Wireshark · Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] Saving all packets between the first and the last marked packet

[Dick Gooris <gooris@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Guy, Biot, Ulf,

Would it be an idea to make a set of radio buttons instead of a check 
button. I think of the following design then (for Save As.. ) :

O  Save all packets
O  Save only packets currently being displayed
O  Save only marked packets
O  Save packet range between first and last marked packets.
O  Save currently displayed packet range between first and last marked 
packets.

Proposed UI rules :

-  All the above are radio buttons
-  The default is the first one: 'Save all packets'
-  "Save only marked packets", "Save packet range between first and last 
marked packets", and "Save displayed packet range between first and last 
marked packets", will become not selectable in case no markers are set.
-  "Save only packets currently being displayed", and "Save displayed 
packet range between first and last marked packets" become unselectable 
when there is no display filter set.

We can add a radio button later which says ' O  Save packet list  [ 
Entry for packet list ] '  based on unfiltered packets, and again a list 
of displayed packets. The last becomes rather complex due to the holes 
in the numbering of the packets showed.

For Printing, a similar list would apply.

Would this be convienient ?

Regards,

   - Dick Gooris

Biot Olivier wrote:

> Maybe we should then also add the possibility to list packets and packet
> ranges, like with the print dialog in many applications where you can select
> which pages must be printed. This results in:
>
> All packets
> Marked packets [grayed if no marked packets]
> Marked range (first to last marked) [grayed if no marked packets]
> Displayed (a.k.a. filtered) packets [grayed if no dfilter or no matching
> packets]
> Current packet
> Packet selection (like: -5, 23, 28-40, 235-)
>
> Your patch would be interesting!
>
> Regards,
>
> Olivier
>
> | -----Original Message-----
> | From: Guy Harris
> | 
> | On Dec 22, 2003, at 4:00 PM, Dick Gooris wrote:
> | 
> | > During investigation of real huge captured files, I missed the 
> | > functionality to be able to save a marked block of packets. So far 
> | > individual packets can be saved by marking them with 
> | Ctrl-M. I wrote 
> | > some code in three files : file.c, gtk/main.c  and 
> | gtk/file_dlg.c  to 
> | > add a check button in the 'Save As' window. With the help of this 
> | > feature you will get an extra check button saying 'Save 
> | between first 
> | > and last marked packet'.  If there are no markers at all, 
> | this check 
> | > button cannot be chosen like the 'Save only marked packets'. I 
> | > struggled a bit with the decision to make these two a radio type of 
> | > button. However, you need to be able to do not choose any 
> | of the radio 
> | > buttons at all. Though having markers, you may want to 
> | choose neither 
> | > 'Save only marked...' nor 'Save between first and last ...'.
> | 
> | The UI for saving packets will probably be revised at some point to 
> | match the one for printing packets; they should have the same 
> | ways for 
> | specifying which packets to print or save.
> | 
> | In the current CVS version, the options for printing are:
> | 
> | 	selected packets only (which can only print one packet);
> | 
> | 	marked packets only;
> | 
> | 	all packets displayed (i.e., the ones that passed the 
> | current display 
> | filter);
> | 
> | 	all packets captured (i.e., all the packets in the 
> | current capture 
> | file).
> | 
> | I think Ulf Lamping (who made the changes for printing 
> | packets) intends 
> | to put in support for packet ranges as well.
> | 
> | The options for saving are:
> | 
> | 	all packets displayed ("Save only packets currently 
> | being displayed");
> | 
> | 	marked packets only ("Save only marked packets");
> | 
> | 	all packets captured (selecting neither of those).
> | 
> | It should be given the same options that printing is 
> | (including a range 
> | option if, as, and when that's added), and should show them 
> | in the same 
> | fashion - which is currently as a set of radio buttons 
> | ("Marked packets 
> | only" is disabled if there are no marked packets, and "All packets 
> | displayed" is disabled if there's no display filter, i.e. if "All 
> | packets displayed" would be the same as "All packets captured").
> | 
> | Your option is, in effect, a packet range, although it might be 
> | convenient to have it as a separate UI option.
> | 
> | Ranges do, however, raise a question - if you save a range, does it 
> | save *all* the packets in that range, or just the ones that are 
> | displayed?  Either answer is probably not always the right answer, so 
> | it might be that the range options (including "between first and last 
> | marked packet") should be separate from the other options - or, at 
> | least, from "all packets displayed" and "all packets captured".
> | 
> | Then again, would there be a use for "only displayed marked packets", 
> | saving only packets that are marked *and* displayed?
>