XnView Software

Hello!

There are quite a few components except View that operate on some file list. They are Batch Convert, Batch Rename, Slide Show, Web page, Contact Sheet, File listing, Multipage-image, Strip of images, maybe more, I didn't check.

Their 'common denominator' is that they are supposed to operate on large number of images and, at the same time, on all images in the same way (there is no need to fe. look at every image before applying them).

So why we define filelist for these features in 3 or 4 different ways??? Sometimes there is a list in dialog avaliable, sometimes feature operates just on items selected in Browser.

IMO in all these windows there should be a button named "File list" that displays window with contents similar to upper part of Slide Show window, where you can arrange file list for your feature.

Should I design this feature?

X.

Xyzzy wrote:Hello!

There are quite a few components except View that operate on some file list. They are Batch Convert, Batch Rename, Slide Show, Web page, Contact Sheet, File listing, Multipage-image, Strip of images, maybe more, I didn't check.

Their 'common denominator' is that they are supposed to operate on large number of images and, at the same time, on all images in the same way (there is no need to fe. look at every image before applying them).

So why we define filelist for these features in 3 or 4 different ways??? Sometimes there is a list in dialog avaliable, sometimes feature operates just on items selected in Browser.

IMO in all these windows there should be a button named "File list" that displays window with contents similar to upper part of Slide Show window, where you can arrange file list for your feature.

Should I design this feature?

I think to add in future version a basket in browser to have an uniform way for filelist.

Basket is OK, but serves another purpose.
Basket can complement 'File list window', as one of the sources of images for it.
Maybe instead of adding features it is better to concentrate on solving problems (man it sounds trivial!).

Lets start from this point:
For some options of XnView it is necessary to select and arrange a set of files before the feature is executed. So, how can we select files, how can we arrange them, where in the GUI to place these features, what characterictics should they have? What are the options that would benefit from those features?

X.

Xyzzy wrote:Basket is OK, but serves another purpose.
Basket can complement 'File list window', as one of the sources of images for it.
Maybe instead of adding features it is better to concentrate on solving problems (man it sounds trivial!).

Lets start from this point:
For some options of XnView it is necessary to select and arrange a set of files before the feature is executed. So, how can we select files, how can we arrange them, where in the GUI to place these features, what characterictics should they have? What are the options that would benefit from those features?

I think that with a basket area in browser, we can have a good replacement. In this area, you can arrange your files, select others files, ....

OK.
But now we launch Create>Web page, create and preview gallery and decide that we would like to rearrange images, add some and delete some more. Should we close Web page for this purpose, rearrange basket and reopen Web page? Cumbersome I think.

IMO it is better to treat basket as one metod of selecting files; others are selection in filelist, results of last search, all in current directory, all in current directory with subfolders, none etc. Then hypothetical 'File sequence' window could use such selections and enable its management.

An element of window (group box): You can put such group box in LOTS of dialogs, also metadata edition. If you wan to restrict action to current file (fe. metadata in View), you just make Select and Manage options inactive.

Select is drop down list with choices of predefined image sequences. Manage opens a dialog when you can manage file sequence.

X.

Xyzzy wrote:OK.
But now we launch Create>Web page, create and preview gallery and decide that we would like to rearrange images, add some and delete some more. Should we close Web page for this purpose, rearrange basket and reopen Web page? Cumbersome I think.

Right

IMO it is better to treat basket as one metod of selecting files; others are selection in filelist, results of last search, all in current directory, all in current directory with subfolders, none etc. Then hypothetical 'File sequence' window could use such selections and enable its management.

An element of window (group box):

Code: Select all

-File sequence ------------------------------------
|Currently selected items: 45 (all in curent dir)  |
|Select: [all in current dir[V]] or [Manage]       |
---------------------------------------------------

You can put such group box in LOTS of dialogs, also metadata edition. If you wan to restrict action to current file (fe. metadata in View), you just make Select and Manage options inactive.

Select is drop down list with choices of predefined image sequences. Manage opens a dialog when you can manage file sequence.

Perhaps another solution is to use tab or wizard, first page is for filelist. What do you think?

...So, how can we select files, how can we arrange them, where in the GUI to place these features, what characterictics should they have?

I think we could select images in browser easier with this feature, it would be easier to select/unselect image/thumbnail, we could arrange them with existing options - 'Sort by', 'Filter' in the browser.

New option "Show only selected files" could help too.

What are the options that would benefit from those features?

All.

Edit:

I think 'basket' is a good idea, what about...

Use 'basket' as another list, we could have 2 file lists and we could use any directory or basket as the second file list. We could copy/move files to the second file list (dir. or basket) from the first with mouse and - hotkeys, F5/F6, same as in file managers. This 'basket' idea is very close to my old idea - Second Browser/File List Window. Maybe we should continue there.

Pierre,

Putting 'file sequence management' on a separate tab is even better idea!
I think is should be 2nd tab however.

As for basket ideas, lets discuss them in another thread.

X.

Xyzzy wrote:Putting 'file sequence management' on a separate tab is even better idea!
I think is should be 2nd tab however.[/quote)
2nd, really, it's more logical for me to be on first tab.

As for basket ideas, lets discuss them in another thread.

Yes

My idea of workflow: User selects fe. Contact Sheet. The first thing he sees should be options related to creating contact sheet, not file sequence. User in most cases is expected to select some files beforehand (or some files are selected by default), so there is no immediate need to manipulate file sequence.
And it would be strange if in so many dialogs user should see at first the same file sequence tab.

X.

Xyzzy wrote:My idea of workflow: User selects fe. Contact Sheet. The first thing he sees should be options related to creating contact sheet, not file sequence. User in most cases is expected to select some files beforehand (or some files are selected by default), so there is no immediate need to manipulate file sequence.
And it would be strange if in so many dialogs user should see at first the same file sequence tab.

Perhaps put file list on first tab, but opened the dialog on second...

That's fine with me, first tab of every window (which uses it) can be file sequence.

It is important that window is opened with tab containing options specific to this window. It may only seem a bit strange if window opens with active not-first tab, but this is minor issue; if there are some reasons to put file sequence tab first, I think it can be done this way.

X.

No tabs please.

Just make all file lists look the same - file list on the left and all buttons on the right side.

Or find another idea, but no tabs.

Dreamer wrote:No tabs please.

Just make all file lists look the same - file list on the left and all buttons on the right side.

Or find another idea, but no tabs.

On many dialogs there is no enough space to put file list and options...

Dreamer wrote:No tabs please.
Just make all file lists look the same - file list on the left and all buttons on the right side.
Or find another idea, but no tabs.

Worthless statement. Any reason for this? Just 'no tabs please' is not an argument at all.
We are also not trying to fit XnView to suit our tastes, but to improve overall functionality.

X.