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[rsg]

I seem to have lost the album cover that showed up in the bottom left hand corner of standard view whenever an album was playing. Now the only thing down there seems to be the action window. Any ideas?

[haggis999]

The album cover appears in the Display window. If you are not seeing this image, then perhaps the Display window is collapsed - in which case, you can expand it by clicking on the little upward-pointing arrow on the right.

[HPBEME]

If the issue is not what haggis has correctly described, then...

An album cover for the currently playing item is automagically displayed in the lower left only if you do not have a Playing Now tab opened. As soon as you open a Playing Now tab, the album cover disappears at the lower left and the action window is shown.

[HPBEME]

There is a way to force the album art to be displayed in the lower left manually. Go to the Legacy tag window and select the small thumbnail in the upper left - that will also place the cover art at the bottom of the tree (close the tag window to see). Then go back to the Legacy tag window settings to revert to the Modern tag window - the album cover will still be there when you close the tag window. Unfortunately, this is not remembered between MC restarts, so you have to go through this multiple step procedure to manually show the album cover each time. 

If your reading this Matt, any chance it is easy to make that something MC remembers between sessions?  It is definitely something I always want to have turned on, but every time I restart MC I have to do the tag window dance all over again. Another approach might be to add it as one of the action window menu choices: Rip Disc, Burn Disc, Sync Handheld, Camera, Build Playlist, Tag, and now... File Image

[HPBEME]

In my reply above, I guess I should have noted that this is a feature request that I have been planning to put in for some time now. The OP's question and my reply to it just happen to align.

So little more information. Manually showing the album cover as I described in my prior post does not tell the whole story - it is actually far more powerful. This approach will show the file image of the item currently selected. It is not limited to the Playing Now item only. And you don't need a Playing Now tab to display an image.

This is especially useful as you can browse Movies, images, and other items in the playing now queue - the image at the bottom of the tree updates to reflect whatever you've selected. All the while, the primary Playing Now window still shows the cover art (or visualization) of the currently playing item.

This truly would be a very nice enhancement if Matt were to consider it. 

Sorry to the OP for hijacking the thread, but the answers provided by both haggis and myself should resolve the initial question.

[Matt]

My vote is to make left-click on the image zoom into the image page and right-click show the menu.  If you all agree I can make the change for the next build.

[HPBEME]

Sorry if I'm being obtuse Matt, but I don't follow what you mean. Left click on what image zoom? You mean the image zoom icon for images for media type = images?

MC already does exactly what I want right now, it's just that it doesn't remember that I activated the large thumbnail/file image at the bottom of the tree between sessions. It currently takes 7(!) steps to reactivate the image the every time I start new MC session:

- open modern tag window
- open modern tag window settings menu and switch to legacy tag window
- click on the small album art thumbnail at the top of the legacy tag window
- this instantly closes the legacy tag window and shows the larger image at the bottom of the tree as desired
- open the legacy tag window again
- open the legacy tag window settings menu and switch back to the modern tag window
- close the tag window to return to the tree

If MC would simply remember that the image at the bottom of the tree was active the next time I opened MC, I would be thrilled.  But I perhaps misunderstood altogether what you meant in your post. Please advise.

[Matt]

I mean clicking the little image in the tag window.  Right now it shows the menu.  Another choice would be to add zoom to the menu.

[HPBEME]

When I LMB on the little image in the legacy tag window it does not show a menu.

Instead, it immediately closes the legacy tag window and shows the image below the tree. MC just needs to remember that when I close it, and then show the image automatically the next time I open MC.

If you are not seeing that same behavior, that would explain why we are talking past each other.  Is there some setting difference that could cause that?

[HPBEME]

It occurs to me that maybe you are referring to the thumbnail image displayed in the Modern tag window by default? If so, I removed that a long time ago, as I don't want to waste space in the tag window showing the image. The display I want is what is accomplished via the Legacy tag window, which I only use to activate the Image at the bottom of the tree.  It just won't stick between sessions.

This is why I previously suggested another approach might be to add File Image to the action window menu options. As you can see in the picture, it already is just another expandable/collapsible mini-window like all other action window menu items.  It's just not currently an action window menu item that can be chosen. Why not make it one? Instead, you have to go through the laborious steps to activate it via the Legacy Tag Window.

Over the years, I have seen requests by other members for MC to remember the expand/collapse state of the action window between sessions. This would coincide with that request to some degree.

But maybe this is just too difficult and time-consuming to program. But as stated previously, I would be thrilled if just the image would stick between sessions.

[rsg]

If the issue is not what haggis has correctly described, then...

An album cover for the currently playing item is automagically displayed in the lower left only if you do not have a Playing Now tab opened. As soon as you open a Playing Now tab, the album cover disappears at the lower left and the action window is shown.

Wow! Yes, that's it exactly... a nice simple fix. Thanks so much. Now I'll read through all the posts this question generated...always interesting!

[HPBEME]

Wow! Yes, that's it exactly... a nice simple fix. Thanks so much. Now I'll read through all the posts this question generated...always interesting!

Your welcome. As for all the other replies, it was mainly just me hi-jacking your thread to push for a request that was directly related your question - hopefully Matt incorporates it (crossing my fingers).

[Matt]

Next build we'll do this:
NEW: An option to show the image Action Window is presented in the menu on the image in the tag window.

[rsg]

Yes, maybe this area needs some attention. Here's my reason for liking 'Display' to show the album cover image: when an album is playing I can double-click the cover image in Display to show the album cover full screen (I'm old-school so I play music as albums and never use playlists because they are track- or song-oriented). I can also, alternatively, double-click the image at the top right of the screen. That gives me 'Playing Now', and I can double-click that for a full-screen album cover image. But, that adds a 'Player' tab so that removes 'Display.' Not sure why the 'Player' tab removes 'Display' anyway.

[HPBEME]

Next build we'll do this:
NEW: An option to show the image Action Window is presented in the menu on the image in the tag window.

I just checked out this update and it works very well… Thank you very much Matt!

It does force me to put the image "group" back into the modern tag window which takes up space I'd prefer not to. Yes, minimal when collapsed, but I like to reserve as much space for tag text. That said, I no longer have to do the legacy/modern tag window dance to get it to show, so I am very grateful for that.

But, that adds a 'Player' tab so that removes 'Display.' Not sure why the 'Player' tab removes 'Display' anyway.

Yeah… I have never understood that one either.  I get why it pops up when there is no playing now tab - you need have something to show what is playing. But why automatically disappear when you create a playing now tab? The mini-display window has an X to close it anyway if you prefer not to show both simultaneously. Another question for Matt I suppose.

Same thing when you have an overview or split view tab open along with playing now - only one can be "active" apparently.  Otherwise, you see the dreaded "The Display for This Zone Is Owned by a Different Window" message. I don't understand that one either… Could be a limitation of the software, or maybe early on it was thought that doing it this way was useful but was never changed/updated?

In any event, this new image function is much better than the mini "display" window anyway since it only showed the currently playing item. This new "image" display shows cover art for any file selected while the main large display continues to show whatever you want… A visualization, a custom track info panel, or the cover art for the currently playing item... Very nice!  Thanks again Matt!