[Feature request]Help prevent accidental deletion

[peterfalk]

1. Create Folder
2. Add images
3. Apply filter 'Videos'
4. Delete folder

=> After apply the video filter, the images vanish as expected. However now the folder appears empty and prone to accidental deletion. There is no visual clue that the folder is not empty. Also upon deletion there is no warning that we are in the process do delete a folder that is not empty.

We need a visual clue and an improved deletion process to prevent accidental deletion. If a folder is not empty it shall not display as fully empty and a warning should appear when we try to delete it. Maybe also the filter icon in the tool bar should reflect that a filter is applied.

Other suggestions how to improve usability and process are welcome.

[jkm]

I am in favor of making the app more user friendly, and easier for newcomers. The app has a lot of options, capabilities, and UI "eccentricities"; and it is all very poorly documented. That is beyond question, so there's obviously a lot of room for improvement.

And it's definitely helpful to hear impressions from new users, so thank you.

This sounds like a call for training wheels: protecting someone who is using filters when they don't understand the implications of using filters and don't exercise necessary care.

You seem to believe the delete confirmation dialog is not enough. Do you want two delete confirmation dialogs, one for are you sure and another warning it's not empty? Or a single but different confirmation dialog, that the user has to actually read to understand?

The UI complication with this is that it would clearly not be enough to simply signal that a filter is in place. A filter is pretty much ALWAYS in place, unless the user is using "All" as the filter. In every other setting, something is filtered out. And even if All is chosen, Companion Files might still be hidden based on the relevant setting.

And then on top of that there's the setting to show hidden files and folders (hidden at the filesystem level) or not. Does the dialog need to ignore that and warn that the folder's not empty when there are filesystem-hidden objects regardless? The OS itself does not provide such a warning. You hide files at your own peril.

So what level of protection would actually be necessary to be effective?

At the least, the Browser or toolbar would have to show the actual filter mode, not just the on/off status, and that takes up space in an already crowded UI.

[peterfalk]

I am in favor of making the app more user friendly, and easier for newcomers. The app has a lot of options, capabilities, and UI "eccentricities"; and it is all very poorly documented. That is beyond question, so there's obviously a lot of room for improvement.

And it's definitely helpful to hear impressions from new users, so thank you.

This sounds like a call for training wheels: protecting someone who is using filters when they don't understand the implications of using filters and don't exercise necessary care.

You seem to believe the delete confirmation dialog is not enough. Do you want two delete confirmation dialogs, one for are you sure and another warning it's not empty? Or a single but different confirmation dialog, that the user has to actually read to understand?

The UI complication with this is that it would clearly not be enough to simply signal that a filter is in place. A filter is pretty much ALWAYS in place, unless the user is using "All" as the filter. In every other setting, something is filtered out. And even if All is chosen, Companion Files might still be hidden based on the relevant setting.

And then on top of that there's the setting to show hidden files and folders (hidden at the filesystem level) or not. Does the dialog need to ignore that and warn that the folder's not empty when there are filesystem-hidden objects regardless? The OS itself does not provide such a warning. You hide files at your own peril.

So what level of protection would actually be necessary to be effective?

At the least, the Browser or toolbar would have to show the actual filter mode, not just the on/off status, and that takes up space in an already crowded UI.

An additional warning when deleting a folder that is not empty could be something to begin with. It could be made optional. Filters are just one side of the issue. Nested folders are another one. I can have an empty folder and a folder with subfolders and their visual appearance is identical. Both look empty, even more if we expect to see thumbnails for non-empty folders. So yes, I'd expect a warning when I delete a folder that appears empty and in reality it is not. A clear warning that the folder I am about to delete is not empty.
The visual clues are meant for better information what the state of the current view is, e.g. if filters are set or not. Different clues for different combination of filters are probably not needed. It is probably enough to have a visual clue when a filter is set different from 'all'. Depending on what is possible with QT the filter symbol in the tool bar could change or the background color of the browser view could change. I don't know what QT can offer for such cases.