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Author Topic: Managing views is too complicated.  (Read 1378 times)

Castius

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Managing views is too complicated.
« on: September 13, 2018, 10:00:09 am »

One of the biggest things, that really making jriver powerful, is also the hardest to setup. The way you have to managing views in three different places. Plus there is no way to share the same view between them. Besides coping them from one to another.
Then on top of that. Seeing what you doing in theater view and network views. Takes way to many steps. You have to go back and forth. From the options into where they are make a change. Then go into theater view. Them go all the way back into options. Doing this for network views. You have too shut down jriver and start it back up.

I understand that once you get it the way you want. You don't go back to it very much. But every time I do. It gets really frustrating. And it's big reason I don't recommend it to more people.
Is there a plan to address this in the near future?

Thanks

Edit:
Fixed title thanks OHM
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~OHM~

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Re: Managing views is too completed.
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2018, 11:28:14 am »

fixed ;D
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wer

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2018, 04:52:11 pm »

Some sort of integrated view builder has been discussed for years, but nothing has ever come of it.

JRiver MC can do almost anything, and I think that lends itself to a certain amount of unavoidable complexity in creating view for the main tree view.  But creating views for theater view and DLNA servers, off in their own little separate sections, is certainly cumbersome.  So I agree with you there.

For my part, I wish they would take a year and do what Apple has (finally) done with IOS 12, stop adding a bunch of new features and capabilities, and focus on fixing all the old bug, glitches, limitations, and improving usability of cumbersome things, like the issue you've mentioned.  But I don't think it will happen.  They have an M.O. for development and releases that they seem to like, and will not be persuaded into anything different; that's their prerogative.

MC has amazing capabilities and customizability, but using it is rather like owning a Ferrari or a horse, instead of a dog.  Lots of complicated maintenance and upkeep, that can make it hard to recommend for some users.
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JimH

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2018, 05:42:43 pm »

For my part, I wish they would take a year and do what Apple has (finally) done with IOS 12, stop adding a bunch of new features and capabilities, and focus on fixing all the old bug, glitches, limitations, and improving usability of cumbersome things, like the issue you've mentioned.  But I don't think it will happen.  They have an M.O. for development and releases that they seem to like, and will not be persuaded into anything different; that's their prerogative.
Look on the bright side.  I'm getting old and won't be around forever. 
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blgentry

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2018, 07:31:39 am »

Let's assume the main thing that is difficult for end users is constructing views in 3 places:

Standard View
Theater View
JRemote, DNLA Views

For me, the obvious solution to this problem is simply to make the saved views in ONE of these 3 be available to the others.  I would recommend making Standard View saved views available to the others.  So when I go to configure the Theater View views, I get can pick from a list of the views I already made in Standard View.  They wouldn't be used by default.  But I could pick them and add them. 

Hey wait... You can already do that!  So most of this sharing of views is already done.  The main thing I would want to see changed here is that when you add a Standard View item to Theater View (or JRemote Views), I would like for it to be a reference to the view that already exists in Standard View.  Let me explain:  When you do this now, it just makes a static copy of the view you add.  If you then change that view later, in Standard View, those changes to not carry over to Theater View or JRemote View.  So you end up having to make your changes 2 or 3 times.

I think having these views be "linked" or "references" would be much more elegant. 

This would seemingly satisfy at least one of the OP's desires for simplifying the management of views.

Brian.
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BillT

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2018, 07:57:23 am »

+1 to being able to copy the entire view scheme.

My scheme is quite complex and I want it to be the same in standard view and JRemote. It is mind bogglingly tedious to keep them synchronised manually. (Mind you, it's not as bad as it used to be when you had to create each item from scratch; at least you can copy them now.)
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drmimosa

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2018, 10:57:23 am »

How about making this a simple toggle feature?

Synchronize views between DLNA, Theater View, and MC On/Off
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wer

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2018, 01:50:27 pm »

It would be nice to be able to copy views from one place to another.  I like to setup DLNA views to to be the same as my Theater View.  This is currently impossible without manually transcribing all the configuration and re-entering it in a different place.

The use of standard mode views in theater view is not 100% clean either.  I've done this a couple of times in the past, and it can cause anomalies.... Like Theater View configuration dialogs that don't populate properly when editing because the configuration that's been forced into them is beyond the dialog's ability to display.

But I think this is missing the OP's point:  the situation is too complicated and cumbersome.  These ideas/wishes add some additional complication to get around already existing complication.  Helpful, yes, but that's how we got where we are, with many aspects of MC.

The better solution would be a new centralized view creation and application system, with the goal being to have all the flexibility and capability we have today, but making it easier to get there.  And that's a big ask.
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Castius

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Re: Managing views is too complicated.
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2018, 01:39:18 am »

Yes blgentry add from standard is very helpful. I did use standard view to preview my views. Then added them to Theater View.
I also understand that standard, Theater View and network. Have different limitations.
Thats is also part of the complexity. that is probably one of the reasons for the separation.
This is just one suggestion. What if we have one customize view setup window. That was supported in all three views. That was easier to preview. (customize view is locked to one view)
From there you can hide/show/copy/add to each from there.

Currently you can edit one view and see the results in the view you are looking at. But to edit a different view. You have to close That view edit and open another. It would be nice to just be able to keep the customize view open and just have a save button. If you click on another view it would just ask you to save. Or discard your changes.

Theater view should have a window mode anyway. So to previewing theater view it could open a theater view in window mode.
It's understandable that theater view and network would need a refresh button.

Being able to hide/show views could be useful if combined with users as well.

I know it's a big ask. But what do you think?
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