2015-10-11, 11:59
(2015-10-11, 01:45)Razze Wrote: Just a remark. I think a file view which is not showing files is really a library view. That is just a general statement not aimed at what's going on or even video.
I feel like we're really suffering from fragmentation here.
If I had anything to say, file view should only be very basic. And library should have all the sorting and meta data.
Like, why does file list for songs have a sort option that sorts by listeners. But library mode has not. It's just so random.
Just saying, but I guess we're really locked into the status quo and probably can't do a clean up anywhere.
Razze, aiming for a consistent UI and tidying up is a good thing, I agree in principle. The original sort criteria on file view was odd indeed (what are or were "Listeners" anyway), and clearly needed improving. I know that you have been doing good work in this area. Likewise reducing the number of different windows is better for skinners, I can see why PR8011 happened. But, you knew there was one, when we "clean up" we need to make sure we don't loose functionality.
How basic should file view be?
I think there is a need for something more than a list of filenames, but less than the full library facility. In software generally, especially Windows, users are familiar with "file view" lists showing more information than just the filename. File lists show a variety of information depending on the nature of the file. For example with images you see a thumbnail, with photos you can also see the "date taken" and camera data etc. Tag data is an implicit part of the music file, showing that data is as basic as showing the file size or creation date.
The library processes the tag data, and can collect additional data too. It is much more powerful, which is great, but sometimes more than the situation requires e.g. plug in a stick to play some music, I don't want to build a library.