da420078
 ( 52.26% )
- ago
Kudos for the WebBuilder. The UI is leaps and bounds ahead of the desktop version. Much faster. It's a joy to use. Add some enhancements like drag-copy, select multiple blocks, double-click to edit parameters, zoom view, type first letter to access indicators quickly, etc.
My #1 feature request by a mile would be a truly intuitive and productive drag-and-drop UI. The WebBuilder goes a long way in that direction.
Would it be possible to standardize on this interface across all platforms: web, desktop, even future mobile apps?
It's difficult not to imagine the WebBuilder as paving the way forward for mainstream users.


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- ago
#1
We're on the same page on adding more community requested features to the WB as it gains recognition. But practically it takes a lot of programming effort to launch services like the WebBuilder. The desktop and web versions are built separately. So there may be practical restrictions to this.

Considering its small audience at the start, making massive changes is hardly realistic. But choosing one or two missing features that you really can't live without and argumenting them would increase the chance of accepting your feature request. :)

My point is that evolution is preferred to revolutionary changes.
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Cone8
 ( 7.89% )
- ago
#2
QUOTE:
The UI is leaps and bounds ahead of the desktop version.
We're happy you like it, but "leaps and bounds ahead", really? How so? WL7 Building Blocks has many more features (optimization variables, multi-position, and extension add-ons), but the U.I. is quite comparable, fast, and comfortable in both formats, imho!
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da420078
 ( 52.26% )
- ago
#3
I realize "leaps and bounds" isn't a useful description for software development purposes.
But I couldn't help expressing the satisfaction I experienced from using the drag-and-drop visual UI of WebBuilder. In terms of UX, it is "leaps and bounds" ahead of WL desktop, although it obviously lacks some of the functionality.
When building a strategy with blocks on the desktop, once you have over, say, 10 blocks, it becomes very cumbersome to work with.
But the WebBuilder helps mitigate this with easy drag-and-drop, narrow blocks, much easier scroll, and more elegant and productive parameter editing.
Yes, for anyone who dislikes UIs because they get in the way and they'd rather start from scratch in C#, the above is meaningless.
In the spirit of democratic wish-list-driven development, I would argue that WL is already feature-rich, and so imho, the most effort should go to UX. It's just an opinion. In the context of the history and culture of the software and the community that's grown up around it, I appreciate that this is tantamount to heresy.
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Glitch8
 ( 11.29% )
- ago
#4
Here is how a BB Strategy opens in WL7 now for upcoming Build 39. Taking some of the good design of the Web Builder and incorporating it into WL7.

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da420078
 ( 52.26% )
- ago
#5
Wow, Glitch!
Anyone working in Product Management would be envious of that turnaround!
Do you have a screen grab of what a Buy-Sell block would look like when it's minimized?
This is one of those rare occasions when the word "awesome" is truly relevant.

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Glitch8
 ( 11.29% )
- ago
#6
Just like in the Web Builder, you cannot completely collapse an Entry or Exit Block. The fact that all the Block parameter sections can be collapsed, and start in a collapsed state when you open a Strategy, fulfills this request IMO.
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da420078
 ( 52.26% )
- ago
#7
It's a big usability improvement, for certain.
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da420078
 ( 52.26% )
- ago
#8
Glitch,
Just watched your video on B.39 - very nice!
A step change in usability already.
Amazing what a bit of lively discussion can inspire. ;)
Great work, no question.
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