If proposed solution will be used, it should be probably changed to a button. Checkbox should have only one message, probably saying something like "All preferences below are global" (so a statement).

IMHO this is high priority, if GlobalPreferences are to be deployed soonly.

As discussed in estimation, not urgent. Maybe also best addressed in T188424: Improve the UI of Global Preferences (aka "fix two vertical rows of checkboxes")

Here's are proposals for language:

• Make all options below global
• Select all and make all global

@Niharika, I've proposed language for the current functionality, above. But I have to wonder how popular a select all and make all global function is? :

It's probably too late, so I should just shut up. But the function I'd think people would want here would be something much more like: "Make all selections below global." In other words, a function to make whatever your preferences ARE all global, on the assumption that that is probably what many folks might like. Was that considered? Impractical?

Moving this out of estimation column because I can take care of it. We need to finalize the message first.

In T194908#4432311, @Niharika wrote:

Moving this out of estimation column because I can take care of it. We need to finalize the message first.

If there is no interest in changing the functionality (at this late date, understandable), then I'd suggest we go with Select all and make all global, which I think best captures what actually happens if I understand it properly.

In T194908#4432307, @jmatazzoni wrote:

@Niharika, I've proposed language for the current functionality, above. But I have to wonder how popular a select all and make all global function is? :

It's probably too late, so I should just shut up. But the function I'd think people would want here would be something much more like: "Make all selections below global." In other words, a function to make whatever your preferences ARE all global, on the assumption that that is probably what many folks might like. Was that considered? Impractical?

That's basically what's happening when they select all and to make them global. The values for the preferences are the ones they have on their local wiki. Those values are simply being switched to be the global values when the user checks that checkbox and hits Submit.

One thing to remember is that when they check that checkbox - it doesn't automatically make everything they selected global. They still need to click the Submit button for that to happen. So to say "Select all and make all global" is kinda misleading.

It turns out I misunderstood what this option does, so naturally my suggested language above is wrong. In actuality this option does just what I think users want it to do, which is to simply make all their existing preferences (on this page) global. With that new understanding, here are four suggestions:

1. Make all current settings global
2. Make all current settings on this page global
3. Make all settings on this page global
4. Make all (local) settings on this page global

I think #1 might give users the impression that this is a master setting for all pages. #4 adds an unnecessary level of complexity that is liable to make users think too hard. I had originally thought that #2 was best. But then I considered the use case of someone who has ALREADY checked the box; what, at that point, would "current" mean?

All in all, I think #3 is simplest and best. Anyone object to #3? What do you think @Niharika?

The other consideration here is that the message (or some message) needs to also be shown for non-Javascript users when there's no checkbox. The current wording was arrived at in order to serve both JS and non-JS usages.

Oh yes, now I remember the no-JS weirdness we encountered here.

So, @jmatazzoni, if you're using GlobalPreferences without JS, you don't get that checkbox on top. At that point, it's just a label for the checkboxes below.

In T194908#4439698, @Niharika wrote:

if you're using GlobalPreferences without JS, you don't get that checkbox on top. At that point, it's just a label for the checkboxes below.

The desire for a message that works for both js and no-js states explains the peculiar phrasing. But I think in splitting the difference we are serving neither well. E.g., what does "select options below" really mean? There are lots of options below, but only some are for global.

Is there a different solution we could find for non-js? E.g., could we make this text disappear entirely? There has to be another way...

We can definitely have different messages for JS and non-JS, and we can lay them out however we want.

When hovering over a global checkbox, the associated preference field is highlighted; perhaps we could do something similar when you hover over the select-all checkbox?

Revelant discussion from T186842: Convert Special:GlobalPreferences to OOUI:

In T186842#4434260, @Volker_E wrote:

@jmatazzoni To be very clear, we're talking about this occurrence of the sentence:

I like your brevity and think it's also easier to translate, as non-native English speaker, I'd propose additionally to add “settings”

Make all selections below global settings

In T186842#4611071, @jmatazzoni wrote:

I like that formulation. Thanks.

In T186842#4612920, @Volker_E wrote:

@jmatazzoni It's more complex than thought of at first. That specific message also needs to work in non-JavaScript enabled mode:

That hinders “all” to be added to the message IMO.

I therefore suggest using “Make options below global preferences“.

In T186842#4613057, @jmatazzoni wrote:

There is no way to write one label that will work for JavaScript and non-JavaScript versions, since the functionality is completely different. The answer here is that we need two different messages: one for JavaScript (with a check box) and one without JavaScript (where there is no check box).

Javascript version

Let's not talk about "options" or "choices" or "selctions"--since all of those bring in a certain ambiguity as to whether we're saying we're going to turn everything on or not. Let's call this what it is: we're making "local preferences" into "global preferences" (for this page only). Here is the language I'd use.

• Make all local preferences below global

Non-JavaScript

For the non-JavaScript version, there is no checkbox. So this becomes just informational text. I don't believe there is space to label this column effectively, so I don't think trying to find the perfect word or phrase for the column will work. Instead, I'd turn this into a piece of instructional text. Here are some options with more or less detail:

• To make local preferences global, check the boxes in the left column and Save.
• To make local preferences global, so that the preferences apply on all wikis, check the boxes in the left column and Save.
• To make local preferences global, check the boxes in the left column next to the choices you want to apply on all wikis, and Save.

(Obviously, RTL issues apply here, but we have a system for that and writing around this—e.g., by calling it the "outside" column or something—will be confusing.)

In T186842#4614503, @Esanders wrote:

The non-JS should always be shown. The JS-only check all button is not a substitute for this instruction.

In T186842#4616261, @jmatazzoni wrote:

That's a good point Ed. With the right layout, the JS functionality and the non-JS instructions can play nicely together on the JS page.

In anticipation of that, i removed the boldfacing from the instruction text (which I'd thought might make it more discoverable/scanable). A designer should make a mockup of how those elements will work together, though, IMHO,