New Figure EIP
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This past week I've been working on a mock-up/prototype of a new way of editing figures while one is in EIP. This involves doing away with the typical textarea where one is forced to deal with XML and instead gives the users two input boxes (one for the optional name, one for the optional caption) and a tall selection box (<select size="~10">).
When users click on a item in the selection box (which is divided into three sections: files in workarea, files in module, other figure types (code, table)), they are given one of three things in the space to the right of the selection box. If the file selected is one that a browser can display (jpg, gif, png), the user is presented with a preview of the image which is fitted to the size of the area to the right of the selection box. If the file selected is not viewable in a browser, the user is given a message reading "Preview not avaibable for that file type." And if the user chooses <code> or <table>, they are given the typical EIP textarea in which to write XML for their code or table (still to the right of the selection box).
A fourth option in the selection box would allow the user to upload new files into the module's file area.
Of course, Brian will have to do the heavy lifting of getting a list of the files that are available in one's module or workarea and making the file upload work. He also asked me to make a variation of this mock-up in which the <code> and <table> options are removed from the selection box and instead chosen via radio buttons (where one can only choose between <media>, <code>, and <table>).
If you would like to see the mock-up, let me know and I'll send you a link.
I like the idea of taking code and table out of the select box, since they're a different sort of thing from an uploaded figure.