[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #23716: Discuss theme locations as meta box vs. checkboxes

[WordPress Trac]

#23716: Discuss theme locations as meta box vs. checkboxes
--------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  lessbloat     |       Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Menus         |     Version:
 Severity:  normal        |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  3.6-menus     |
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Comment (by DrewAPicture):

 Replying to [comment:6 chipbennett]:
 > But the resultant UI places all prominence on creation/editing of menus,
 rather on the more-frequent activity of assigning menus to Theme
 Locations.
 >
 > The two primary was that custom menus are used after creation are:
 >
 > 1. Assigning them to Theme Locations
 > 2. Assigning them to Widgets
 >
 > Number 2 is a different configuration screen, and thus off topic.
 >
 > That leaves number 1. And I must disagree that having the number one
 most-frequent use of a custom menu "in your face" is a "CON".

 Do you have some kind of data to support this assertion that changing
 theme locations is somehow a more frequent task than editing menus? For
 regular, non-power-users?

 > This new UI inverts the relationship between custom menu and Theme
 Location. Under the previous UI, and ''as designed/intended'', custom
 menus are assigned to Theme Locations. However, under the new UI, ''Theme
 Locations are assigned to custom menus''.

 Yes, yes it does.

 > > The theme location drop down allows you to select from multiple menus,
 which tells me it belongs on the menu management screen, not the add/edit
 screen (which should be all about a single menu).
 >
 > And yet, the resultant UI puts the Theme Location inside the metabox for
 individual menus - which is, essentially, exactly what you were arguing
 against earlier.

 There are a couple of things in play here:

 1. '''Global vs individual menu settings.''' Before, you had a mix of
 global and individual settings that required multiple steps and
 experienced knowledge to configure. Adding & managing menus and setting
 locations were global, editing the menu title and items, auto-add pages
 were individual. Now, editing the menu title, items, location and auto-add
 pages are individual. The concept of adding a new menu was merged with the
 menu-editing UX and menu management stayed global but became more
 discoverable.

 2. '''The 1:1 vs 1:many locations paradigm.''' With menus, there's always
 been (and still is) a 1:many relationship. You can set one menu to many
 locations. And with locations, it's 1:1. One location, one menu. The
 previous UI put emphasis on the locations side of the paradigm and
 completely ignored the menu side, which was odd because it was a menu-
 specific setting in a global context. The UI change makes that menu-
 specific setting individual rather than global.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23716#comment:7>
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