XnView Software

XnTriq ([url=http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.php?p=76063#p76063]Need for more feedback for long operations[/url]) wrote:If XnView had a (customizable) throbber, it could be used as a common “busy” indicator for all kinds of commands.

Would this be easier to implement in MP than in v1.9?

• Qt Centre Forum: launch in a gif via QMovie and QThread

I support a throbber somewhere in the interface. Mousing over the throbber would show a popup hint that listed the current MP activities by thread, perhaps.

I support too this throbber idea.
(Even if I prefer a time scale to get an idea of the remaining time)
http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.p ... ber#p76066

I support too.

Yes, it's a nice idea for a future version.

I believe, perhaps, it could look like a semi-transparent but animated XnView icon over the centre of the interface.

Why? You have busy mouse cursor already...

xnview wrote:Why? You have busy mouse cursor already...

Two words: Eye candy

Spontanoulsy I'd say not only eye candy. A mouse cursor indicates that the program is busy, and thus you can not make any commands. A throbber indicates a progress, but you can still work in the program.

From Wikipedia: "Normally, it is possible for the user to continue interacting with the program while the throbber is animating (one such possibility may be to press a stop button to cancel the action that the program is doing)."

For instance, when thumbnails are created in a folder, you can still interact with XnView. However, it would be very nice to have a throbber in the tab of the thumbnail pane, just like in Firefox, when loading a site.

I wouldn't like to see a big throbber in the middle of the screen or so, that would be too much, something more sophisticated like in the Firefox example.

For the browser, you have the progress bar in the status bar...

As Pierre has pointed out, MP already provides visual feedback to the user through a progress meter in the status bar as well as Wait/Busy and Working In Background mouse cursors. A “throbber” would duplicate that functionality and be little more than a gimmick.

• But who's to say that eye candy isn't of utmost importance

Organizations like ISPs are distributing their specially branded editions of web browsers (Internet Explorer Administration Kit). Having a customizable animation as progress indicator in MP would allow Pierre's paying customers to add their corporate look to XnView, and freeware users would be able to enjoy an extra level of personalization.

A throbber can be much more than a blinking symbol. Consider a throbber whose icon/bitmap changes according to the thread it reports. Or which blinks at different rates according to the completion percentage... perhaps faster as the action nears completion.

Such detailed status reporting probably isn't necessary in XnView or MP, since (for instance) the user cannot return to the browser while batch conversions complete in the background (therefore no need for simultaneous status updates in the browser)...

...but a throbber does not have to be simple "eye-candy".

Since MP is new and still malleable, perhaps thinking "outside the box" is still appropriate.

Finally, I think the throbber topic originated because XnView 1.9x has insufficient reporting of program status. MP is better in that regard.

In old Firefox versions, the throbber served as a button. I used it as a second homepage since it had a fixed location.
Also, an option icon with gears somewhat resembles a throbber and perhaps could be made to spin (trying to find some dual functions).