Icon Mode (or modified Full Color Mode), in which most buttons are Full Color, but a few buttons are sensibly two state (dim/bright).  The latter would include the EFM and Tag buttons for example.  This may already be the case for the Undo button, but I've never found a situation where I need to change it from greyed out. 

(5) Alternative:  most buttons are greyed out, except those for which it is useful to display state.

4/14/2024:  Added (5).

[markf2748]

Thanks for pointing that out!  With setting Customize Toolbar > Icon Mode > Dim icons (which affects all toolbar icons by default), the EFM button works as you describe.  However I have always been running with Customize Toolbar > Icon Mode > Full Color Icons.  In this case there is no change in the EFM button appearance - it is always full color. 

Experience so far:

(1) Fix needed:   The EFM toolbar button transition transition from Off --> On is always very fast.  However, the reverse transition On --> Off is sometimes disturbingly slow, i.e. 1-3 seconds for the transition to occur.  Can that be fixed to avoid user confusion?

Note that both transitions are instantaneous when initiated from the View menu, and the sync between View menu and EFM custom toolbar button is always instantaneous.
...
...

Aha moment:  I just realized that the EFM custom toolbar button's transition On --> Off is also very fast, but the button's appearance does not update (i.e. turn grey) until the mouse pointer is moved off the button!  If you click the bright EFM button and keep mouse over that button, it remains bright until the moment you pull the mouse off the button, at which point it correctly dims to reflect state.  So there is no way to see state while hovering and clicking.

Enhancement Request:   For "Customize Toolbar... > Icon modes: Dim icons" and EFM button:   When mouse first passes over button, button should turn bright (if dim) to indicate mouse has "found the button" (as now).  But while hovering over it for a second or more, the brightness should reflect the current state (dim for EFM now off; remains bright for EFM now on).   After a button click, the brightness should immediately change, both acknowledging the click and reflecting transition to new state, while mouse continues to hover.  When mouse moves off the button there would be no change in brightness, as button just continues to reflect the state.

Consider doing the same for Tag button, and other buttons for which it would be helpful to display state.

4/14/2024 Multiple changes to the Enhancement Request until I finally got it right.