Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Marra]

For Theater View customisation, I am considering using a calculated data expression (for example FFFF00)
in new library fields to define global font colors and sizes.  It works!

I know I need to record it only once and not for each file. Or is there another way to do this?

How does the number of user-defined library fields impact on the operation of MC?  My list is growing.

[marko]

I don't think the number matters.

It pays to have a naming scheme that helps you organise though. Field like yours described above are more of a tool than a field, meaning they won't ever really be displayed like a conventional field, so the name is only useful in the field manager tool. We all land a method that works for us individually. Some like to precede their own fields with a period so that they are always listed together, for example.

It's great what you can do with this kind of lateral thinking. A few years back, a tweaked the stock image gallery so that it included some pertinent image info on the right. There's an example here. All of the info on the right is from html code stored in a library field.

I should add though, that while the number of custom fields doesn't really impact, it is possible to create calculated fields that introduce serious lag all on their own. Experiment away, I think you'll be OK.

-marko.

[Marra]

Thanks Marko.  I will now continue with confidence.  I like your suggestion regarding the naming of these fields. Probably start with Z so they appear at the end of the "true" fields.

Now for the other suggestion of storing html code in a field to perform greater tasks excites me.  Are you saying that MC will execute all html code held in a field (as compared to written directly as expressions) ?
Does your example mean that I could potentially have album details displayed on the right rather than the limited 2 lines below the thumbnails in Theater View?  Or am I dreaming?

Marra

[MrC]

The HTML available is for font color, style, size, and alpha.  There is no box-level HTML support.  So, no alignment, floating, etc.

You can freely store HTML in your tags - there are a couple of glitches with regards to unintended output and when sorting (the HTML code itself, being just a string of characters, is part of the string used when sorting).

[vagskal]

The HTML available is for font color, style, size, and alpha.

What is alpha and what are the parameters (syntax)?

A Google search (html alpha) just confused me and turned up info on symbols and opacity.

Sorry for being daft.

[MrC]

You can use it to lighten the font essentially.  But it's more than that.

In some cases, you might want a more transparent (or lighter) version of a font, but may not know (or want to specify) the current (or hard-coded) font color.  The current font might be white, red, green, or anything.  So setting the alpha will lighten the font towards transparent, in the current font's color.

   

Code: [Select]

<font alpha="50">
is 50% of full saturation.  Really what it means is how much of the background should bleed through (aka alpha channel, blending), or how opaque the text should be.

Try pasting this into the Expanded template for the TV Show caption, and then mousing over items in Theater View:

Code: [Select]

<font alpha="100">A 100 </font><font alpha="90">A 90 </font><font alpha="80">A 80 </font><font alpha="70">A 70 </font><font alpha="60">A 60 </font><font alpha="50">A 50 </font><font alpha="40">A 40 </font><font alpha="30">A 30 </font><font alpha="20">A 20 </font><font alpha="10">A 10 </font><font alpha="0">A 0</font>

[vagskal]

Thanks for the answer! I will play with this later now that I know the purpose and syntax (although I do not have any tv shows in MC).

[MrC]

I picked TV Shows, since there was no default Expanded caption, so no need to preserve anything.   Use any theater view caption you want.

[Marra]

What have done. I pasted your alpha code into a template. Tried it out to see the effect. Went back to remove the code and the windows template information box is off the screen.  No OK or Cancel to edit (even though I did it moments before). Can't move far enough to have it appear.  Tried re-sizing, and all I do is cut off the bottom options.  Tried to Google situation without any luck. Ideas?

[MrC]

In Windows, you can always move a window by entering exactly:

   Alt-Space and then M

and then use the arrow keys.  Escape will abort.

[Marra]

That works to move the OK into view but it reverts to the original position when I try to use mouse to press OK.

[MrC]

I'm confused about which dialog.  The Template dialog cannot be re-sized, so you must be in the File Info Panel?

If so, where did you enter the text?  I tried using the Audio > Rating expression Value, and didn't repeat the problem you see.

[Marra]

I am in File Info Template - Manage - Edit Template window. The text was entered in the Expanded Caption before my existing text.  This is the huge window that is causing concern.

[MrC]

Ok, the word "huge" spoke to me.  I changed my monitor to the smallest possible size, and see your result.

Delete the text, hit Tab and then Enter (same as OK button).

[Marra]

Yes. That fixed the problem. Do I dare ask what did I do to get that result?

[MrC]

Nothing you did wrong.  The dialog expands to accommodate the expression, but it perhaps expands a bit too aggressively and won't fit on, say, an 800x600 monitor.

Some dialogs have grown considerably.  I know that Matt is always concerned about this.  Maybe JRiver can tune the algorithm a bit to ensure these dialogs don't grow too large.  Or maybe MC now has some minimum monitor size requirements.  Dunno.

[Marra]

Back to the subject of <font alpha> codes. Are there any others ? I am aware of size, color, bold ,italic , underline .  Then is there a way to completely hide a field from display. Font size minimum appears to be 5 combined with font alpha = 0.  This however still takes up valuable character space in Theater View thumbnail text.  The purpose is designed to sort on a different field than what is on view.  In my case artist field sorted on alpha artist field.  Sort on Dylan, Bob (completely hidden) and display Bob Dylan.  Thanks