XnView MP & theme

[JohnFredC]

Hi Pierre...

Before I spend much time obsessively defining new themes...

...does MP recognize ALL theme QT elements and specifications listed in the page you referenced?

(including things like qlineargradient?)

I hope so!

[xnview]

...does MP recognize ALL theme QT elements and specifications listed in the page you referenced?

Yes

[oops66]

Hello,
PS: I think it's better to have a dark theme as default for XnViewMP.
Like the JohnFredC 's one here:
http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.p ... 620#p67620

???

[JohnFredC]

A big part of the appearance is how the thumbs look. Unfortunately, QT themes do not address those.

Also, the current browser "layout" interface ignores styles, themes, thumb designs, labels, toolbars, etc. so that it continues to be inconvenient to change XnView's appearance between different functionalities (though MP layout management is an improvement over 1.9x).

All appearance/UI items need to be collected into one interface that also names, saves to a file, and restores from files the entire MP UI configuration.

I've mentioned this sort of "workspace" approach before in this post. If users could easily share MP workspaces, well... it would be great. MP would take on an almost chameleon-like character.

[xnview]

A big part of the appearance is how the thumbs look. Unfortunately, QT themes do not address those.

Can not be changed by theme, only by option...

Also, the current browser "layout" interface ignores styles, themes, thumb designs, labels, toolbars, etc. so that it continues to be inconvenient to change XnView's appearance between different functionalities (though MP layout management is an improvement over 1.9x).

Sorry but i don't understand, what do you means by "ignore"??

[JohnFredC]

Sorry but i don't understand, what do you means by "ignore"??

When a user switches to a different saved layout, the only thing that changes is the panel organization and visibility... that isn't enough!

What I wish for MP Layout Management (and for 1.9x also, to the extent that it is possible) can be expressed in two words: ONE CLICK!!!



All appearance and UI settings "housed" under one roof (a "workspace"), so that I can change the configuration easily, instead of spending the 5-10 minutes it takes now to find and configure all the settings (which I don't do, of course: too much trouble).

All appearance and UI settings means: Themes and other colors, panel layouts, labels, thumbnails, toolbars... everything!

XnView is an incredibly flexible tool, but the inconvenience of reconfiguring it is a barrier to realizing its full potential.

[JohnFredC]

Pierre, I sadly expect that my request (in the previous post) is unlikely to be implemented. That sort of thing should have been architected back at version 0.01. It is very difficult to do otherwise (this from my personal experience).

But it is why I have been so vocal about getting things "right" at the very beginning. Certain kinds of behaviors, functionality, and internal data structures, though presented for easy user control at the top surface of the UI, nevertheless have to be in place before the UI is even designed! A unified data structure for a "workspace" approach to the UI is one such feature.

If you had done that at the beginning, then the various settings (colors, labels, thumbnails, etc, etc) would probably not be scattered helter-skelter over the MP UI, as they are now.

Adding some kinds of things afterwards can be increasingly difficult/not worth the effort. That must have been one of the reasons you started MP, wasn't it? Some user valid requests just couldn't be addressed in 1.9x without starting over.

I've been there.

[thibaud]

I'm sorry having layout and styles merged under centralized controls doesn't make much sense to me.
keeping it separate allow better flexibility.
Besides styling is usually a "one time" preference configuration setting, while layouts could be more frequently switched to adapt to workflows.

[JohnFredC]

Hi thibaud

I understand your perspective and also prefer certain color combinations that rarely change. It's not about the color combinations per se.

All of us would probably agree that certain configurations work best with certain workflows. Yet consider how long (and how many clicks) it took me to reconfigure MP from the first view (see my graphic, above), which is sort of a "file manager and rating" workspace, to the second view, which is more of a "browse my images for pleasure" sort of workspace.

...and how long (and how many clicks) it will take me to switch back!

The effort to configure the XnView UI is so increasing complicated it discourages all of us from using the best config ("workspace") to use on the spur of moment.

My solution so far has been to use separate INI files for each work-flow. This does the trick for me, but is currently a little arcane for the average user and mildly inconvenient even for me.

I think that XnView should be "work-flow neutral" and I conceive of user designed workspaces (stored outside of xnview.ini in a separate ".xnwksp" file) that users could share. The XnView distribution could include various workspaces for different purposes and present them in a menu (as layouts are currently done):

• Workspaces
  • Default
    Previous
    ---
    Camera import
    Rating and category assignment
    Presentation mode
    File management mode
    thibaud's recommendation
    My custom workspace
    Only jpgs no labels
    Etc.
    ----
    Save workspace
    Open workspace...
    Manage workspaces

[XnTriq]

Pierre, do you know if non-developers/end-users can download a precompiled binary of the Gradient Editor?

• 

<!-- EDIT

• This development tool comes with a Qt adaptation of the Royale Noir for Windows XP theme (qtmroyale.skin):
  

  QT's skin based on the overall solution (QSkinStyle)
  Call the method with a simple, integrated system to facilitate stable operation and high efficiency features;
  Interface design and complete separation of business logic:
  Based entirely on the QT, not dependent on other third-party libraries;
  All controls support the QT-defined;
  By the skin of papers, to ensure support for a variety of platforms QT have a consistent look and feel;
  On different platforms to support the host window skin;
  Multi-style: in the same application in different windows support different skin;
  Support the dynamic change of skin tone;
  Support the skin file encryption;

// -->

[xnview]

Pierre, do you know if non-developers/end-users can download a precompiled binary of the Gradient Editor?

If you want i can send it to you

[budz45]

Hello,
PS: I think it's better to have a dark theme as default for XnViewMP.
Like the JohnFredC 's one here:
http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.p ... 620#p67620

???

No I don't agree with this and the default theme should be left the way it currently is.

JohnFredC probably just addicted to Adobe LightRoom and wanted to recreate that. Most users would prefer the OS default theme the way it currenly is.

[thibaud]

No I don't agree with this and the default theme should be left the way it currently is.
JohnFredC probably just addicted to Adobe LightRoom and wanted to recreate that. Most users would prefer the OS default theme the way it currenly is.

Please try not to make assumption about what most users prefer.(it not necessary and it doesn't make your own opinion more valuable).

It may seems like JohnFredC was following a trend going on among popular photography software yet if you make some research you'll find out that dark ui is the rule for most professional grade imaging software, and that there is a pretty good explanation behind this.

Personally I don't care about what the default scheme xnviewMP should be.(light is fine for me, as reviewing picture is always done fullscreen anyway, without any ui elements in the way)
Pierre was kind enough to provide users the possibility to adapt the ui color scheme to their own preference, this is great !

[budz45]

Please try not to make assumption about what most users prefer.(it not necessary and it doesn't make your own opinion more valuable).

"own opinion more valuable"

So you think most users would not voice any qualms if Pierre was to suddenly enable the dark theme as default.

My statement was just written for that user's response only. I could also state that most Windows users are satisfied with their default desktop icons on the left of their screen; would you think that needs to be proven too?

[thibaud]

Please try not to make assumption about what most users prefer.(it not necessary and it doesn't make your own opinion more valuable).

So you think most users would not voice any qualms if Pierre was to suddenly enable the dark theme as default.

No.
Most commercial photography software have done so.
Personally, I would find it outrageous to see users complain about such a thing when Pierre has diligently provided a solution to customize the ui to your needs AND for free.
but hey that's probably just my opinion