Perhaps "Dashed (2 on, 2 off)" might be a clearer way to describe the border type than "Dashed (2 white, 2 black)"?

[rakunavi]

Hello all,

The current options in the dropdown list for dashed border types in comments are as follows:

• Dashed (2 white, 2 black)
• Dashed (3 white, 3 black)
• Dashed (4 white, 4 black)
• Dashed (4-3-2-3)
• Dashed (4-3-16-3)
• Dashed (8-4-4-4)

• figure.png

However, personally, I believe the following would be preferable:

• Dashed (2 on, 2 off)
• Dashed (3 on, 3 off)
• Dashed (4 on, 4 off)
• Dashed (4-3-2-3)
• Dashed (4-3-16-3)
• Dashed (8-4-4-4)

In other words, for the first three options in the dropdown list, wouldn't it be better to reverse the order of white and black, rephrasing black as "on" and white as "off"?

The reasons are as follows.

• In Table 56 – Examples of Line Dash Patterns on page 127 of ISO 32000-1:2008, dashed lines are described in terms of alternating "on" and "off" segments.
  
  
  • iso_table.png
• Since line colors can be other than black and white, using non-color-specific "on" and "off" is clearer as a representation.
• For example, in "Dashed (2 white, 2 black)", the line actually starts drawing from "on" in the rendering. Therefore, "Dashed (2 on, 2 off)" more accurately reflects the rendering reality.
• For patterns like "Dashed (4-3-2-3)", where the starting point is represented as "on", it would be clearer to match the order of the first three options in the dropdown list with this representation.
• Dropdown lists use icons where the left side represents the starting point, so describing the starting point first in the explanation is also clearer.
• Considering display in properties panes, if the clarity of expression is equivalent or better, shorter expressions that don't take up screen space are preferable.
• Based on research using ChatGPT, there is no specific cultural convention in English-speaking regions for representing dashed lines using the order white, black.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Best regards,
rakunavi

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[Dimitar - PDF-XChange]

Hello rakunavi,

Thank you for your suggestion.

I will forward it to our developers for consideration.

As always, we’ll keep you updated on any progress regarding this matter.

Best regards.