Inspector: missing Alternate Versions

Balsamiq Cloud
1

I recently lost the Alternate Versions list in the bottom of the Inspector in Balsamiq Cloud

Notes:

2

Hi @cgstadler,

Thanks for the message and so sorry for the confusion here. We recently shipped a significant UI revamp to the app and a few things moved around. If you’re been a long time user of Balsamiq, some of the changes may feel a little odd at first but we hope that you come to appreciate the leaner, simpler approach.

As you’re finding, the Alternate Versions section which used to appear at the bottom of the Property Inspector panel is gone.

You can find the options to create and switch between Alternates in the context menu for individual wireframes in the Navigator:

CleanShot 2023-08-02 at 09.33.54@2x
CleanShot 2023-08-02 at 09.33.54@2x1192×630 39.7 KB

You can find the other, perhaps less commonly used Alternate functions (e.g. Rename, Promote, Merge), in the Wireframe Menu in the Top Bar:

CleanShot 2023-08-02 at 09.37.18@2x
CleanShot 2023-08-02 at 09.37.18@2x1714×752 173 KB

Hope that makes things clearer? Any issues or questions, we’re here and happy to help.

3

Thank you for the quick reply, Alasdair.

My two cents:

  • I like alternate versions as a quick way to explore different looks for the same project and use the feature in most of my Wireframes.
  • I feel like the feature is now buried in a menu, making it more difficult to switch between versions.
  • I am less likely to use it (vs pasting multiple looks into the same wireframe, etc).

In short, I liked that little window in the bottom right. Maybe I am an outlier and its usage was low, leading you to trim it from the UI.

Can you consider returning it? Maybe you could have it off by default but permit users like me to enable it via a setting. The real estate is still available in the UI.

Thanks-
Christian

4

Hey Christian,

We know that making changes like this is likely to bump a little for some existing users. No promises but I’ve gone ahead and written up and internal tracking ticket to discuss adding it back to the Property Inspector.

I’d encourage anybody else who found this specific change difficult to add their feedback here. Thanks so much.

5

I’m with Christian on this one. That “feature move” in particular felt a bit clunky to me, and was probably the hardest one for me to deduce whilst wandering around the new layout.
“Old style” this was a one-click wonder. Now it requires more mouse travel and navigation to accomplish the same thing. And where we once had ‘create’ and ‘rename’ in the same spot, they are now nestled inside separate menus (one that is “waaaay up” at the tippy-top. < grin >
It’s that fine tightrope line you walk between “leaner” and “obfuscated”. < 2nd grin >

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