Small usability glitch in browser window

[marcb]

I maintain two websites with identical content, but in two different languages. Therefore, all urls are identical, apart from the domain suffix. When validating individual pages, I use the browser window since my site uses PHP and pages are assembled dynamically. Since also the update frequency of content on both sites is identical, in general, I validate a page in one language and then, in the other language. Switching pages is done by changing the address of the page in the browser window. In my case, this means simply replacing the domain suffix. However, while doing so, the complete address will switch to some of the older addresses for that same domain that are still in the history, which makes that I also have to re-change the rest of the url. Suggesting page addresses based on passed activity is OK, but it should not be done when the user has started changing part of the url.

MarcB

[MikeGale]

Hi Marc,

I quite often do something similar (testing up to three staging versions of a site and maybe the live site).

If you have the professional version, the testing is very easy. Create a list of pages to batch check. You can take the first batch list and edit it with search and replace to test a different site.

[marcb]

Hello Mike,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am aware of that option. I also use it as the standard procedure, using a batch file that simply refers to the folders/root files of the two domains. Works great. The validation via the browser window is only used for validating individual pages that show errors after the batch validation.

MarcB

[Albert Wiersch]

Hello,

This may be a similar issue to what I've run into before, like with entering URLs in Firefox and using other combo box controls, but I think it's an issue with how the Windows control behaves.

Do you think an option to turn on/off the autocomplete feature be useful?

[MikeGale]

Off the top of my head I imagine that would be a very useful feature.

We have one clear cut case here. I imagine there would be more when people become aware of the feature.

My use of these things is largely subconscious. Though in the back of my mind I'm aware that they often don't do what I want. I can't control it so I just accept it. (In addition the behaviours change, from time to time, as a design team fall under the control of another newbie, who seems unaware of the past!)

I have no idea how easy it is to implement though.

Update. Marc say's he can live without it. I'll revise my opinion to "uncertain".

[marcb]

Hello Albert,

I don't know whether adding such on/off control is really needed. At the end, we end up having hundreds of such little controls and we're into another usability issue. Now that I know how the thing behaves, I pay attention. In the beginning, I always ended up at the wrong pages without being aware of it, not knowing what went wrong and you start wondering whether this person still is...
Personally, I think it makes more sense when the autocomplete would function as in the Firefox address bar where the autocomplete only seems to kick in when there's nothing to the right side of the cursor. But Windows might be different.

MarcB

[Albert Wiersch]

MarcB,

I think you are right about too many controls. It seems like C++Builder provides an easy way to turn on or off the auto-complete feature of the standard Windows combo box. I was thinking of adding another option to turn it on/off but I think I won't, unless there are at least 2 or 3 people here who say they would actually use the feature to turn off auto-complete. If you'd use this feature, then please post here. If not, then I think it may cause more usability issues than it's worth.