[platform-ui-dev] Scope of working sets and other View settings

[Randy Hudson <hudsonr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have some usablity comments which
stem from using Eclipse for a long time with the "Open each perspective
in a new window" (and also F4 opens perspective) options enabled.

When I change working sets in a view,
such as packages view, I find it frustrating to have to then do that again
in the navigator, and then again in the Synchronize View.  Often,
when I change working sets, I want it to affect all views.  On a related
subject, when I modify the Problems View filter to show me my "XYZ"
warnings, I have to do this for each workbench window in which that view
is present.

So, I'm describing 2 different issues.
 First, I want two different types of views to share a common setting:
the active working set.  Maybe other settings could be shared too.
 Alternatively, a new working set choice called "use workspace
setting" could be added, and the workspace setting is displayed on
the toolbar/menubar.

Second, I want two instances of the
same view to share a single "settings".  There are currently
several bugs (of the type "last one to save state wins") because
of the fact that each view instance has its own settings.  I don't
see how any persisted settings can be instance-based. How would you know
which instance has the settings I want used when I open a new workbench
window containing that View?

Depending on how you work in Eclipse,
you perceive a different behavior.  If you stack all of your perspectives
in a single workbench window (and it would seem that most common), it feels
like the settings are global because only one instance of each View is
ever opened.  But, if you open each perspective in a new window, you
get multiple view instances with separate settings, and the bugs mentioned
above.  The Search View is an example of a view which is better behaved
across instances.

Any thoughts?  Do products based
on Eclipse have similar problems?  Thanks

-randy