I'm suggesting a UI change and I'm looking for feedback.

Right now, if you want to use the star map to goto an object with your telescope, you have to navigate in the right-click (contextual/popup) menu, find your mount among the other INDI devices (by the way, they change places depending on which connects first), and then click on that menu to open another sub menu where you can select the "Track" option. I don't think this is very intuitive or user friendly. I have been using it the last several years of course and it does work, but it has been an annoyances and has caused problems sometimes. Here is an example:



I think it would be nicer to have an option for going to the object you right clicked on in the sky map like this:



The code I wrote does support multiple mounts as I show in the second screenshot. I did have both GOTO and SYNC in the menu, but both aren't necessary I guess. The main goal is to have the GOTO button be more accessible.

This doesn't have to replace the current INDI menus, but I do think there is some room for improvement there too. A lot of the functions in the INDI contextual menus are not relevant to the point you click on in the sky map and also most of them either don't do anything (such as CCD, take light) or cause problems for Ekos (such as connect/disconnect for any device). I suspect the only useful INDI menu in the contextual menu are ones related to telescopes. It does make sense to right click an object and tell it to GOTO, SYNC, or PARK Here. It doesn't make sense to right click on an object, go to the CCD menu, and click take light (unless the telescope slews there and then it takes the picture).

So for me, the main goal is getting the GOTO function accessible, but other things could be improved too.

Anybody have any opinions?

Thanks,

Rob

I presently run SkySafari on the same iPad as I VNC into my RPi running KStars etc., just to make the GoTo process simpler. SkySafari does also have some Tablet gesture friendly controls of its own of course. But I would certainly support the idea of streamlining the KStars/Ekos/Indi UI if possible.

Robert,

Applause!!! I am 100% of your opinion. During observation nights I 100x think "this is arduous and has to be changed" but as early as the next morning everything is forgotten. Thank you very much for bringing this up!

Isn’t this what the “centre and track” option does at the top of that same list..??

This centers and tracks a certain object in the sky map but not in your telescope.

Even more direct, does something like a "shift-click" exist? Analog to a simple click at an object that centers it in the map, a shift-click would center it in the telescope.j Also, it would be safe as the probability of activating it accidentally is very low.

Not specifically on topic, but on the KStars presentation display/UI, I find that the Kstars window always opens up to the right and down from the centre of the screen where it was when I closed it. This applies to Windows and RPi displays similarly. Also the INDI Control Panel always opens somewhat off screen although when I closed it down or toggled it, I had centred it. This is annoying mostly when I am using VNC to access the RPi through my iPad, when I have more difficulty in dragging a window around the display screen, and some of the toolbar icons are obscured. Am I the only one who has this issue?

Same here. 100% in favour of this. Thank you very much!!!


Wouter

You can save the position of your windows utilizing the corresponding OS function. For instance, in Kubuntu right-click at the window's top frame, select "more options" (or similar, currently I can see the German translation only), "special preferences for this window" and "size and position". Here you can set a permanent position or a position where the window is opened.

Yes unfortunately that does not work on Ubuntu mate..

FYI, if I understand you right, I have a reasonable workaround that I have been using.

To set it up, one time only, go to the KStars settings menu, click 'Configure Shortcuts', search for slew, click on 'slew the telescope to the mouse pointer position', and under custom click input, and input some beyboard shortcut, and click OK. I use control-l (letter L) for the shortcut, which overrides something else, but of course you can choose what you want.

Then on the sky map all you have to do is click on your target and type your keyboard shortcut.

Hy

This is what I have so far. Maybe after 3.3.5 we can revisit this.