A warning or confirmation dialog before you can delete HTML or components in the Overview panel

Ideas
1

I find sometimes in the heat of designing, I accidentally allow my mouse to rest within the HTML area of the Editor window, and one errant slip and hit of the delete key can erase a line of HTML (a component) and sometimes I don’t catch it until I’ve been working for 5-10 minutes, by which time it’s often difficult to recall what I deleted, or where it was. It’s the same in the overview panel.

I’m thinking a confirmation dialogue that pops up asking “are you sure you wish to delete this component?” (something that can be disabled of course if power-users don’t feel it’s needed) would be a nice safety feature to add.

2

I concur this would be helpful in all kinds of situations. Maybe for the powerusers you could add the ability to say yes or ok with the Enter key? I typically find that very useful in other apps so that it keeps us from having to click with the mouse to say yes. Which is a pain with hand on mouse then hand on keyboard then hand on mouse and back and forth while you delete 10 lines of whatever. Just a thought :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

Agreed. I like a workflow where I can use the mouse and keyboard together to not have to keep moving and jumping around.

The program’s undo feature has saved my butt a few times when I accidentally deleted something in the HTML window. Maybe it’s become more of an issue with my setup because I have the detached window on a second monitor, and enlarged to show a LOT more of everything, so it just becomes a larger area where I can make a mistake. Barring the addition of a warning alert, I’ll just have to slow down in my work, and be more careful.

4

I think that since the app has undo/redo support, prompting for confirmation shouldn’t be needed. Maybe the real problem is that Bootstrap Studio doesn’t give a good indication that something has been deleted. Right now the component just disappears, and it might be difficult to know what has happened.

A few releases back we made undo/redo handlers highlight the affected component. Maybe we can do something like this for delete, but with a red highlight.

5

Undo/redo is awesome, but the problem is when you don’t realize that you accidentally deleted a component/line of HTML until you’ve done 30 more changes afterward. You can undo back to the point where you made the accidental delete, but then you’ve got to manually redo all the work you undid.

A simple “are you sure you wish to delete this component/HTML” alert box with “yes” and “no” buttons that can be either clicked or pressed by hitting enter for yes or alt+enter for no would barely slow down the workflow. And there could always be an option on the warning box itself along the lines of “check here to never show this warning again.”

Such warning dialogues are pretty standard among most professional creative-type software. Virtually every Adobe product has such warning boxes, and they give you the option to just check a small box to “never show this warning again” for power users.

Then there’s a menu option that lets you globally reset all the warnings back to their default states.

6

I agree with Martin as I don’t feel the need to have confirmation that I am about to delete something.

I get accidents happen but then having the option to undo 100 steps should be enough :+1:, well it is for way I manage my workflow

7

Okay, but let’s say you accidentally delete something and then go on to do a 1/2 hour of work that is based on the assumption that what you accidentally deleted is still there. So you undo 60 or 70 steps of work to get back your deleted “whatever”. Now what? You redo that 1/2 hour of work? Or maybe you can try and save everything first as a temporary component in your user lib, undo everything and then put the component back in? Or possibly use the backup feature (if you save every 5 mins.)

I get that it’s not really a necessary feature, but it is extremely common in most professional grade software to have warning dialogues (that are dismissible, or which can be deactivated globally for power-users) that pop up before you delete something signification (ex. a layer with artwork in Photoshop or Illustrator.)

If the warning box has a check box that says, “don’t show this warning again”, how does this hurt anyone? The worst case is you have to confirm it one time, tick a check box, and then you’re done. Best case is it saves someone from having to redo a lot of work, or trace back through a bunch of steps trying to figure out at which point they made the goof.

I don’t see a good reason to NOT include something helpful like this if it causes no extra work or pain.

But again, I guess it’s down to personal workflow.

8

If I delete something by mistake and then notice I would just re-include it again (again that’s just my workflow)

I do get the idea of the pop up and see sense in it, but it’s a niche use case that will only benefit a small number of users, and if I was a developer I would wonder what the value would be of adding this vs the time spent developing he solution.

9

Sorry, but you’re wrong about it being a “niche” case. Every single piece of Adobe Software (a multi-billion dollar software company), from Photoshop to Premier, from to Illustrator and After Effects includes this feature. Why? Because they understand their software is used by people and businesses to make money, often in very high-pressure, deadline-oriented environments. So they add it as an extra measure of safety, understanding that when people are working fast, mistakes happen, and 15 minutes lost fixing an accidentally deleted element can result in a missed deadline, or even a lost job/account.

You’ll also find it present in Corel products, as well as Pinegrow (because enough of us bugged the developers to add it), FInal Cut Pro, and even some Microsoft Programs have it. And the format is pretty universal. The dialogues can be checked to “not appear again” and then reset to default via a menu option in the preferences.

I’ve been using computers since the late 1970. I own two companies, have owned dozens of different machines, bought hundreds of programs, and in my experience, the more professional/mature the software, the more you see this sort of anticipatory/safety type feature added. It’s simply good programming, just like being able to change the zoom level of the UI, custom map the keyboard, employ hotkeys, or setup tool palates or workspaces to one’s liking. It took years for BSS just to add a single detachable window when most professional creative software has recognized and supported multiple monitors since the late 2000’s.

And as long as it can be switched off, it doesn’t cause any grief for those who don’t want to use it, so it’s a win-win all around. The only thing is it takes a bit of work on the part of the developers, and seeing as how Martin and his team are always striving to make BSS the best website builder it can be, AND have already incorporated 4 or 5 of my other suggestions to improve the UI and UX, I wouldn’t be so quick to just dismiss this suggestion as a “niche feature” that few would use.

You’ll note that @jo-r agrees with me (no doubt because she also uses BSS to make her living.) Sometimes, people who use software everyday for 8-10 hours a day have a better understanding of what would benefit the program than the people who actually develop the program. In fact, this is the entire premise of the concept of beta-testing, and proof-reading. Fresh/different eyes see things that developer’s and author’s eyes miss, or that don’t occur to them.

Just out of curiosity, do you use BSS to run a business? This program has become my main workhorse/money-maker, so when I suggest a UI change, it’s because I know it will make my business more efficient, and thus more profitable.

10

I don’t use BSS to run a business (not that it should matter really). I develop on the side as a means to keep my skill set honed.

We are all entitled to have a difference of opinion so not sure why you are getting so defensive if someone doesn’t agree with your view :man_shrugging:

You also say it will make “your” live easier meaning a niche use case as only you and jo think it’s a good idea.

It’s up to devs to see if it’s worth their time so let’s leave to them to decide but Martin doesn’t think it’s needed.

If devs decide to do it great, I’ll just turn it off as wouldn’t need to use the feature myself.

11

I actually like Martin’s idea of flagging/coloring items if they get deleted. I think that would really take care of the most of us. I do agree it’s a niche case thing, but I also think that something in place for this would be better than nothing at all. It’s definitely a niche thing with me right now, only because I’m having issues with a couple bugs (one that will be fixed soon). The one that will continue to plague me is the Undo issue and I’m not sure this feature would help that even.

But, I too have been known to have a heavy hand on my keyboard and accidentally delete something and not realize it. So, some type of coloring/flag would be helpful I think.

12

Not sure why you feel the need to object to an idea that wouldn’t affect you in any negative way, (unless it’s because I made it? :man_shrugging:) I’ve made a number of suggestions for changes/additions to BSS in the past that the devs have incorporated, and you never commented on any of them.

You stated yourself you’re not a developer, and “would wonder what the value would be of adding this vs the time spent developing the solution?” Maybe Martin can answer that, but I can tell you that the value to people who use software to make their livings is this; warning dialogues prevent accidents that can cost time and/or money. That’s why they were invented in the first place, and it’s why they’re found on so many professional grade programs used in business, from Quickbooks, to Adobe’s CC Suite, to MS Office, to other website builders like Pinegrow. They make the software better.

13

If the BSS devs choose to implement the idea great, - if they don’t, they don’t. :+1:

But since you have brought it up twice now. Yes, I am not a developer of BSS but I appreciate they are a small team and can’t do every idea that’s is raised and believe they focus on delivering change that will add value for everyone, and no I don’t spent hours each day like you using this app but I consider myself to be an advanced user with an understanding and appreciation of this program so know what I am doing.