GUI issue: wrong button placement

I just upgraded to the latest Zotero version: Zotero 3.0.1 Firefox plugin on Windows 7 Pro (32-bit). A minor issue: the "Info, Notes, Tags, Related" row of buttons at the top of the right column now comes to overlay the top of the box below it, partially hiding, for example, the "Item type" line. On a small screen this makes it a bit fiddly to change the type of an item.
  • I don't see this on Windows 7. Can you take a screenshot, upload it somewhere (e.g., imageshack.us), and post a link here?
  • edited February 2, 2012
    I keep forgetting that I use a Firefox skin (Mac OSX theme: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-Us/firefox/addon/macosx-theme-firefox-4/). Thus, the issue is probably not really due to Zotero only but to the interaction with the theme. I've been using Zotero together with the Mac OSX theme for a while now, however, and before I've never had this effect. Here's a screenshot:

    http://likedeeler.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/zotero-screenshot.png

    Since the theme has not been changed/updated for a while, the collision of buttons and content below them seems to be caused by changes in Zotero. The OSX theme translates tab pages to a button row whose lower half is rendered onto the top of the page. An example:

    http://likedeeler.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/options-screenshot.png

    Maybe they can do that because FF GUI guidelines specify a certain amount of padding at the top of tab pages (my guess, not sure), such that the overlay is guaranteed not to interfere with page content.

    Well, no big deal after all. Thanks for your feedback!
  • edited February 2, 2012
    We reduced the amount of padding immediately below the tabs because it's a better use of space with the default theme. I don't think we want to decrease the amount of padding to accommodate custom themes at this time.

    (Also, FWIW, the OS X "pinstripe" theme that ships with Mozilla still uses real tabs in a tabbox by default unless it's in the preferences, although we have custom styling for our tabbox that applies only on OS X.)
  • edited February 2, 2012
    Simon, I do see your point about screen real estate (although the collision is actually more detracting with small screens). From a usability perspective, however, it's probably more correct to say that Zotero recently disaccommodated skinning by deviating from common Firefox styling guidelines. Your choice, but I'm not sure whether it is a wise one for a FF plugin. Otherwise, nice work! Cheers, Mark
  • There aren't guidelines. There's default CSS for each element. We alter it on some elements, but so does Firefox. There is no general issue, just a conflict between Zotero's styling expectations and those of your theme of choice.

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