Story
If I work on a set of items in a workspace, I can undo my last actions. If I undo them, I can also redo them if I decided that they were actually working fine for me.
If I'm unsure which action would be undone or redone or on what items it would be applied, I can use a undo/redo function to show me the name of the action and to highlight all items in the current view, which it would run on.
Description of desired behavior
Please consult the usage summary for a full definition of mouse, touch and keyboard usage definitions.
Global undo/redo
Undo/redo is a global action. It uses an action history to record which actions were executed on what items and the arguments that were used.
A typical scenario looks like this: you add an image in asset management, then switch to your website and add a page you intend to use the image on, but then realize while filling in content that you actually won't need either. Right from where you are, you hit undo e.g. three times to remove the paragraph, then the page, then the image you've added.
The undo/redo function has a similar character as the clipboard.
Since the action history not only contains the action that was executed, but also records the item or items it was executed on, it is always clear what has to be undone or redone. You may thus use undo (or redo) even if you're in a different workspace now than you were when you executed the action you intend to undo. A confirmation message is displayed if the operation was undone or redone successfully, else an error message is displayed.
Note that the undo/redo function need not be present in a particular workspace, but every action you take in any workspace is added to the action history and thus may be undone and redone at will.
Limits to global undo/redo
The action history is cleared whenever a safe point is reached. Examples of safe points are:
- a page is activated: the action history is reset prior to activation. The next undo will undo the activation, but no further undo operation is available
- changes are confirmed by exiting page editing. All actions executed prior to this cannot be undone.
- the user changes to a different layer. If I start editing a page, no actions I've executed previously in AdminCentral will be available for undo when I return after I've finished making my changes.
Note, however, that such safe points shall be rare. A safe point is typically reached if:
- an action is executed, which can be interpreted as confirmation of all executed actions before (e.g. exit page editing)
- an action is executed, which may be regarded as end of a chain of actions (e.g. activating a page or starting a work flow)
In particular, the following actions do not represent a safe point:
- changing to a different menu item in AdminCentral (e.g. leaving website for asset management), and thus:
- performing an action in a different work area or workspace
It shall be possible to e.g. add an image in asset management, add a page to a website, but then change one's mind and undo both actions. In such a case, even the possibly uploaded image will be deleted again during undo of the "add image" action.
Preview of undo/redo operation
If a user clicks/taps and holds the undo or redo function, a tooltip will name the type of function as well as the name of the action to be undone or redone, e.g. "Undo: delete image" or "Redo: paste 4 items" (the tooltip may actually already show on mouse hover). It will also highlight all items in the current view affected by the operation, if possible. This effect disappears again if the mouse button is released or the tap ends. Note that releasing the mouse button or ending the tap does not cause the undo or redo to be executed in this case - you have to click/tap the button again to get this behavior.
Mockups
