INTERACT FORUM

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Confusing Interface  (Read 4242 times)

Mr ChriZ

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4375
  • :-D
Confusing Interface
« on: February 08, 2008, 02:54:24 am »

I placed this as a bug the other day, but having gone back to MC11 it appears
it is actually by design.

If you go into Audio on Thumbnails Artists View
Then you want to filter your results down a bit, I just wanted to see fleetwood mac
so in the search bar I type 'Fle'

Which is enough to make Fleetwood Mac visible but there are still a fair number
of artists being shown because they meet the search criteria.

Next I wish to see which Fleetwood Macs Albums.
So I click Albums on Fleetwood Mac.
For some reason I am then shown every Album that met my original search criteria.
Not Fleetwood Macs Albums.

That seems a bit wrong to me?

benn600

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 3849
  • Living: Santa Monica CA Hometown: Cedar Rapids IA
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2008, 07:23:13 pm »

It is not what it seems like.  All you're doing is changing how MC displays stuff.  So it shows them grouped by album with big thumbnails.

You have to right-click and locate ARTIST.  Then you'll see all albums by that artist.
Logged

datdude

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 2215
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2008, 08:12:31 pm »

It is not what it seems like.  All you're doing is changing how MC displays stuff.  So it shows them grouped by album with big thumbnails.

You have to right-click and locate ARTIST.  Then you'll see all albums by that artist.

That's one way of doing it, but I agree with Chriz that this is confusing when browsed his way.
Logged
"You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake." -  Just a very big snowball

benn600

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 3849
  • Living: Santa Monica CA Hometown: Cedar Rapids IA
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2008, 08:42:24 pm »

I, too, agree.  It confused me when I first started using MC.  The view schemes should be more apparent.  They are very useful but are somewhat hidden and I had no idea what they would do until I tried.  Perhaps it should be labeled Thumbnails.  Of course there are other issues because it is named based on view scheme.
Logged

Matt

  • Administrator
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 42028
  • Shoes gone again!
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2008, 10:10:01 pm »

This is by design.

We removed the ability to have stacked filters (a search, plus drilled into a tile) after watching the concept baffle several users.
Logged
Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

marko

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 8967
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2008, 02:34:59 am »

what planet did they come from?

Mr ChriZ

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4375
  • :-D
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2008, 04:22:43 am »

If you click on Album from a non searched view then it filters down
to that artists Album, so as it as at the moment it is inconsistent.
If that doesn't baffle users I don't know what will!

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2008, 05:13:05 am »

I reported the same problem some time ago and got the same answer from Matt, but I don't think everyone is understanding what we are talking about.

The following screenshots might help explain the problem.


In this picture I have simply and slowly scrolled through all artists to Fleetwood Mac:




I clicked the album link and got my two Fleetwood Mac albums:




In this screenshot I didn't scroll through the artists. I did a search for "flee" and MC found quickly Fleetwood Mac and two other artists:




I wanted to see the Fleetwood Mac albums and clicked the link. Unfortunately MC didn't combine the filter in the Fleetwood Mac album link and the search. It just shows the same search results grouped as albums:

Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

Mr ChriZ

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4375
  • :-D
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2008, 06:12:57 am »

Nicely illustrated Alex  :)

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2008, 04:10:00 pm »

I'd like to bump this one too.

This is by design.

We removed the ability to have stacked filters (a search, plus drilled into a tile) after watching the concept baffle several users.

I really can't see when this would be a problem. Please help me to understand.

Maybe that problem situation could be avoided somehow and still make possible to use the search like Mr ChriZ and I suggested, which is a very logical way. It is illogical that the artist selection is ignored when the album link is clicked.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

Doof

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 5907
  • Farm Animal Stupid
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2008, 08:31:49 pm »

Yeah, that makes no sense at all. If you click on Album under Fleetwood Mac, it shouldn't matter how you found Fleetwood Mac.

It would almost seem more natural in that situation for MC to clear the search box and show you just your Fleetwood Mac albums than the way it works now.
Logged

Mr ChriZ

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4375
  • :-D
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2008, 02:48:31 am »

Also if you click files.... it only shows the fleetwood mac files..

We need one more baffled user on our case to balance with the baffled users
that didn't understand the way it should be  ;)

)p(

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 579
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2008, 03:08:55 am »


We need one more baffled user on our case to balance with the baffled users
that didn't understand the way it should be  ;)

Ok +1 then  ;D

peter
Logged

eba

  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 351
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2008, 07:26:34 am »

I see this has now changed, which is great :)

But (I'm presuming this is related) something else that has changed with it, is that now if I search for something (say a song title), right click on the album or artist thumbnail, and click on add to playing now, everything within that album/artist is added to playing now rather than just the individual song that I would see upon clicking on 'File'.

Is this meant to be the case?
I keep adding a whole album's worth rather than just a single song.

marko

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 8967
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2008, 09:47:12 am »

I, for one, agree with you. Matt says it's "By design"

Quote from: marko
Maybe it's just me, but once I type in the search bar, I intuitively expect everything that follows after to be filtered by the search rule entered at the top.

I am also used to typing in the search bar, then shift+enter to play the search results, but this only works in pane views, which is a shame.

-marko.

-marko.

eba

  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 351
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #15 on: April 25, 2008, 02:59:00 pm »

I can accept that when I search for 'Comfortably Numb', then click on Albums under Pink Floyd it clears the Search Box and shows me everything Pink Floyd.  Not ideal, I'd prefer it to keep the search, but acceptable.

But if I double click on an Album and it shows me one file, and then I click on the Album's Play link and it plays 26 files, that just seems completely wrong :-\

Mr ChriZ

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4375
  • :-D
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #16 on: April 26, 2008, 03:29:52 am »

But if I double click on an Album and it shows me one file, and then I click on the Album's Play link and it plays 26 files, that just seems completely wrong :-\

I'm not sure it does seem so wrong.  You have after all clicked the Albums Play link, not the files play link, and MC is playing the Album?
If you want to play a file... select the file?

It actually seems like a nice balance to me.

eba

  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 351
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #17 on: April 26, 2008, 05:12:45 am »

It's an extra couple of steps, clicking File, moving the mouse down, selecting the file...
I'm lazy.

You can see that the search is effective on the top half of the screen as all the albums that have not got the search term anywhere disappear...so why is it then not effective as soon as I try to play? (or more dangerously, do something like delete)

I was actually quite happy as it was before.  I agree that it was wrong, but it didn't affect me as I never use the Artists view.  Now the solution also affects the Albums view :(

It's also inconsistent with Panes view, where I can select the album, and it only plays the files containing the search term, as I'd expect.

But hey, if others are happy with the compromise I guess that's how it is :-X

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #18 on: April 26, 2008, 05:28:57 am »



I would expect it to play only the single "flee" track from the "Nuages to Monde" album, but now it doesn't. It plays the complete album when I click the thumbnail and select "play".

If that would work it would not affect the playback of the Fleetwood Mac albums because all Fleetwood Mac tracks contain the search term "flee".

Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

JimH

  • Administrator
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 71603
  • Where did I put my teeth?
Re: Confusing Interface
« Reply #19 on: April 26, 2008, 08:01:06 am »

Please start a new thread with a subject that describes what you're looking for.... feature request, etc.  "Confusing interface" is a little broad.

Thanks.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up