Opening file on start should close empty molecule from MoleculeModel

[ghutchis]

When you open a file on launch, the empty molecule is still listed in the MoleculeModel view. It would be great to close this (i.e. atomCount == 0 and the molecule is not marked as dirty)

[ghutchis]

@Daniel-Aguila - this is similar to the other issues if you're interested in looking at it.

[Daniel-Aguila]

@ghutchis Sounds fun, thanks!

[matterhorn103]

The other alternative to the whole "the default behaviour when nothing else is open is to create an empty molecule" thing that is currently the case would be to have an Avogadro window with no files be a valid state.

As in, when the program starts, the user isn't greeted by an empty molecule but instead no molecules. You'd want some big massive "new molecule" button on that screen so people can get started drawing immediately of course.

Then it also wouldn't be an issue to have all files closed - Avogadro would just return to that initial empty state.

Not necessarily advocating for it, but it'd be an option.

[ghutchis]

@matterhorn103 - I'm not in favor of that. If I open up a word processor or spreadsheet, I can get right to work on a new document. If I have that blank slate and open up a document in those programs, the empty one disappears in favor of what I've opened.

IMHO it's mostly making the code in MainWindow a little smarter about this edge case. Not crucial, but it's a nice bit of UI polish.

[matterhorn103]

Yep, and I remember reading some UX guideline that said your program should launch in a state that allows the user to immediately start doing the thing that your program is for. What should especially be avoided is asking the user to make choices that they don't yet know enough to be able to make, so first-launch configuration dialogs are also poor UX.

But while I'm in agreement with you, and it annoys me when I come across it, many programs seem to do it (especially graphics programs for some reason?). So I thought I ought to mention that it's an alternative paradigm that gets used.