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I love Browse Everywhere in v10! But I miss my regular Browse in Configuration Panel...

Its definately not a good UX that the full browse is now in the output window.  I usually have my Output on autohide and its a few extra clicks to see the browses now... Can we have both the Browse Everywhere tab in Output and Configuration Panel?

28 Comments
chris_love
12 - Quasar

I can see where you are coming from @DataVizionary but I'm afraid I have to say I'd be a strong advocate of leaving this as it is. I like the fact it's nice and clear for new users.

 

Configuation Tab - You configure

 

Results Tab - You see results

 

No confusion. It's slightly more problematic for existing users who have to get used to a new way of working but after a few days I've already got used to it. Plus let's face it, you won't need browse tools anymore anyway :-)

RodL
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

I would agree with Chris. At first I felt the same was as you, Benjamin, becasue I too had the Output view unpinned. However I have reconfigured my panes to where I now have the Results pane across the bottom of the screen (with it not being too intrusive to the general canvas). I have found that it works really well to be able to click on an anchor and see a wider set of my results that way (as opposed to the default view in 9.5 where it was narrow under the Configuration pane).

It is also very nice to have the configuration of a tool (e.g., RegEx) visible at the same time as the Results. I can tweak my RegEx code, click Run, and immediately see my new results without any additional clicks. So for that reason, I wouldn't want the Results in the Configuration.

MaSc
5 - Atom

I would strongly support Benjamin’s request.

 

For me, I often work with Alteryx on a laptop while traveling.

If I have a complex workflow the 2nd window (result & configuration) just takes too much of the screen.

Rearranging the windows and scrolling through the workflows is now really annoying.

 

Whereas on a normal working environment with a larger screen, I see the benefit of the new solution.

 

Still, the request to choose between both, rather than being forced to use the new solution would be strongly supported be me.

 

 

Best,

 

 

Martin

BenG
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

Love to see the interaction and the comments on the new feature and some of the design choices that we've made.  I would like to add some color around this decision and hopefully help everyone use the tool more efficiently.  However, still want to see more comments and hear more feedback.  It only makes us better.  

  

When we made the choice to put data into the results window, we imagined a window docked across the bottom of the screen instead of just the lower left corner.  Maybe we should have overwritten user defined window layouts, but we thought that might be too intrusive.  If you want to see the layout we imagined, you can go to options->User Settings->Restore Defaults.  Overall we think the change is good, but we are taking feedback and will be conducting user studies to see how this is working for our analysts. 

 

We made the overall change for a few reasons:

  • Data analysts want to see at each point in the workflow is more often than not wider than it is tall.  Generally the column headers and a few rows of data are used to understand what is happening with each tool.  We repeatedly watched analysts resize the configuration widow to the right, then resize it back to the left as they were looking at data.  Having the window be wider across the bottom gives the user a bit more of the data they are interested in without resizing.  If they need more than a few rows specifically, we are still seeing a vertical resize, but it seems less often than the resize of the configuration window with data in it.
  • Many tools are easier to configure when the data is viewed at the same time.  If you are choosing values from the data or trying to pick fields to join on, being able to see the records at the same time as the configuration is very helpful.
  • Consistency.  We are establishing the bottom as the place to view data associated with each tool.  As the user becomes used to this, it is inconsistent and a break in the model if they then look to the configuration window for the data for the Browse tool.
  • Ability to show maps or reports at the same time as the data.  In the 9.5 configuration view of the Browse tool, splitting the window between data and maps gave a very narrow view of both.  Having the data on the bottom and the map on the left gives a much more reasonable view of both.

 

Thanks,

Ben Gomez

Products

DataVizionary
7 - Meteor

I usually consider myself open to changes like this and all of these points mentioned make a lot of sense.  I posted this because we are rolling out v10 in a few weeks to a large user community that I fear is not going to like this change - mostly because we use small laptop screens and not large monitors. The results/output window used to be on auto-hide - using that valuable screen realestate to its max but now both will need to remain open. When we have both the Configuration and Results panels open on laptop screens, the canvas becomes very small (especially for those users who work vertically).

 

My suggestion was to leave the new features as is - but to ALSO show the results of the browse in the configuration panel.  This becomes a big empty space now with this new feature.

KJ
5 - Atom

I will have to agree with MaSc and _strauss_benjamin re the screen size argument (being part of that "large user group").

 

I do see the advantage for bigger screens and being able to see both configuration and results at the same time and I really appreciate that feature. I also makes the canvas a lot let busy in the developmental stage, when you may want to add browses after every single step. Therefore, overall I really like this change.

 

However, the browse tool is still very useful when traveling / working from the laptop.

 

Additionally, it would be good if the default placement of the results window was placed vertically at the bottom - or just something to make the initial setup of the screen a little more appealing.

AndrewF_dup_30
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

I sympathize with those of you who have to work with small screens -- constantly scrolling or hiding panels doesn't feel optimal.

 

Here is a suggestion that may work well... Dock the Configuration and Results panels on the left as tabbed panels.  Click the Configuration tab while you are configuring tools, and switch to the Results tab to view data.

 

2015-10-01_10-40-02.png

 

This will allow you to keep the 9.5-like screen layout while benefiting from Browse Everywhere. It does require a click to switch between Configuration and Results view, but you don't have to add or remove and Browse tools!  I would love to add a Ctrl-Key combination that would allow you to switch between panels in the next Designer version.

 

If you haven't used the tabbed panel feature, just grab the title bar of the Results window and drag it over top of the Configuration panel until you see the tab icon:

 

2015-10-01_10-41-40.png

simon
11 - Bolide

Everyone making some good points here.

In my case, I go back and forth between different desks with different monitor configs (small laptop, one large or dual monitors).

I ran into this problem a week ago. I went from dual monitor the day before to one large monitor. I started alteryx and some of my windows (e.g. results & output) where off screen - still on monitor 2... I had to restore to default to get all my windows back to monitor 1.

 

Could we have different Alteryx window layouts depending on whether we are working on small laptop screen, large montitor or dual screens?

anthony
11 - Bolide

Simon I ran into the same problem today - 2 extra screens at work with my laptop and I made the mistake of sleeping with the last results window position off laptop screen.

 

Turned back on at home and it was hidden - i hooked up to another monitor and unfortenatly it was on my 3rd screen so i still had to restore defaults which is a pain because you have to setup temp dir, xml etc settings all over again.

 

Can we get a restore screen to default button so it does not restore system settings?

Ted
5 - Atom

 

I'm a consultant and I love Alteryx -- I am constantly crunching analyses with it.  

 

But I have joined this forum to also voice my difficulty in adjusting to the new browse system.  Working on my laptop, docking it to the bottom takes up too much real estate so I'm constantly clicking the tabs on the lefthand side to go between configuration and browsing.   

 

It's making me miserable... can we please have a config tool or preference setting to go back to the old way?