Last modified: 2013-03-05 21:25:54 UTC
The show/hide links take up a lot of space. Can they be replaced by a neat RevDel icon when there is something hidden or an option to hide? Advantages - neatness, space, improved interface. Detail: The icon and its action/hover would depend on whether the user CAN or CANNOT view/change the revDel settings for the item, and whether there IS or ISN'T some hiding already in that item. 1/ Entry/diff/edit summary etc has SOME RevDel action, user CAN view or change the RevDel flags and view the edit (admin or oversighter etc): - User shown an icon next to the item, can click the icon to access RevDel for the revision, or hover to view the RevDel info. 2/ Entry/diff/edit summary etc has SOME RevDel action, user CANNOT view or change the RevDel flags and view: - User shown icon in a darker shade or with an "x" motif, and a hover saying "Some items in this edit have been removed from view." 3/ Entry/diff/edit summary etc has NO RevDel action, user CAN view or change the RevDel flags: - User shown a similar icon with an "h" motif. Clicking leads to the RevDel view for that revision, hovering shows the message "Click to hide data in this edit". 4/ Entry/diff/edit summary etc has NO RevDel action, user CANNOT view or change the RevDel flags: - User is not shown any RevDel icon next to the item.
And possibly if there is no RevDel action now, but was in the past, a different icon, to allow admins/oversighters to quickly spot revisions where hiding/suppression has been employed even if it's not hidden now. Ie, admins can see there have been past admin RevDel actions, and oversighters can see there have been past admin or oversight RevDel actions.
Past RevDel levels aren't recorded in the page table (only the *current* restrictions) so you'd have to JOIN to the logging table, *and* interpret the results... It would be messy. How important would that feature be? Certainly that's a separate bug. The popups-esque "or hover to view the RevDel info" is probably also a separate issue, although that would indeed be nice. Wouldn't 2/ be redundant to the greyed-out "(Username removed)"/"[hidden]" markers? I think only showing the icon for users with the ability to see/modify the RevDel settings would be sensible. What sort of icon are we thinking of? [[WP:OFFICE]]esque padlock? Torch beam?
Created attachment 6061 [details] sample icons Quick comments - 1/ I assume you're talking about when there is no current RevDel flags, but have been in the past. Yes, this would take a join or an extra boolean flag (HAS_BEEN_REVDEL_ACTION?) in the revision table; its importance is that an item which once had RevDel action (the specific revision was deleted) but isn't now, is worth highlighting. it may be it was undeleted wrongly, or there is something meriting attention there. That kind of exception is well worth being able to see. 2/ Maybe; if it's greyed out the icon might be superfluous. The point is then the icon acts as a "what does this mean" to users, whereas if something is just struck out there is no further explanation so they may not know what it means initially or where to look for help. (They might have a genuine wish to ask about the edit, or discuss it; strikeout doesn't link to anything, and making all struck out stuff also hyperlinks will add random hyperlinks in a widespread distracting manner.) 3/ Icon style? I wouldn't use padlocks. Too forbidding. An icon more suited to explanation/query/information would be good. Small yellow circle with "i" for information or slanted question mark or something? I'm far from a designer but I've attached a concept.
It's also possible that icon-ing when the user can't view, has positive and less positive features. Maybe make that an option, so if it's reviewed in future (or as used on other sites) it's as simple to change as a config setting.
I hate these links, but we never use icons I think?
