Main GUI wording improvements

[tmarplatt]

There are places in the main GUI where wording and its consistency can be improved. Here are some instances taken from Crowdin plus some of my own observations. (It's hard not to do English QA while translating, but it's also cumbersome to create a new GH issue for every single observation.)

Headers / Headings

Heading is the word used in the documentation in reference to section titles. But headers and headings seem to be used interchangeably. I suggest to stick to headings when it refers to titling (e.g. “Heading level 1”), and to headers in reference to the page header across the different Views (e.g. “Show full path in document header”).

If this suggestion was accepted, then all strings mentioning headers in the Split Document window must be changed to headings. No further changes needed.

This will simplify translations as well. Since there is already a singular string for Headings, it will be then unambiguous to translators.

Partition / Title

Pointed by @HeyMyian on Crowdin: the documentation refers to the topmost section heading as a “Partition”, but in the Split Document window dropdown list, a string referring to Partition mentions Title instead:

Key: GuiDocSplit['Split on Header Level 1 (Title)']
./novelwriter/dialogs/docsplit.py:84

I believe this is the only instance which would need to be changed to Partition in order to preserve consistency.

Convert quotes

Under Format menu, the single/double quote “conversion” options refer to the ability to replace regular enclosing ' / " quotes with the ones configured as opening and closing quotes, by default typographical choices.

The problem is convert does not fully express what the feature actually does (and the documentation doesn't cover it) and so its purpose remains obscure and possibly unused. Some suggestions for improving those strings:

• Streamline single/double quotes
• Embellish single/double quotes
• Post-process single/double quotes
• Stylise single/double quotes

Duplicate From Here

In the Project Tree, item context menu option, only shows for parent items. The action taken is merely a duplication of the item and all of its sub-items. In general, for other applications, From Here means not children but siblings in increasing sort order.

In any case, duplication in itself implies a copy of the item and its item contents, rather than only the single parent item. The implication exists in other software too (think layer groups in non-linear video editing and image editing software, grouped elements in office productivity applications).

My suggestion is to remove "From Here" from the string.

Key: _TreeContextMenu['Duplicate from Here']
../novelwriter/gui/projtree.py:1952
Project Tree > Context Menu 2

[vkbo]

I suggest to stick to headings when it refers to titling (e.g. “Heading level 1”), and to headers in reference to the page header across the different Views (e.g. “Show full path in document header”).

Agreed

I believe this is the only instance which would need to be changed to Partition in order to preserve consistency.

Agreed

The problem is convert does not fully express what the feature actually does (and the documentation doesn't cover it) and so its purpose remains obscure and possibly unused. Some suggestions for improving those strings:

• Streamline single/double quotes
• Embellish single/double quotes
• Post-process single/double quotes
• Stylise single/double quotes

With the exception of the second option, the other three convey little or no information about what this does either. The words can mean pretty much anything. The second option uses a very uncommon word.

A more friendly text may simply be "Replace Straight Single/Double Quotes".

My suggestion is to remove "From Here" from the string.

Sure, that makes sense too.

[vkbo]

I'll add it for the 2.4 release since this will trigger a need for everyone to go update translations again if I add it to 2.3.

[vkbo]

When searching through the code, I found a lot of usages of "Header" and "Headers", and I updated all I found in PR #1727. I also updated code comments and function names for consistency internally in the code. As I mentioned, I'll leave this out of the 2.3 release since it triggers changes in the translations files, and most languages are already completed.

I'm leaving this open for a bit due to the question of how to label the replace quotes feature.

I also found an issue with the multi-select context menu for moving items to trash or deleting them. I made a fix for that as well in #1728, but that's needed for 2.3 since it's a bug. That too required a translation string, but I decided to just reuse an existing one to avoid triggering more translation work.

[tmarplatt]

The second option uses a very uncommon word.

In software in general? Yes, nowhere common. But your novel-writing users are doubtlessly going to know that word (or another of similar meaning). Worst case, they will be glad to find out the meaning of it!

Some of these menu options really call for status-bar description of their purpose on hover. Or perhaps their own documentation entry. But that's another issue entirely.

[vkbo]

In software in general? Yes, nowhere common. But your novel-writing users are doubtlessly going to know that word (or another of similar meaning). Worst case, they will be glad to find out the meaning of it!

Renaming them should make them easier to understand, not harder.

Some of these menu options really call for status-bar description of their purpose on hover. Or perhaps their own documentation entry. But that's another issue entirely.

They used to all have that, but we actually have a limit on translation words, so I removed them since they are of marginal use beyond learning to use the UI. I've considered a "what's this" help feature that directs to the documentation instead.