[horde] [better layout] Sudden user-interface changes for some users

[Jens Wahnes]

DrOteonu wrote:

> We have been using Horde for years and with pleasure. However, suddenly, in some accounts the interface has changed, in a very unpleasant way. The strange thing is that this only happened in some user-accounts, without these users having made any changes in their
> settings. And without us having upgraded Horde.
That sounds like these users inadvertently chose another mode on the 
login screen.  One of the screenshots that you shared shows "Basic" 
mode, for example, when everybody should be using "Dynamic" mode (on a 
regular PC, that is).  Another example you were giving is referring to 
minimal mode, I think.

The mode setting is not a setting that is saved in Horde's preference 
system. It's a simple cookie, so it's not specific to a certain user, 
but specific to a browser environment.  So the easiest way to detect 
this is to use a different browser.

As for why this happens, I've also been wondering, because we have a few 
users complaining about this as well.  So far, the best explanation I 
could come up with was that people either click or scroll through the 
list of available modes and then end up with the last entry ("Minimal" 
mode) in the worst case scenario.  One way to inadvertently chose 
minimal mode would be pressing the "down" arrow key on the keyboard 
several times with focus on the mode selection box, as "minimal" is the 
last entry there.  But I'm not sure that that's what's actually 
happening, because I think nowadays, there a too few people out there 
moving through the login form using the tab key and cursor keys to make 
this happen on a regular basis.  I've been searching if there are 
browsers out there that allow you to cycle though the mode selection box 
by turning the mouse wheel and thus by mistake chose another mode, but I 
didn't find any of the popular browsers doing this.

In any event, you'll just need to instruct the users impacted by this to 
switch the "mode" setting on the login screen back to "Automatic" the 
next time they log in and they should be good to go.  With Horde 6, the 
two most unpopular modes (minimal and basic) will be gone for good anyhow.


Jens