I like the idea someone had (Glynor?) where "Play All" becomes the last used command.
I like this idea too, but I felt like you couldn't do this if you don't move the other non-related controls out from under there. It's already confusing enough where to find these, but then if the name is "constantly changing" (from the perspective of a novice)?
If the only things "under the button" were items that would be used as the button (through the "sticky remembering" method), then it could be very useful. I'd like to see it have the same "more" idems that we have in the old-style menus and then remember them as the new default too, so that I could use "Add (as Next to Play)" which I use often for on-the-fly playlist building. But those options should be the
only choices in the secondary roller under the Play All button.
But, I also am not thrilled about adding a new, fourth button to the top roller, so I was hoping to find a solution that would allow for all of those concerns, and the others above. Flipping navigation entirely to the Breadcrumbs seemed to make sense and solve many of those issues nicely.
Once on the top bar, there would also be an extra "down" keystroke needed to get past the breadcrumb roller to the list, but as we've both noted, it's difficult to really tell how well things will work without trying it.
There wouldn't be any extra down-arrow push. That's one of the points as it would solve what you were asking for above. The extra down arrow already exists but this would solve it. In any case where you are just navigating back a tier in the view hierarchy, it would involve one fewer down-arrow keypresses to get back to the file/category listing:
Currently:
0. Arrow over to left side of screen (if in Thumbnail mode), this is variable and not needed in Lineup or List mode so not counted.
1. Press Left Arrow takes you to Top Roller
2. Left Arrow again takes you back one "tier" in the Breadcrumbs.
3. Down once takes you to the Breadcrubs Roller.
4. Down again takes you back to the File/Categories list.
Proposed:
0. Arrow over to left side of screen (if in Thumbnail mode).
1. Press Left Arrow takes you to Breadcrumbs roller.
2. Left Arrow again takes you back one "tier" in the Breadcrumbs.
3. Down arrow once takes you back to the File/Categories list.
Plus, this way you get these added bonuses:
1) ability to re-purpose the button in the top roller used for the back button for the stuff discussed above, allowing a "sticky" Play All button.
2) The ability to do this instead: In step 2 of the "proposed steps" above, you could hit Right-Arrow instead of Left-Arrow and have it quickly drill down through the View as if you are manually going to the Category list below and choosing "All".
Am I the only one that thinks "Playing Now" really needs to be abailable at the top, gloablly? I think it's burried way too deep.
I hardly ever go to Playing Now in Theater View (I generally use Display View if anything at all). However, this could certainly be one of the "top" choices in the proposed new "Controls" button in the Top Roller, which would certainly make it a bit less buried and easier/faster to get to.