5 Replies Latest reply on May 12, 2017 8:37 AM by Dan Pihlaja

    Bug: dynamic reference visualization steals focus when renaming new features

    Alex Rich
    Alex Rich May 9, 2017 2:23 PM

      Parent/Child reference visualization is really cool, but it has been driving me crazy lately because it takes focus when I am trying to rename selected features.  It only happens when a feature is already selected (which happens after you first create a feature, or if you click a physical feature in your CAD viewport), then you go to click on the feature name in the feature tree in order to rename it.  The text will be highlighted for a second indicating you can rename it, but then the reference visualization pops up and steals focus away.  You actually have to click the feature a third time to rename it, which throws me every time.  I typically start typing and my shortcut keys wind up doing all sorts of random stuff.

       

      To recreate this turn on dynamic ref visualization by right clicking your feature tree and clicking either of the two buttons.  I have both active.

       

      Next go into the feature tree and create a new feature.  Next click on the feature name in the feature tree as if you were going to rename it.   Text should get highlighted for a split second, then when you start to type the reference visualization will steal focus while you are typing.

       

      The second way to reproduce the bug is to click on the physical feature in the veiwport first so that it is selected, then move your mouse to the feature name and try to rename it.  Same bug occurs.

       

      The fix for this bug would be fairly straightforward, always show the reference visualization if a feature is selected.  If the visualization is already shown, it doesn't interfere with rename behavior.

       

      *Sorry about posting a bug here, but the official SPR system is annoying to use and I feel like it hides the bug from the community. 

        • Re: Bug: dynamic reference visualization steals focus when renaming new features
          Jim Wilkinson
          Jim Wilkinson Employee May 9, 2017 2:37 PM (in response to Alex Rich)

          Hi Alex,

          I am not sure which SPR system you are using which you feel is annoying. However, if you login to the customer portal at www.solidworks.com and then go to the Knowledge Base, if you search for "visualization rename" it comes up with two SPRs already in the system. You can vote for one or both of those by selecting and choosing the option to be notified when they are fixed. While posting in the forum does bring it to the attention of other users, it does not directly help the prioritization for our developers. When you encounter a problem, it should be very quick to search the knowledge base and asked to be notified when it is fixed. If it isn't in the database, then of course you should report it to your reseller so an SPR can be created for it.

           

          Thanks,

          Jim

            • Re: Bug: dynamic reference visualization steals focus when renaming new features
              Dan Pihlaja
              Dan Pihlaja May 9, 2017 3:07 PM (in response to Jim Wilkinson)

              Jim Wilkinson wrote:

               

              Hi Alex,

              I am not sure which SPR system you are using which you feel is annoying. However, if you login to the customer portal at www.solidworks.com and then go to the Knowledge Base, if you search for "visualization rename" it comes up with two SPRs already in the system. You can vote for one or both of those by selecting and choosing the option to be notified when they are fixed. While posting in the forum does bring it to the attention of other users, it does not directly help the prioritization for our developers. When you encounter a problem, it should be very quick to search the knowledge base and asked to be notified when it is fixed. If it isn't in the database, then of course you should report it to your reseller so an SPR can be created for it.

               

              Thanks,

              Jim

               

              Hello Jim,

              See in bold above.

              I don't know about other people, but I cannot vote for SPR's this way.   Whenever I do, it comes back with an error.   My VAR told me this:

              I promise that you cannot attach yourself to an SPR. I will have to do it for you. You can vote for Enhancements, but not attach yourself to SPRs.  ...You should go through the VAR for bug SPRs. There are multiple reasons why you would want us involved.

               

              This is true for me, at least.  Not sure about other people.  But I HAVE to contact my VAR to "Vote" for an SPR.  I can vote for enhancement requests.....but NOT SPR's....

              • Re: Bug: dynamic reference visualization steals focus when renaming new features
                Alex Rich
                Alex Rich May 9, 2017 4:18 PM (in response to Jim Wilkinson)

                Jim, I don't want to be critical in a way that is unhelpful, but I do find the SPR system and the way the website is organized to be really annoying.

                 

                1.  I can never find anything.  I googled "Solidworks Bugs" found the support page, then clicked on "My Bugs (SPRs)" page and still can't find a button or link that takes me to a place where I can submit an SPR or search through existing open SPRs.  I go back, I click on "My Solidworks" and get taken to another place that isn't right.  Just finding where to submit my bug/SPR is a pain, I have done it about 6 times in the past 10 years but every time I need to do it I have to spend a bizarrely long time actually finding it.

                2. Once I get to the knowledge base and find an SPR that matches my problem, it isn't clear how to vote for it.  Now that you explained it in different terms, I understand it, but just looking at the website it isn't clear how to vote for something.

                3. Folks on the forum don't see the SPR unless I redundantly post about it there and ask people to go vote for it.  I suspect that 95% of people who discover bugs never make it to the SPR page to vote for stuff.  You guys are just leaving user feedback on the table.

                 

                You should use your SPR system internally if that's helpful for you, but there should be a different system that faces your customers.  Uservoice is an example of a nice piece of software that you could use so people can post ideas and upvote the ones they like.