Alerts in main window, not in separate window

[VE3VEE]

Hello,

I've played with the new Alerts feature for a few days now. It's useful, and thanks to Daniele and the team for implementing it.

I would like you to consider eliminating the small black-background window in which alerts appear, and instead displaying alerts (last about 5 alerts) right in the main program window. I'd suggest using the empty area in the top-right, as indicated in the attached illustration.

Reasons:

- The current alert window keeps poping up and I have to constantly click on it to close it
- If the alert window is open and I click the main window, it sends the alert window behind the main window where it stays till I notice it is in the background and click on it to activate it.
- The small white font on the black background is difficult for me to read
- An alert consists of 5 (or more?) lines. One line should suffice, and it would be nice to see at least the last five alerts as illustrated in attached picture

Thanks, and keep up the excellent work!

73 Marvin VE3VEE

[G4POP]

Why not try Growl it has larger more legible pop ups, a history tab showing past alerts, audio and a while you were away dialog

[VE3VEE]

Thanks Terry. I'll give it a try. But a solution built right into Log4OM would be nicer than having to use another piece of software (another window to deal with).

73 Marvin VE3VEE

[IW3HMH]

Hi Marvin,
i like your idea, and i have had a similar idea too.
The drawback of this solution is we don't have so much space on the user interface to have this screen showed where you suggested.
Or, better, placing it in the current user interface will require an enlargement of the user interface itself, changing minimum size specifications and loosing support for small laptops and similar.

Removing the limitation will allow me to have a better redesign of the main user interface, but there is this "drawback".

Maybe we can start a poll on what is the minimum resolution used by log4om users, and if we're under the minimum value we can raise our size to the common minimum value...

That's the reason

73
Daniele

[VE3VEE]

Ha Daniele,

Another possible solution would be to leave the current minimum system requirements for Log4OM as they are now, and only have different system requirements for this particular new Alerts feature. When users enable this feature, they would receive a popup message telling them the feature requires a minimum of, for example, 1280 x 800 px.

73 Marvin VE3VEE

[VE3VEE]

... and yet another possible solution would be to completely eliminate any special dedicated window for alerts, but instead show alerts (perhaps with the callsign highlighted in a user-defined color [default=gold]) right in the main big cluster window. This was actually my original idea when I posted the topic titled Cluster "White List" (show friends even if country worked). The Alerts feature could simply work as a part of the Cluster Filter system. Users could be alerted to their desired stations/countries/etc by simply seeing them highlighted in gold (or other) color in the main big cluster window (and also in the small cluster window in the bottom-right).

73 Marvin VE3VEE

[VE3VEE]

Here's an illustration how alerts could be implemented without the need for a special dedicated window (click on the image to view it fully):

[G4POP]

Why not another tab in the right hand side of the clusters the same as the filters, settings & services tabs?

I prefer not to mix the status. Colours used in the cluster with alerts, that way is very confusing - What is indicating worked status and what is an alert?

[VE3VEE]

Why not another tab in the right hand side of the clusters the same as the filters, settings & services tabs?

Wow, this is a fantastic idea! That would not require additional screen space (we really just need a callsign and frequency there, nothing else).

I prefer not to mix the status. Colours used in the cluster with alerts, that way is very confusing - What is indicating worked status and what is an alert?

Terry, I don't think it would confuse things, or mix things. For example, currently you see gold-color highlighted rank if the station is within the top 100 (or top 50 is it?) of most wanted. The callsign of some stations would also be occasionally highlighted in the same gold color if the station happens to be on your alert list. Other colors would be used for worked/confirmed status. (But I do like your above idea better.)

73 Marvin VE3VEE

[IW3HMH]

I like the "additional tab" solution...
need some time to check how to do this without creating too much applicative events bouncing all around into the software...
I've moved a lot of things out of Log4OM (into communicator) to declutter code, so i need to be really carefull on that

73
Daniele