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[johnnyboy]

Using MC as just a player from Windows Explorer seems a little old-fashioned, but maybe I don't understand.

That is the whole point of it though when set to have file associations.
I agree in some ways it is an old way of doing it, but when you have MC set to be associated with files, it is automatically making the assumption that this is how you are going to be dealing with the files.

[JimH]

[Yes images are high priority, but start another thread to discuss.  Even better, propose a single change you need.]

There are at least two ways to play files from Windows Explorer without changing the file associations.

1.  Drag a file onto MC or its player controls.

2.  Right click and choose Media Center/Play.

But if you want to use MC as a player, why not set the file associations?  And why not use it to browse?  You can find files almost instantly with a search, for example.

As I said in the old thread, maybe I just don't understand.

[cosmicfx]

Hi there Jim

Going from windows Start Menu to "My Documents' (for example) or having a shortcut on my desktop or quick launch bar is quicker and easier than opening MC as a "browser" and then to do a search.

Many of us that are working with all kinds of stuff would be inside windows somewhere, working on different document types and just want to quickly open either 1 image file or a few unspecific images inside any folder.

If I associate all my image files with MC, and be in that situation, then I have the problem that I have to open the whole MC, can only look at that 1 specific image at a time ( without being able to view all in that folder , similar to what Windows Picture and Fax Viewer can do), and then ... once closing the fullscreen MC picture viewer ( just for that one image ), then still have to close the whole MC program too.

[JimH]

If I associate all my image files with MC, and be in that situation, then I have the problem that I have to open the whole MC, can only look at that 1 specific image at a time ( without being able to view all in that folder , similar to what Windows Picture and Fax Viewer can do), and then ... once closing the fullscreen MC picture viewer ( just for that one image ), then still have to close the whole MC program too.

I think you might play around with it a little more.  I can't think of what the Picture viewer does that you can't do with MC12.

Once you have a group of image thumbnails, playing one puts the rest in Playing Now so you can press Page Up and Down to go through them.  Or you can start a slideshow with the space bar.  Check the FAQ in my signature for a link to more on image playback.

As far as time goes, if you're going to view the image, you must start the program in either case, so I have a hard time seeing how it could be faster to start Explorer, find your image, then start a program to view, compared with starting the program in the first place.

[cosmicfx]

Sorry Jim, didn't mean to start an  argument of any kind.

Best regards
cosmic

[JimH]

It's not a problem.  I'm just not understanding how an Explorer/player combination could be as fast or as good as a player alone.

[dcwebman]

It's not a problem.  I'm just not understanding how an Explorer/player combination could be as fast or as good as a player alone.

Figured I would give my opinion. I use dOpus as my Windows explorer so I'm always in there going through the folders. When I get to one that has images since I haven't imported every image I have yet into MC, I switch it to thumbnails to see what they are. Now when I want to view that image, I have the association either set to or specifically go to the right-click menu and select Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. It's a lot faster viewing the image that way. And if there's a bunch of images in that folder I want to view but not all, I can select just those I want to view and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer will only show me those. Yes, if all my images were in MC, I could do the same thing but they aren't yet. Until that time, it's a lot easier doing it this way while MC is playing my music in the background.

[JimH]

Just wondering why you wouldn't import all images.  Or let Otto do it.

[johnnyboy]

Just wondering why you wouldn't import all images.  Or let Otto do it.

I usually dont import files into MC or any other app until I have them somewhat sorted or know what I want to do with them.

I'll copy them to my computer and sort them, then copy them into MC if I'm serious about them.

I dont put everything into MC, just files that are important.

[JimH]

It's hard to beat MC at sorting and moving files, then dumping what you don't want.

[cosmicfx]

As far as time goes, if you're going to view the image, you must start the program in either case, so I have a hard time seeing how it could be faster to start Explorer, find your image, then start a program to view, compared with starting the program in the first place.

Hi Jim

I think that you may be assuming that everyone uses only MC all the time.

Again, I would often have shortcuts on my desktop to certain folders. Here is a senario...

I would not specifically be planning on viewing any specific image. I'd be for example in a folder with work documents (eg. word , application files , etc ) , just busy working or browsing ( and I don't mean browsing image files ).
Then, as an example, there might be an image file (jpeg) which would be a "screenshot" that I then only, at that moment, decide that I want to view it. Remember that at this point I am not in MC. I am not actually busy playing or organizing audio or image files.

But now when I double-click (NB. I am outside MC) the "screenshot" (which I'm using as an example) , and if I have associated all my image files with MC, then the whole process of opening the whole MC, closing the fullscreen display, and then still closing MC, has to take place.

If I was in that same situation, and my image files are not associated with MC ( Which obviously I'd like them to be) , then all that would happen is that Windows Picture and Fax viewer would open, and then I'd click close...and it would be gone,immediately back to where I was, In Windows.

As I mentioned before, Windows Picture and Fax viewer also allows me to move through all the images within that specific folder (in which I spontaneously wanted to view an image) using the forward and back arrow keys, while browsing in windows. If I was in windows, in the same situation, and double-clicking opened my image with MC fullscreen Viewer, ... then the MC fullscreen viewer only allows me to view that one specific image in that folder. If I hit the forward and back arrow keys in MC fullscreen viewer, it does nothing.

I've tried my best to explain as clearly as possible my situation, and I really hope it might be a bit clearer.

Thanks
cosmic

[JimH]

Thanks for the details.  I understand now.  I don't think there's any way MC could help in that.

What I think you want is just a viewer, nothing else.  It pops up with the folder's images loaded, lets you scan through them and exits quickly.

[cosmicfx]

I guess what I was hoping for is a Picture viewer , yes , but a separately operating version of the MC fullscreen viewer with a couple of feature options, like forward, back , rotate , etc ... and also had a button on it with the option to open the main MC program from it.
So that I can still associate my image files with MC, but have it work independently when double-clicked form outside MC , from inside windows.

A certain photo organizer has realized the need for this, and had developed an independently working viewer , called a "_ _ _ _ Quick Viewer", which allowed the user to associate his files with the parent program , but didn't need to open the whole program.
I was hoping MC would consider doing the same.

Thanks

[johnnyboy]

For me its not so much the speed the app opens at when I double click in explorer, its more how easily I can then use it to see the other files in the view.

Wouldn't it make sense for any files that are opened from explorer (eg via file associations) that when MC opens and displays them, it does so from its 'My Computer' section, opened at the location the file was opened from?
Then the user can instantly continue the browsing they were doing but now within MC with all its extra benefits.
Just seems like a much smoother workflow process to me?