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Author Topic: Combine panes with tiles below  (Read 2434 times)

datdude

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Combine panes with tiles below
« on: April 01, 2006, 06:28:00 pm »

Put standard pane viewing at the top, then add tiles in the middle, and the 'files at bottom' below.

I don't use panes anymore as they are hidden. :'(  Why not simply make them the first level of filtering and then incorporate the existing tile library view below?

This would open up our MC libraries to a whole new level of browsing flexibility with many less clicks and a greater visual ability to choose songs!

The only problem with the old view, was that there was no way to view files from albums easily.  Now with the fields at bottom and links (please add them all back!) for each tile, this view with panes would particularly benefit large libraries, which most MC users have. ;)

If you don't want the panes, then simply click them up and they are gone and do not apply.  If you don't like the tiles, simply switch the view to lists, details, or thumbnails.  The new details view would be particularly usefull with panes on top and files at bottom!!!

Come on JRiver, lets have the best of both worlds.
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Jaguu

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2006, 03:22:31 am »

Very good idea!
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Mr ChriZ

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2006, 05:19:21 am »

Isn't that what I was trying to put across 2 months ago?! ::)
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=31656.msg217515#msg217515

Screenshot
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=newview6jk.jpg

I was doing it with (2 sets of tiles + files) rather than (Panes + thumbs + files)
Although Ideally each row could be customizable to be either (Panes, tiles, thumbs, files(details))

LonWar

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2006, 09:35:04 am »

Isn't that what I was trying to put across 2 months ago?! ::)
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=31656.msg217515#msg217515

Screenshot
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=newview6jk.jpg

I was doing it with (2 sets of tiles + files) rather than (Panes + thumbs + files)
Although Ideally each row could be customizable to be either (Panes, tiles, thumbs, files(details))

Very very nice
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datdude

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2006, 11:43:51 am »

Isn't that what I was trying to put across 2 months ago?! ::)
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=31656.msg217515#msg217515

Screenshot
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=newview6jk.jpg

I was doing it with (2 sets of tiles + files) rather than (Panes + thumbs + files)
Although Ideally each row could be customizable to be either (Panes, tiles, thumbs, files(details))

Yes,

They are very similar, I actually had forgotten about that.

I think one key difference is that with panes, you can visually see each category AND selection options at the same time, making it easier for MC to know what selection and grouping to show below.
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Galley

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2006, 08:03:16 pm »

In the words of the "Hemi dude"...   Sweet!  ;D
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datdude

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2006, 08:33:40 pm »

I think it could work like this:

Each pane acts as a button or top level menu item that controls the tiles.  Select the 'all' option at the top of a specific pane say genre, and the tiles would show all available genres.  Select a specific genre within the same pane, and the tiles would then show the sub-genres available or whatever is the next pane at the top of the view scheme.

If you were to then select a specific sub-genre from a tile with a specific link in it, say 'artist', the tiles would pull up all the artist groupings available for that sub-genre, and the corresponding sub genre and artist panes would indicate this as well.  The entire pane could also be highlited to indicate which tile page you are on. 

Bi-directional links, or links that are in previous panes, would not affect those panes at all if they are chosen and in fact would make it easier to implement them and would be less 'confusing' since the user could go back to selecting a top level pane to override any tile browsing and gain their Media bearings if somehow they got lost!   :D

The top drop down menu for specific fields could also be used to open up the panes, i.e. select the 3rd field down on the menu, and the first 2 panes go away, allowing the other panes to have more horizontal viewing space! ;D
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park

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2006, 11:42:30 pm »

I dont think it would work. it would take too much vertical space, since the panes are vertically based lists of headings, and ultimately detract from the simplicity of the current design.

I would much rather see a list of buttons in the current toolbar; each representing one of the fields defined in the viewscheme properties, and which you could use to filter (or should i say "enter into"), so that even when you select multiple tiles (eg. multiple genres) you are always able to navigate everywhere in that viewscheme in one place (ie. the toolbar). That would totally negate the need for the drop down menus on the tiles altogether.

I also think that the main drop down menu on the toolbar should be renamed, so that it says "All XXX" instead of just the current "Genres". But now I'm kind of hijacking the thread so I'll stop.
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datdude

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2006, 11:53:03 pm »

I dont think it would work. it would take too much vertical space, since the panes are vertically based lists of headings, and ultimately detract from the simplicity of the current design.

I would much rather see a list of buttons in the current toolbar; each representing one of the fields defined in the viewscheme properties, and which you could use to filter (or should i say "enter into"), so that even when you select multiple tiles (eg. multiple genres) you are always able to navigate everywhere in that viewscheme in one place (ie. the toolbar). That would totally negate the need for the drop down menus on the tiles altogether.

I also think that the main drop down menu on the toolbar should be renamed, so that it says "All XXX" instead of just the current "Genres". But now I'm kind of hijacking the thread so I'll stop.

I think that is part of the problem, it is too simplistic ,and not much better without the panes.  I'm not saying I don't like the tile view, its just there isn't any actual added flexibility with this view now, especially without the all links option. 

For vertical spacing, it depends on your monitor and how large your tiles are which apparently in the latest builds you can customize with some sort of slider.  If you don't want the panes, simply click the divider up, and they are no longer in use.

I'm kinda confused on your buttons idea.  Is it basically how MC used to be when they first merged it?  Anything different from that?
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park

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2006, 12:55:55 am »

Basically the buttons would be like they used to be, except that before they were used to filter all files from the root level. My way would keep the drop down menu for that purpose and use the buttons to filter selected tiles:



In this image the breadcrumbs at the bottom are just for illustrative purposes since we are at the root view and havent gone anywhere yet.
These buttons would disapear once selected and the rest of the buttons would jump to the left to fill the space (this would be nicely animated of course).  So basically, as was suggested elsewhere, you'd still have bi-directional viewing, but buttons disapear once used.

This would free up the space used by the "view" menu on tiles for other things such as "average plays" etc. information (a nice little drop down alpha blended box full of useful info). and it would cement the idea of the "toolbar" at the top actually being the "navigation bar"
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hit_ny

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Re: Combine panes with tiles below
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2006, 03:14:39 am »

Put standard pane viewing at the top, then add tiles in the middle, and the 'files at bottom' below.

Why not simply make them the first level of filtering and then incorporate the existing tile library view below?
Trying to absorb what you said..and it made me think of split views and how independent each was from the other.

With filtering could the split view above act as a filter to the split view below. This could be useful in certain views where a customised details pane (in the 2nd split view) could be used for specific fields. Click the grabber of the bottom split view and it rolls back.

Of course we would need the ability to save the layout for this view for the idea to be successful.

Or is that not a good thing, ie keep split views independent of each other as they are currently.
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