XnView Software

Suggestion for v0.68: In F12/settings add a link to or integrate "Menubar > File > Format settings". I did search all the settingsfor JPEG quality settings and did not find them and was quite irritated, and found the locations weeks later by coincidence - not very satisfying...

Arguments for the suggestion
1) After having searched the settings dialog, it is no easy mental step to guess there could be another settings dialog in
2) It's inconsistent to have a "settings" entry in Menubar > File but not in Menubar > View
2) In XnView classic, they are in Options > General > Read/Write, so users of XnView classic will search in a similar location in XnView MP

GeorgD wrote:Suggestion for v0.68: In F12/settings add a link to or integrate "Menubar > File > Format settings". I did search all the settingsfor JPEG quality settings and did not find them and was quite irritated, and found the locations weeks later by coincidence - not very satisfying...

Arguments for the suggestion
1) After having searched the settings dialog, it is no easy mental step to guess there could be another settings dialog in
2) It's inconsistent to have a "settings" entry in Menubar > File but not in Menubar > View
2) In XnView classic, they are in Options > General > Read/Write, so users of XnView classic will search in a similar location in XnView MP

I sympathise with this request...

File save options can normally be set in the File > Save as... dialog, so a button to access them from there certainly seems appropriate.

But the situation is a little more complex as the current File > Format options... reveals both write and read settings, although a button to open the ‘Write’ tab directly should be easy.

And although File > Format options... is possibly intentionally placed close to the File > Save as... menu item, wouldn’t the Tools menu be a more conventional location? Even -- for maximum clarity -- possibly Tools > Save options... and Tools > Read options...

More thought needed...

cday wrote:

GeorgD wrote:Suggestion for v0.68: In F12/settings add a link to or integrate "Menubar > File > Format settings". I did search all the settingsfor JPEG quality settings and did not find them and was quite irritated, and found the locations weeks later by coincidence - not very satisfying...

Arguments for the suggestion
1) After having searched the settings dialog, it is no easy mental step to guess there could be another settings dialog in
2) It's inconsistent to have a "settings" entry in Menubar > File but not in Menubar > View
2) In XnView classic, they are in Options > General > Read/Write, so users of XnView classic will search in a similar location in XnView MP

I sympathise with this request...

+1

File save options can normally be set in the File > Save as... dialog, so a button to access them from there certainly seems appropriate.

But the situation is a little more complex as the current File > Format options... reveals both write and read settings, although a button to open the ‘Write’ tab directly should be easy.

Yes, the same code but with the 'Write' tab already selected is enough IMHO.

And although File > Format options... is possibly intentionally placed close to the File > Save as... menu item, wouldn’t the Tools menu be a more conventional location? Even -- for maximum clarity -- possibly Tools > Save options... and Tools > Read options...

More thought needed...

Leave there where it is BUT besides that, I think that in Tools | Settings | Formats should be in one of these variants:

1. A simple button called {Format Settings} in that page which will open the same window.
2. Better, but perhaps is more difficult for Pierre to implement, next to 'Save' tab to put 'Read Formats' and 'Write Formats'
3. Even better but the same problem from point 2 apply: In Tools | Settings | Interface | to have 'Auto Correct', 'Formats' 'Read Formats' and 'Write Formats'

I think that the file format settings are difficult to find in "Viewer menu > File > Format settings...".
They should be available in the settings dialog.
And it would be good if they would be accessible via a "Settings" button in the save dialog when saving a file. Then there should be an option "[ ] Save current settings as defaults".

Tested with XnViewMP version 0.75 beta2 (2015-06-06) win32 and 0.72 (2014-12-19) win32 on Windows 7 64 bit SP1.

Karl02 wrote:I think that the file format settings are difficult to find in "Viewer menu > File > Format settings...".
They should be available in the settings dialog.
And it would be [good] if they would be accessible via a "Settings" button in the save dialog when saving a file. Then there should be an option "[ ] Save current settings as defaults".

This has been suggested before and received support:

Add "Format settings" in settings dialog

Karl02 wrote:I think that the file format settings are difficult to find in "Viewer menu > File > Format settings...".

Yes, they are well hidden there, it's not an obvious place to look...

They should be available in the [Tools > Settings...] dialog.

Or possibly in Tools > Format settings... if that is easier to implement?

And it would be [good] if they would be accessible via a "Settings" button in the save dialog when saving a file.

Yes, that is usual... And not having the option risks overlooking selecting suitable compression.

Then there should be an option "[ ] Save current settings as defaults".

Well maybe, but isn't remembering the last file format and compression option selected normal practice anyway?

cday wrote:This has been suggested before and received support:
Add "Format settings" in settings dialog

Oh, I haven't seen the existing topic. Perhaps a mod can merge this topic with the older one.

cday wrote:

Karl02 wrote:They should be available in the [Tools > Settings...] dialog.

Or possibly in Tools > Format settings... if that is easier to implement?

I think it would be best to have all settings in one place. The implementation shouldn't be a problem.

cday wrote:

Karl02 wrote:Then there should be an option "[ ] Save current settings as defaults".

Well maybe, but isn't remembering the last file format and compression option selected normal practice anyway?

It's often done that way, but with that option the user has the choice to use settings only once, e.g. for testing or special cases, without changing the default settings and possibly forgetting to change them back. I think that's the best method to handle settings.

Karl02 wrote:I think that the file format settings are difficult to find in "Viewer menu > File > Format settings...".
They should be available in the settings dialog.
And it would be good if they would be accessible via a "Settings" button in the save dialog when saving a file. Then there should be an option "[ ] Save current settings as defaults".

"Format settings" can't be added in the save dialog. So we must find another way

^ Do you mean that it isn't possible to add a "Settings" button in the save dialog?
Why not? In the windows version it is done this way.

Karl02 wrote:^ Do you mean that it isn't possible to add a "Settings" button in the save dialog?
Why not? In the windows version it is done this way.

yes not possible, XnView classic use native API (Win32), instead of XnViewMP that uses Qt API

^ It's strange that such a usual feature is missing in QT. Perhaps you could send a feature request to the QT developers ...
In the meantime it would perhaps be possible like this:
An additional menu entry "Save with options..." will open the save dialog like "Save as...", but after clicking on "Save" the file isn't saved immediately, but first a settings window appears where the settings for the selected file format can be set. Then one can click again on "Save" to save the file with the selected options (or cancel).

xnview wrote:

Karl02 wrote:^ Do you mean that it isn't possible to add a "Settings" button in the save dialog?
Why not? In the windows version it is done this way.

yes not possible, XnView classic use native API (Win32), instead of XnViewMP that uses Qt API

Wait, what? No. Qt has supported custom dialog boxes for years: http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qdialogbuttonbox.html

It's extremely simple to add another button to the save dialog (once you clone it), just like many win32 apps do.

foxyshadis wrote: It's extremely simple to add another button to the save dialog (once you clone it), just like many win32 apps do.

yes but i need to make my own save dialog!