Link Dialog Redux

Existing Dialog

Hellllloooooooooo Windows XP.

Ideas for new UI state in the link dialog

Highlight text and launch link dialog like normal

The link dialog will start doing an autosearch of the wiki for relevant links. In the same way the original MediaWiki allows for quick creation of links through the bracket terminology, the autosearching will push up what it thinks are the most relevant values to the top. In the best case scenario, the most useful link will appear at the top, which will allow the user to click the search result and "Update Link."

This shows the search results for the selected phrase. It will also return files as well (but they will be pushed to the bottom of the result set, since we place a higher emphasis on pages than files).

When a search result is selected, the Link field populates with the item's URL. You'll notice there are little icons to the right; these can switch you to the hierarchical views.

For example, clicking the right icon in the previous screenshot brings you to the hierarchical view of MindTouch. This was done because if there is a higher parent with your search term, returning all the children of that page would be information overload. In our search, we only return the highest level of the hierarchy which matches you term - in this case "MindTouch." You'll notice that if you find out you've entered the wrong hierarchy for MindTouch, you can return to the search results (no extra typing required).

Files are no longer linked to the File: namespace, but to the API's location.

Sometimes a search may not be enough, and hierarchical browsing may be preferred. To switch from a search mode to a navigation mode, you simply clear the search input. This will turn you into a hierarchical view mode, with the page that launched the editor being your current current location. Pages that are immediately related to your page (siblings and children) are more likely to be what you want to link to, so they are presented first.

You will be brought to a listing of the current page (bolded), its siblings (left pane), and its children (right side). (The folder icon will likely change in later iterations.) If you want to navigate to a higher part of the hierarchy, you click the "Back" gray strip on the left. The reason it doesn't exist in the siblings list like most file systems is because of the way the carousel control will work (see example). Its left/right movement makes it seem more natural to place the navigation element on the left. This will probably require prototyping to see how it feels.

When you select the page, the URI updates in the link box.

Selecting "Article" from the right column will bring Article to the left pane, and Article's children to the right pane. Notice the inclusion of files.

If you want to create a new page, you simply update the input box. The carousel view will go away, since a user could potentially be creating a wanted page deep into a non-existent hierarchy, and trying to smartly figure out what to show would be too inconsistent. In the case for new pages, we will show the contents of the last matching parent. (screenshot requires update)

Creating an external link does nothing.