Bring back Save, undo and re-do buttons to the new UI in 2018.4

[Joe_Lipski]

I think I'm liking the new UI, but I think it's necessary to bring back save, undo and re-do buttons....

1. Frequent saving of workflows is crucial and not everyone uses keyboard shortcuts

2. The ability to undo (lots) of changes is a key part of iterating and rapidly building workflows in Alteryx and again not everyone uses keyboard shortcuts to do this.

Looks like there's potentially space to add this to the right of 'help' (I suspect this might be technically quiet difficult) or to the left of 'run', 'schedule' and 'active documents' as seen in the image below.

Out of interest, where has the 'documents' terminology come from?

[StarTrader]

Many people are "hot key" people, but NOT EVERYONE.

Please at least give the option back to have the toolbar back at the top.

Alteryx is a tool to make live easier......Don't take a major step backwards by forcing the removal of the toolbar.

Please bring it back!

[RachelW]

Thanks so much for the feedback on the new look for Designer. I have received many requests for more keyboard shortcuts and reducing the use of a mouse in Designer. Can you tell me a little more about in what instances you choose to use a button on the UI or when you choose to use a keyboard shortcut? That would be very helpful information for us to consider. 

Apologies in advance for a delay in responding to future comments, since I'll be out of town with family for the holiday next week. 

Rachel Wynn

Product Manager, Designer

[mbarone]

When I'm developing a process, I usually open anywhere between 2 - 10 tabs at a time, and also constantly open modules that have already been created so I can use them as templates.  Having the options of the file menu where you can click them instead of keyboard shortcuts is essential for me.  Sure, I can get by without it, but isn't one of Alteryx' main advertising points that it's a drag/drop/click interface?  II mean, if they're there, then people like me are happy.  And people that use shortcut keys are happy.  If you take them out, then only one group is happy.  And we're not getting anything in return (again, except for this: " | " much canvas space).

[Balders]

@RachelW Just out of habit I literally never use Ctrl + S to save things. With Undo and Redo I use Ctrl + Z/Y most of the time but use the buttons if I'm going back a long way and looking for a specific stop point.

[Balders]

 Also while we're here on the UI, as @mbarone says: 

"I'm not a fan of the outlined tool categories either.  Was so much easier to see them when they were filled in."

So much this! Alteryx's big thing is simplifying analytics and the new ribbon makes it impossible to find the tool categories through visual recognition of the colours. When I'm training new users I drill into them the colour scheme of green for input and outputs, blue for prep, purple for joins etc. and now I can barely see those colours!

[StarTrader]

@RachelW

As far as my computer routines go, I rarely use mouse short-cuts.

Right clicking on the mouse usually gives me the options to choose exactly what I need in any instance.  

(i.e. When I want to “CUT” vs “COPY”)

If I can have a left click option for any step that I normally take, so much the better!

The toolbar in Alteryx gave me the left “one-click” options to allow me to quickly and seamlessly process with my workflows.

The “New Blank Workflow”, “Open Workflow”, “Save” and “Undo” buttons being the four primary options that I use constantly throughout the day.

Without them, I am forced to use clunky and time consuming drop down menus to perform these common tasks.

Every time I do any of these common tasks now, I think about how much of a step backwards and the extra time the programming choice of the update is costing me.

I understand that I may me in the minority of people that choose to use a mouse vs keyboard shortcuts, but it seems that I am being punished by Alteryx for my choice.

I have not had to beg for mouse options with other programs like I have had to with Alteryx.

(I have made requests to the production team in the past to expand the right click options…..there has been some slow improvements in later versions, but still not fully embraced.)

Now to see the toolbar totally vanish without even the option for bringing it back, confirms that I am being  discriminated against for being a “mouser”.

It seems to me a very easy programming choice to satisfy both demographics of your user community.

Default the toolbar to “off” to satisfy the “keyboarders”, but give the option to have it appear for the “mousers” in the community.

(and don’t forget to keep the improvements coming regarding the “right-click” options 😉 )

[Alissa]

I got here by searching for recent posts about tabs because the tabs on the ribbon on the new UI are causing me a lot of difficulty. I can't easily tell which tab is selected and find myself inches from my monitor trying to distinguish white from ever so slightly less white.

I also have migraines that are triggered by bright light or worsened by it and being able to select the colors for a UI is a great feature, one that Alteryx lacks. I've switched all the canvas colors to darker tones but was extremely disappointed when the new UI appeared with blinding white all across the top. As a result, I've decreased my monitor brightness which makes the tabs even harder to differentiate.

Please consider a change here or add a a darker option, looking at this new UI is giving me a headache.

I also want to chime in my agreement with not taking away clickity options. While I certainly use keyboard shortcuts, if I'm doing something that's all clicking, I don't want to switch to the keyboard. I may have one hand on a mouse and one on a sandwich and not want to give up either. Thanks!

[paul_houghton]

I never use the icons at all (I'm a short cut kind of guy) but taking it away completely isn't a good experience for those who do use the icons.

I would prefer it next to the run button (option 2) than next to the help menu myself

[DanHare]

It's taking me a bit of time to get used to this, I'm with the people who say put them back next to the Run button.

Maybe it could be a hideable toolbar along the lines of Word, Excel etc in the latest versions.

However, I'm all for changing it up - I always train with the Tutorials and Sample Workflows so won't affect things so much, but do understand the pain of people who have spent a lot of time on training videos and screenshots !

[RachelW]

Thanks so much for the additional feedback. We will continue to make changes to the Designer UI for the next release and will consider the feedback we've received in making those changes.