[linux-audio-dev] Re: Modular Jack patch bay

[Juhana Sadeharju]

>From: Dave Robillard <drobilla at connect.carleton.ca>
>
>What's the best way to disconnect ports?  I've thought of:
>
>- putting a handle in the middle of connection lines, so you can
>right-click them to get a menu

No no.

>- making the lines really thick, same deal as above

Make the lines thick only if it is visually justified.
If you only want grab the cable, then make the grabbing distance
long enough. The same for the grabbing distances of the ports.
When working fast, any tiny things are no no -- there are plenty
of examples on tiny things already.

Change the cable and the port colors when they are in focus, to
indicate that something can be done to them.

Probably three distances are needed:
 -Port picking distance
 -Cable-end picking distance
 -Cable picking distance
If one may start a new cable by picking the port, then cable-end picking
distance must be slighly larger -- and the area between the port picking
distance and the cable-end picking distance are used to pick the ends
of the cables.

 - Grab and drag the end of the cable; the cable-end picking distance
   should be long enough so that grabbing a cable is possible even
   if the port has multiple connections (Note: this does not delete
   the cable)

 - Grabbing both ends deletes the cable

Change color only of the end of the cable to indicate that it can be
picked up.

 - Ctrl + mouse button 1 on a cable: deletes cable; the menu is
   ok too, but I prefer faster ctrl+mb1

 - Sweeping a rectangle area on canvas, followed by a deletion operation

Make enough alternatives because usability is a matter of choise.

Regards,
Juhana