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User problem: ----------------------------------- The options system is overly complex and is too hard to use. The user needs a simple, intuitive way how to customize the most common settings of the IDE - i.e. Its appearance (LookAndFeel, colors), editor settings (indentation, coloring), build settings (JDK, etc.) and installed plug-ins. The remaining settings should be hidden behind "Advanced" button/tab. User need: ----------------------------------- The user needs to intuitively and easily setup the basic preferences of the IDE. Product requirement: ----------------------------------- Implement a simplified options dialog with a small number of options with rich UI (i.e. Not property sheet based, but custom panels), for a very small set of most commonly used settings.
Add search capability to options dialog.
I actually disagree with the "Search for option" being the solution for the fact that options are hard to use and counterintuitive. It is more of a workaround - there is zillion of options, most of which are never going to be used, and only helping the user a little bit by providing search function is not going to make it much more usable (it may increase the probability that the user would find what he needs, but that's about it). The current options + search would very much resemble Windows registry editor. And there is a good reason why Microsoft chose not to use regedit as the only way to customize the operating system. IMO, the best solution is to make a highly visual (i.e. not Property sheet based, but custom UI that reflects relationship between options and uses the best componenets to edit them) options system for the small set of most commonly used options (Appearance, Editor Indentation & Colors, Project/Build, Code Templates and Plug ins management), and move everything else under Advanced tab/button, using the current property sheet-based UI (and perhaps adding the Search functionality here).
*** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 58412 ***