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Author Topic: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?  (Read 2058 times)

Snarglefarg

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Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« on: January 25, 2007, 01:12:48 pm »

I only noticed just now because of something written in another post that the 3 buttons at the top when tapped twice have the expanded info for that item. For instance, tapping "Audio" once switches to Audio mode, and the second press expands it to show Artist/Album, File Type, etc.

I was wondering where this had gone after upgrading from MC 11. That being the case, can the default behavior be to expand the info when each of the 3 main buttons are pressed instead of being collapsed by default? In this case, the second tap would then collapse it.

I'm only bringing this up because I didn't discover it on my own. Granted I wasn't looking very hard and I press the button in the center (not tap immediately on the arrow to the right of the button) but I think that the expanded info is important enough to expose when pressing the button a single time.

Thoughts?
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Osho

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2007, 01:15:10 pm »

Look at the little right arrow next to Audio/Images/Video. Clicking on it does what you want.

Osho
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Snarglefarg

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2007, 01:23:54 pm »

Look at the little right arrow next to Audio/Images/Video. Clicking on it does what you want.

I mentioned that I was aware of it, but the fact remains that I tapped the button and didn't realize until using the app for a few weeks that it's possible to expand it. Yes, I'm aware that the arrow is typically used to indicate expand/collapse behavior, but I didn't realize that it was used here in that way.

Is there an argument against expanding by default when the button is tapped?
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glynor

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2007, 02:02:35 pm »

Is there an argument against expanding by default when the button is tapped?

It would make me mad.   ;D

I like to be able to use it both expanded and un-expanded.  If you changed it, there'd be no way to switch to the "Audio" part of the tree without expanding the Audio part of the tree.

Is there an argument for why clicking twice is so difficult?
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Osho

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2007, 02:26:26 pm »

It would make me mad.   ;D

Me too :). The new mode of MC12 is aligned to have one main view for each category of media (audio, pictures, video). One presumably uses that most of the time. Only in some cases, one needs to see the other views for these category of media. That's why I like it the way it is.

Also, double-clicking on the button or single-clicking on the arrow can't be that difficult, can it?

Osho
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Snarglefarg

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2007, 03:41:26 pm »

It would make me mad.   ;D

I like to be able to use it both expanded and un-expanded.  If you changed it, there'd be no way to switch to the "Audio" part of the tree without expanding the Audio part of the tree.

I'm not suggesting that the ability to collapse be removed, only that it is expanded by default and the second click collapses the menu.

Is there an argument for why clicking twice is so difficult?

I can click the button twice, or from now on I'll simply click the triangle once to expand in one action. My comment (and the fact that I overlooked it) is simply to point out that the current behavior may not be as intuitive and self-documenting to new user of this application.

There may be a solution that would make us both happy. It comes in two parts:

1. The button itself could be modified to better to indicate that it has two hot regions. The button part and the "expand" part. For instance, Outlook 2003 has a "New" button with an arrow next to it. When you hover over the button, you then can see that the button has two parts... a vertical line separates the word "New" from the triangle. If you then tap the triangle (or any part of the right side of the button to the right of the vertical line,) you get an additional menu of items that you can create as "new." This vertical line can appear when you hover over the button, just as now how the button gets more colorful in the Noire theme when you hover over it.

2. The entire right side of the button (on, and under the triangle) should be the hot area to expand the button contents. Right now, you have to tap on the triangle to expand it in one shot. Tapping below the triangle simply presses the button and does not behave as though you tapped on the triangle itself.

Would this be a good compromise?
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JimH

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2007, 03:42:47 pm »

This isn't going to change.  Sorry.  glynor's against it.
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glynor

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2007, 03:53:05 pm »

This isn't going to change.  Sorry.  glynor's against it.

[nelson]ha ha[/nelson]

I'm not suggesting that the ability to collapse be removed, only that it is expanded by default and the second click collapses the menu.

The problem with that is that it would collapse the currently open tree item.  As it is, I can switch to the Audio part of the tree without "losing my place" in the video part of the tree.
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Snarglefarg

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Re: Expanding Audio/Images/Video buttons by default?
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2007, 04:52:52 pm »

That's weird. I replied but took a while to submit what I typed. Two responses were posted before I posted my response (reply #5 above). As a result, it appears that Jim's comment is to my comment, which it is not.

I'm happy to let this issue go if you're also not happy with my possible workaround (which would seem to make everybody happy) but I wanted to at least inform you of my experience.
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