App - improve folder structure and file naming
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:57 am
XnViewMP 1.3.1 64bit
Windows10 64bit (22H2), display resolution 3840x2160, win scaling 150%
There is a way to improve the organization of files in the application folder.
Suggestion
general cleanup
UI
presets
catalog / settings
misc
Windows10 64bit (22H2), display resolution 3840x2160, win scaling 150%
There is a way to improve the organization of files in the application folder.
Suggestion
general cleanup
- create config (OR profile) subfolder
for all settings-related files (xnview.ini, presets, toolbars, shortcuts, layout, autocorrect, tagface_history, batch_convert_log, etc.)
- create runtime subfolder
for all runtime related files (api-ms-win.., Qt.., vc.., etc.), like in Foobar2000
- create doc subfolder
for license, WhatsNew, link_to_site
- (optional) create data subfolder for all system files that are not in plugins, addons
so root folder contain only few .exe files
UI
- theme
- expose theme files, eg like OBS:
../themes/theme_name/resources
../themes/theme_name.qss
- add variables, eg like in OBS
- expose theme files, eg like OBS:
- organize icons
- unify icons location, eg in UI folder
Filetype → ../UI/icons/filetype
icons → ../UI/icons/overlay (add folder to make this recourse exposed)
../UI/icons-48 → ../UI/icons/commands/48/
- unify icons location, eg in UI folder
- UI settings
- rename settings files to setting_name_state
default.bar → toolbar_default.ini
default.keys → shortcuts_default.ini
- rename settings files to setting_name_state
presets
- combine all presets into single file (.ini, .xml or .json)
for all instruments that do not support creating custom preset files from UI (most instruments) - use single file to store presets.
If for some reason merging presets into one file is not possible, see the next option.
- rename preset files to preset_tool_name
so they are grouped together (eg preset_draw, preset_print, preset_resize, preset_search)
catalog / settings
- rename db/settings files into something more descriptive, eg:
- XnView.db → xn_catalog.db
- Thumb.db → xn_catalog_thumbnails.db
so catalog and thumbs are grouped together
- xnview.ini → xn_settings.ini (OR xn_config.ini)
misc
- bring consistency to the settings' values:
- some values are in quotes, some not, eg @ByteArray(..), "@ByteArray(..)"
- sometimes separator is space, sometimes comma