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Forums » Suggestions & Development Discussion » Tooltips for Always/Never Widget

I think it would be very useful if the Always/Never widget updated so that when you add a new item to one of its lists you get two forms, one for the item and one for a tooltip to attach to the item. I'd like to be able to add specific definitions to the items on the widget, but don't want to add a "text" widget underneath it with a long definitions list because then I may as well not be using the Always/Never widget to begin with.

I skimmed through the development log to check if this was listed already, so can see that you seem to have a lot on your plate already, and I'm not even certain the way the site is set up can support tooltips since I haven't seen any anywhere yet. I'll be happy with a "can't be done" response if need be. : /
Kim Site Admin

Tooltips exist in several places on the site as a way for me to explain widgets and settings, and also show up with WoW widgets to give the information about the various equipment a character may be using. But so far, I have not done anything that would allow users to put tool tips on their profiles.

This is possible from a technical standpoint, but from a useability standpoint I would be very nervous about increasing the complexity of the Always/Never Widget. I already field a fair number of questions from people about how they are meant to be used, and adding more stuff will only make it murkier, harder to discover through trial and error.

What I might suggest to you that would simulate something similar, is that you replace your Always/Never widget with a text widget, and create lists with the same headings. However, you can make each item in your list be "collapsing text" (See http://www.rprepository.com/help/bbcode.php#collapse and try clicking on the "click me to reveal more information!"). That would essentially allow you to have a list of just the names of things, but people could click to see more information if they needed it without being scared away by the explanation of everything.

This has the added benefit of working on phones, iPads, and touchscreen devices that have no such thing as "hovering" so tooltips are never activated on those devices.

Is that helpful at all?
Morhe Topic Starter

It honestly sounds like the confusion regarding the Always/Never widget is more related to people not understanding its purpose, rather than not understanding the widget itself; all it is is a four-column list. To that end, you're still going to get a lot of "What is this for?" questions regardless of how it's implemented.

The problem with using the text widget for something like this is that it doesn't allow you to create side-by-side columns of collapsible text, so you don't get a side-by-side comparison, which sort of defeats the purpose of compartmentalizing the information into a table that can be viewed at a glance in only one page. I suppose I could hybridize your suggestion with my original one by using the always/never chart and then adding lists for explanation underneath. I'm not sure I like the idea of how that would look, though. For now I'll probably do without until I have time to experiment and think of a good way to set up the page.

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