2010 UI - What is the "Dock?"

[saeborne]

So... as the title states, "What is the "Dock?"

I'm referring to the gray bar, that is directly below the ribbon. You can choose, "Dock at Top" or "Dock at Bottom."

Every now and then, it will display, "Activate Dimensions," but I can't seem to find any other uses for it. Would greatly appreciate some enlightenment on this subject. Thanks in advance.

Bryan

[Rick Moore]

Options bar. Take a look at the User Interface Overview under Help

[Paul Andersen]

That is all that is left of the options bar . . . It has become the Island of Misfit Commands. I think Activate Dimensions wanted to be a Dentist (sorry, kids had the Rudolph DVD on last night).

[Chad Smith]

The Options Bar is the place where the Type Selector should have remained.

[rmejia]

They've stripped some of it's previous functionality so right now it seems like it does not do much. I commented on it in the factory blog:
http://insidethefactory.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/real-estate-crisis.html

"Is there any possibility to consider eliminating the option bar, and adding those options as a hovering window beside the selected object, much in the same way Office 2007 does. The option bar is smaller, but it still takes up a lot of horizontal real estate for very few options."

Maybe the option bar could be merged with the bar on the bottom of Revit, which doesn't utilize the whole horizontal space either.

[jarosa]

Two points:
1. when they eliminate the options bar we'll see more tools with a pull down....meaning two click
2. did you notice in the post that "we are investigating..such and such.." Is this evidence this UI was rushed?

My main concerns with the new UI are basically two. Tool icons move around and there are too many tools that require two clicks. I think if they corrected these two simple issues productivity would improve. If say 200,000 users spend say 1 minute less a day x 4 days x 50 weeks = $2,000,000. Versu....Let's take the 200,000 upgrades x $725 = $145,000,000.
Quality shouldn't cost it should pay. JM2C
John

[BIMTom]

"Dock" is a verb. It's asking whether you want to dock the Quick Access Toolbar above or below the Ribbon.

[clog boy]

"Dock" is a verb. It's asking whether you want to dock the Quick Access Toolbar above or below the Ribbon.

And whether you want to dock the option bar above or below your workspace.

As someone cleverly mentioned, it's all that's left of the option bar. All applicable options for the selected element are now in a contextual tab, which you'll see 90% of the time when you work in an existing project.