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~Yentl Eltumiberg
Oct 7, 2014, 8:55 PM
8 Posts

Reply All With History, why 3 clicks down?

  • Category: User Interface
  • Platform: Windows
  • Release: 9.0
  • Role: End User
  • Tags:
  • Replies: 6

When I adopted IBM/Lotus Notes 9, I was surprised to discover that the most common mail reply function of all (replying to everyone on the thread, including the thread history) is now burried down in two submenus, requiring 3 clicks.  Isn't the most important user interface maxim that common user activities should be the most accessible and easiest to invoke?  The Notes design decision to bury this function two levels down seems absurd to me and is a source of annoyance at every single email reply that I make.  It would be very unusual for me to want to not include the message thread history when replying to an email.  From hallway conversations with other users this seems to universally be a source of frustration for all users.

I request that you please place a single click "reply to all with history" button beside the "reply" button, or failing that, change the default behavior of the reply button so it does the reply to all with history function, or failing that provide a configuration option to set the default behavior of the reply button to be this most common of operations?

Thanks,

Glen.

~Fritz Ekfoobergflar
Oct 7, 2014, 9:41 PM
202 Posts
I must be missing something...
In Notes 9, in the inbox I see:


I click Reply to All and I get a reply to all email with history, one click.

If I am in the Mail itself, I see:

If I click Reply to All, I get a drop down, and select Reply to All with History Only, two clicks.

Are you using a customized mail template? Have you updated the design to the Notes 9 Mail template?
~Yentl Eltumiberg
Oct 9, 2014, 6:55 PM
8 Posts
Many steps to get to Reply To All With History

Thank you for your reply.

The images in your post just come through as broken links for me.

I am an IBM employee, and I am using the Lotus 9 software exactly as delivered to me by the official corporate software install tool (unmodified and uncustomized by me).

In Lotus 8.5.3, which I had before the corporate installer updated me to Lotus 9, I had a Reply To All button which had the behavior you describe.  Now in Lotus 9, there are New, Reply, Forward buttons, then some icon buttons, then Report as Spam and so on, but no Reply To All button.  When I click (#1) on the pull-down triangle next to Reply, it presents 5 menu choices.  The bottom one is Reply To All.  When I click (#2) on Reply To all it presents 4 more choices including the most common operation Reply To All With History, so I click (#3) on that.

Perhaps you are saying that my second click is just a roll-over, not a click.  I always click, but I supposed I could have rolled over and just waited for the pull down to appear.  So I take your point, but my original point stands.  It is a multi step process to get to the most common operation of all.  1: click the pull down beside Reply; 2: roll down and precisely point at Reply To All; 3: wait then roll down the second level pull down to Reply To All With History, and then lastly: 4: click the desired selection.

Are you saying that you think someone here at IBM customized Lotus 9 to remove this useful Reply To All button that you still have (and that I used to have in 8.5.3)?  Or perhaps someone has customized your installation to add this useful Reply To All button?  If yes to either of those, do you know how I could fix my installation to have this useful button?

Thanks,

Glen.
 

~Fritz Ekfoobergflar
Oct 10, 2014, 11:57 AM
202 Posts
This is an internal IBM issue
"Are you saying that you think someone here at IBM customized Lotus 9 to remove this useful Reply To All button that you still have (and that I used to have in 8.5.3)?"

Yes!  IBM is well known for redesigning the standard Notes Mail design (to a design that typically sucks), which then leads to many IBMers complaining about how bad Notes is. You need to contact your internal IBM support folks to ask about this, people outside IBM can't help.
~Sigmund Dworelitnivu
Oct 9, 2014, 7:47 PM
328 Posts
Check with your internal IBM help desk

The behavior that Carl described is the default - It sounds as if you have been provided a customized template. (The default doesn't have a 'Report Spam' button).

While in your mail file click 'File -> Application -> Properties', then go to the fourth tab - About halfway down the dialog box, under 'Inheritance' - what do you see for 'Template Name' ?

~Yentl Eltumiberg
Oct 14, 2014, 2:38 PM
8 Posts
Inheritance/Template

Okay, it looks like you are right that there is some Lotus Template that I am using.

Under Inheritance it says:

      (checkmark) Inherit design from master template

      Template name: Notes901V1.1

      Notes901V1.1 is based on

      StdR9Mail version 9.0.1 (9/24/2013)

Can anyone tell me how to fix this and get back the Reply To All With History button, but without damaging Notes so it will not function correctly in my company's environment?  That is, I am reluctant to turn off this template in case it will break something.

Thanks,

Glen.

~Fritz Ekfoobergflar
Oct 14, 2014, 3:52 PM
202 Posts
You need to ask your internal support Glen
They might have restrictions in place such that you cannot override the template, they might refresh the design each night so every morning you end up with a custom template.

You need to speak to internal IBM support.

This forum is closed to new posts and responses. Individual names altered for privacy purposes. The information contained in this website is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a forum for customer support requests. Any customer support requests should be directed to the official HCL customer support channels below:

HCL Software Customer Support Portal for U.S. Federal Government clients
HCL Software Customer Support Portal