create web page item from current page bottom disappeared

ertert
Hi,

One of the most useful bottom form Zotero's menu disappeared and got placed next to the "Z" icon in Firefox's menu, which is extremely uncomfortable to use.

I would like to place the icon back in its original place -- next to the new item icon.

Thanks
  • aurimas
    You must be running Zotero Beta. The new button layout is a bit experimental, so thanks for the feedback. I don't think removal of that button is set in stone yet, but Dan will probably comment on his decision.
  • ertert
    Hi,

    Thanks. Yes, I am running the beta mode, and the URL bar icon does not show up either, so basically I can only save manually the pdfs.
  • aurimas
    Oh, the URL bar icon was moved out of the URL into the toolbar (next to the Zotero icon). If you don't see it, go into Firefox menu -> Customize. We'll add guidance for the official release.
  • ertert
    Personal comment ---- do not do it :)

    It makes it very uncomfortable to use.

    Thanks


    ps: I went back right away to the earlier zotero version....;)
  • aurimas
    Well, change is usually met with resistance, so we're expecting comments like that.

    The change, however, will bring overall improvements that would not be as streamlined or even possible within the URL bar. The main reason for the migration is that Zotero will now allow you to use the same button to import all web pages, even those where previously the icon was not displayed (i.e. no good metadata exists on the web page) and you would have had to use the snapshot button. Since the icon is always shown, it doesn't seem to belong in the URL bar and we've taken a similar approach to what Firefox did with the Bookmark button.

    Because of the transition to a toolbar button, we are now able to display a drop maker next to the button, which indicates that there are more options available for import (this has always been the case, but it required to right-click the button and most users were not aware of that possibility). We hope to utilize this context menu to offer even more convenient options to control import behavior.

    I'd encourage you to give beta another try. You can move the button anywhere you want on the toolbar, so you can position it right next to the URL bar, only a few pixels away from where it used to be.
  • Gracile
    (@ertert: you can also use the keyboard shortcut : ctrl+shift+s on Windows/Linux and cmd+shift+s on Mac).
  • dstillman
    Also, the save button is available separately in the Customize palette, so you really can replicate the old placement nearly exactly — and a separate Z will also be available before this ships.
  • adamsmith
    edited February 26, 2015
    While we're on the topic--even after having followed the commit history on github, it took me a couple of minutes before realizing why I wasn't getting a URL bar icon anymore.

    I'm perfectly happy with the change, but we need a _very_ visible way to mark that change on update--I'm not looking forward to a month of answering the same question about this over and over.

    It'll also be a big push to update at least the main documentation--the fact that all our videos are outdated is a whole different story.
  • dstillman
    Yeah, I'm planning to add a guidance panel for this (and maybe this would be the time to introduced a harder-to-dismiss guidance panel). I've spent a good few minutes staring at the address bar waiting for the icon myself.
  • aurimas
    I'm wondering if we can move the button right next to the address bar by default.
  • dstillman
    edited February 26, 2015
    I don't think that's appropriate, since it also contains the button to open Zotero. And again, all sorts of native buttons and third-party extension buttons operate on the current webpage, so we're not really doing something that deserves special placement.
  • aurimas
    True, but imagine the amount of confusion that can be avoided... I'm not liking the Zotero button being there either and I would say to split them up by default (placing the import button next to the address bar and leaving the Zotero button as is), but the amount of work you put into the combined button makes it a hard decision.
  • dstillman
    Well, the amount of work I put into it doesn't matter — but I put so much work into it mainly because I think there's value in keeping them together by default, and I don't think it's appropriate to put our button in a special place when other fundamentally similar extensions don't. That's a choice users can make if they feel Zotero merits special treatment. Fleeting confusion that can be addressed with a guidance panel shouldn't steer long-term design decisions. (And we have a separate guidance panel for new users.)
  • aurimas
    edited February 26, 2015
    There's also merit in keeping things constant, which we're obviously breaking here anyway, but we can make the change not as dramatic. The location of the URL button has been "special" for a long time so this wouldn't really be anything new. I don't recall anyone complaining about the special placement previously, which means that in this respect we're essentially fixing things that aren't broken (something I'm not a big fan of at all). (edit: I like this change primarily because of the more visible context menu)

    Also, because the toolbar is customizable, the argument about users making a choice can go either way, except that at this point we already know what the Zotero user expectations are and we're most definitely going against them. I'd rather let the users that don't like the button right next to the address bar customize it than make every single person that uses Zotero re-adjust their habits. Like you said yourself above, even when you are aware of the placement of the button somewhere else (as would be the case with the guidance panel), you still absentmindedly look for it in the old location.
  • dstillman
    Also, because the toolbar is customizable, the argument about users making a choice can go either way
    Not really. I'm saying we should do the ethical thing by default. (I know you know this, but just to give others some context, when Zotero was first designed, Firefox put the bookmark and feed icons in the address bar, which is why we did the same. Now they're both just toolbar icons.) The choice is to move it to a more prominent place, as you can any other toolbar icon.
    Like you said yourself above, even when you are aware of the placement of the button somewhere else
    I wasn't suggesting that that was at all grounds for keeping it there. Change takes some adjustment. We have good reasons for switching to a toolbar button, and since we're doing that, we should do it the way that all other extensions and Firefox itself do.

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