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'Apply' and 'Close' in dialogs/panels

@yasharya2901 in Issue #2023 said:

And, please make the window closer [sic] whenever Apply is clicked.

Instead of commenting there, I'm opening a new issue.

Yash Arya brings up a valid point and I couldn't agree more. Inkscape is and always has been, in my opinion, "confirm-happy." Dialogs/panels should explicitly perform the requested function then GTFO, much like the Fill and Stroke panel.

Examples:

  • Any dialog that includes Apply and Close. Why? How about OK and Cancel, either of which dismisses the dialog. If I change my mind afterward, that's what CTRL/CMD-Z is for.

  • Text and Font panel: why are there even any buttons, especially when docked? Choices should be explicit, like the Fill and Stroke panel. If I want to change the font/font size, I choose a different font/size and my drawing reflects that change. If I change my mind, I have four different ways to revert my changes:

    • I can CTRL/CMD-Z.
    • With the Text tool selected I can perform any changes in the Tools Control bar at the top
    • I can go back to the previous font by finding it the panel's list
    • I can conveniently change it from the panel's previously-used fonts list floating at the top

    If I want to dismiss the (undocked) dialog, that's what the Close Window widget in the title bar is for.

  • Layers/Objects panel: why is there even a dialog after pressing the +? There isn't one for pressing the -. I just requested a new layer. If I want to rename it, I'll double-click its name. If I want to reposition it in the stack, I'll drag it up/down. I'm betting that most users just click through this unnecessary dialog.

Strangely enough, neither the Document Properties... nor Preferences have even an OK button, two panels I would think need to have feedback. Simply closing these panels using (the only means possible) the Close Window widget doesn't exactly give the impression that user-specified changes have been nor will be made.

Thank you for you time. I hope the abovementioned points will be taken into consideration.

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