Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

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miles11
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Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by miles11 »

Okay, I’ve used Mellel since 2004 and can’t tell you how much I enjoy using it. But there’s one behavior that’s driving me nuts.
Every time I open the program, or click on the Dock to make Mellel the active program, it opens a brand new document. The document opens and spreads across the screen hiding everything else I’ve been working on. Then I have to mouse around to close the newly opened (and unwanted) window. And, finally, I can get around to doing what I wanted to do when I made Mellel active in the first place.

In Preferences, we are given only two options:
1) Open template browser, and,
2) Use a template.

I want a third choice: When opening Mellel (or making the program active): DO NOTHING.

Then, once it’s active I can have choices. I can use the Recent Items menu to quickly choose, and bring up, a document I’ve worked on recently. Or, I can hit Command-N for a new document. Or I can hit Command-O to bring up the open dialogue to search for a file I haven't worked on for a while. But I DON’T want Mellel opening a new document every freaking time I click on the Dock icon, or open the program. I just want to make the program active, then I’ll decide what I want Mellel to do next.

Can you please give us that choice in Preferences?
vinesy
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by vinesy »

If you set preference to "Open template browser," it has a folder for "recent documents" in LH column...

And if you "command-O" from template browser, then template browser disappears, and "open" dialogue is there in its place.

...so doesn't this achieve what you want?
miles11
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by miles11 »

vinesy wrote:If you set preference to "Open template browser," it has a folder for "recent documents" in LH column...

And if you "command-O" from template browser, then template browser disappears, and "open" dialogue is there in its place.

...so doesn't this achieve what you want?
In this case, They’ve tried to make Mellel be “helpful” just as Word is too often “helpful”.

All I want is a clean, simple, Preference setting, “On making Mellel active: DO NOTHING.”
Once the program is active I can quickly make my own choices as to what I want to do.

I just want the program to become active — but instead, I get unwanted dialogue boxes that are slow, cumbersome, and irritating. Or I get a new document that I don't need. It's very Word-like. Maybe it just seems like I’m picking nits. But there is no reason to have to deal with dialogue boxes, or to dismiss them, when you didn’t want to deal with them in the first place. After you’ve dealt with this for years it just seems like an irritating waste of time. I can make my choices quickly and easily just using the keyboard and menu choices.

I just want the program to become active — that's all — so I can quickly make my own choices with the keyboard. I just want Mellel to become active, THEN to stay out of my way, so I can do what I want, or need, to do.
kjmatthews
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by kjmatthews »

Just leave Mellel permanently open. (As though there were a reason to ever close it… :P )
jannuss
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by jannuss »

miles11 wrote:
I just want the program to become active — that's all — so I can quickly make my own choices with the keyboard. I just want Mellel to become active, THEN to stay out of my way, so I can do what I want, or need, to do.
Miles, I hear you: you want to work the way you want to work
but
-- first, do you have any application that works this way . . . I don't
-- second, I can only think of two reason to open the Mellel app: either you want to work on an existing document [and then the solution is to double click that document] or you want to open a new document [and then the Mellel "template browser" window is appropriate].

What am I missing?

Janet
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by Reiner »

jannuss wrote: -- second, I can only think of two reason to open the Mellel app: either you want to work on an existing document [and then the solution is to double click that document] or you want to open a new document [and then the Mellel "template browser" window is appropriate].

What am I missing?

Janet
For all things you name are alternative ways, which for me work much better. Therefore I don't want Mellel to force me to do other things (= closing a document or a template browser I don't need).
- I make new documents from the default template with Command-N.
- To make a new document from another template I much prefer the template menu.
- To open existing documents I use Command-O within Mellel or come directly from the Finder.

I don't need the template browser and I do not want Mellel to open a new document with the default template each time I open Mellel or switch to Mellel using the dock-icon.

Therefor I fully understand and support miles11. The option that Mellel does nothing when you open it and when you switch to it using the dock-icon is just missing. (btw when you switch to an already open Mellel using Command-Tab it in fact does nothing - the different behaviour in two different ways to switch to Mellel is not very consistent.)

best regards
Reiner
Reiner
miles11
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by miles11 »

Reiner wrote:...For all things you name are alternative ways, which for me work much better. Therefore I don't want Mellel to force me to do other things (= closing a document or a template browser I don't need).

- I make new documents from the default template with Command-N.
- To make a new document from another template I much prefer the template menu.
- To open existing documents I use Command-O within Mellel or come directly from the Finder.

I don't need the template browser and I do not want Mellel to open a new document with the default template each time I open Mellel or switch to Mellel using the dock-icon.

Therefor I fully understand and support miles11. The option that Mellel does nothing when you open it and when you switch to it using the dock-icon is just missing...

best regards
Reiner
Another thing Mellel does on its own that is a major PITA is to open documents you have sent to the Dock (minimized) — again, this is when you make Mellel the active application. When I place a document in the Dock I want it to REMAIN in the Dock until I open it myself (when I once again have need of that document). As a result, I sometimes have to minimize those documents several times as I work (any time I make Mellel active for some other purpose).

These programmed behaviors are exasperating, and worse, they are repeated many times every day. And it becomes far more irritating to have to continue dealing with them as the years pass. I love Mellel and I keep it open almost all of the time because I use it for many writing tasks.

BUT, I DO NOT want Mellel trying to “help” me out when I have not asked for its “help,” and when I don’t need its “help,” and when I don’t WANT its "help". I just want Mellel to become the active application. THAT IS ALL. Don’t open new documents. Don’t open documents I have placed it the Dock. Just become the active application and try to stay out of the way, as much as possible.

I want to open the documents I need, in my own way (shortcuts, and the recent items menu, etc). I HATE it when Mellel decides for me what documents should be opened, and when they should be opened. Its decisions are too often wrong (when it comes to the way I want to work).
Last edited by miles11 on Mon Jul 17, 2017 6:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
jannuss
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by jannuss »

OK
I get where you guys are coming from
and I agree that applications should offer users the maximum options possible to support their specific needs.
The option to do nothing is certainly a valid option.

My question is: do you know a single application that works this way?
I can't think of one.

Janet
miles11
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by miles11 »

jannuss wrote:OK
I get where you guys are coming from
and I agree that applications should offer users the maximum options possible to support their specific needs.
The option to do nothing is certainly a valid option.

My question is: do you know a single application that works this way?
I can't think of one.

Janet
Why do you keep asking if we know any other app that works that way? What does that matter? The topic of this thread is MELLEL’s behavior. I’ve used Mellel for a decade and a half, its the word processor that’s open every day on my computer. So Mellel is the application I’m concerned with. I couldn’t care less how other word processors behave.

Why should it be a big deal to have a “Do Nothing” option in Mellel preferences? This would simply be an option to open Mellel, or make the application active, WITHOUT also opening a new document (and without bringing forth documents previously placed in the Dock for later use)?

Its an ongoing irritation to have to frequently close new documents, or docked items, that you didn’t want open in the first place — when all you want to do is make Mellel active so you can move on to do some other work.
jannuss
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by jannuss »

That's fair: you want Mellel to do somethingexceptioknal that other apps don't do.

I just think you should make that clear, that's all.

Janet
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by rwg »

jannuss wrote:That's fair: you want Mellel to do somethingexceptioknal that other apps don't do.
Not necessarily. For example, Nisus has the option to Do Nothing on activation.
miles11
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by miles11 »

jannuss wrote:That's fair: you want Mellel to do somethingexceptioknal that other apps don't do.

I just think you should make that clear, that's all.

Janet
What I am asking for is nothing exceptional, at all. Scrivener has Preference settings that allow the program to open without also opening the Template Chooser, and without opening a new document. This allows the program to open cleanly. It just opens and becomes the active application — and NO new document opens.

Why are you having such a difficult time understanding an idea this simple? You seem fixated with the idea that opening a program ALSO has to open a NEW document. No program has to work that way. All I want is the option to choose how the program behaves when I open it, or make it active. It is NOT complicated.
mwdiers
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Re: Stop Creating New Documents. Please...

Post by mwdiers »

miles11 wrote: I want a third choice: When opening Mellel (or making the program active): DO NOTHING.

Then, once it’s active I can have choices. I can use the Recent Items menu to quickly choose, and bring up, a document I’ve worked on recently. Or, I can hit Command-N for a new document. Or I can hit Command-O to bring up the open dialogue to search for a file I haven't worked on for a while. But I DON’T want Mellel opening a new document every freaking time I click on the Dock icon, or open the program. I just want to make the program active, then I’ll decide what I want Mellel to do next.
Opening to the Template Browser is your third choice. When you go to File... Open, and open a document, the Template Browser goes away. When you open a Recent Document, the template browser goes away. If you want a new document, the Template Browser is there waiting for you to choose your default blank template and click Open.

I don't get what your issue is. Everything you could possibly do works just fine with the Template Browser showing on open. You can't just ignore it?
Last edited by mwdiers on Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:35 am, edited 2 times in total.
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