List Focus Box - MIA

[admin]

@Don, maybe you can provide "focused row" color in other views too. I see that the rectangle is difficult to locate in list view if your background is greyish. I think everyone will benefit from this since colors are easier to locate than faint outline boxes. just wondering.

Oh yes, I did that yesterday! (= new speed record! )

[TheQwerty]

My current theory: TheQwerty has used a theme anytime back. Some themes are known to spoil certain color settings pemanently even after uninstall...

Never. The theme dll has never been patched on this machine and no themes have ever been installed or used.

To prove that, i changed my theme to silver and i still see the rectangle in XY. So according to me on TheQwerty's system something different from what we (atleast Don and me) have. hmmm strange situation though.

Just to be sure, you did restart XY after changing the theme correct? I can get the box but it involves starting XY in a different scheme (both Blue and Olive Green work) and then changing it back to Silver. XY will continue to use the styles in those controls from the scheme that was in use when it was started.



I do have an XP image that I use with Qemu which I tested it on (with the same results), but it's not a fair test as the image has a patched theme dll and the Zune theme installed. I'll be unable to test any other images or systems until 10 hours from now.

[serendipity]

@Don, maybe you can provide "focused row" color in other views too. I see that the rectangle is difficult to locate in list view if your background is greyish. I think everyone will benefit from this since colors are easier to locate than faint outline boxes. just wondering.

Oh yes, I did that yesterday! (= new speed record! )

WOW!! . I have colors in other views too. BTW, now you cannot call it focused row anymore. whats the new name?

[admin]

@Don, maybe you can provide "focused row" color in other views too. I see that the rectangle is difficult to locate in list view if your background is greyish. I think everyone will benefit from this since colors are easier to locate than faint outline boxes. just wondering.

Oh yes, I did that yesterday! (= new speed record! )

WOW!! . I have colors in other views too. BTW, now you cannot call it focused row anymore. whats the new name?

Wait for the history...

[serendipity]

Wait for the history...

[TheQwerty]

Okay, I have now tried it on my two home machines (both XP SP2). One has a patched theme dll and custom themes the other does not have and never has had either.

I tested with a freshly extracted Sep. 13 beta with absolutely no changes made to the settings, not even adding my license to avoid the annoyingly effective purchase reminder.

Still no focus boxes when XY is started while the silver scheme is active.


That's 4 installs of XP, 1 virtual and 3 real. I'm working on installing a completely fresh virtual image of XP SP1, and I probably won't go far enough to install SP2 and all the updates just to test this. Update: Fresh install of XP (pre-SP1), still no focus boxes with the silver color scheme.

That makes for:
2 real installs that have never had custom themes or the theme dll patched.
1 real and 1 virtual install that have been patched and have used custom themes (though the virtual install has only used MS signed themes Royal Noir/Zune).
Update: 1 virtual install that has no changes from the default except for the "installation" of XY and the changing of color schemes using the default options.

I'll get back to you with the results of this fresh and untouched virtual install.

Update:
After discovering a problem with Qemu and having to go through the whole install again with Virtual Box instead here's the steps I used to test this once more:

Using a fresh ISO disc image created with Nero 7 of an XP install disc (which turned out to be a pre-SP1 version, so there are no updates slipstreamed in).
Installed virtually within Virtual Box.
Performed the guided installation and setup.
Changed color scheme to silver (only change from default settings)
Downloaded the Sep 13 beta archive.
Extracted to Desktop\xyplorer
Started XY
Clicked "Continue Evaluation"
Changed the folder to something with multiple items.
Changed the List's view to List.
Clicked on an item.
Hit Ctrl+Up
Saw no focus box.
Clicked on the empty space in the list.
Saw no focus box.
Closed XY.

Changed color scheme to Olive green.
Started and Performed the same steps with XY.
Saw the focus box both times.
Closed XY.

Changed color scheme to Default (blue).
Started and Performed the same steps with XY.
Saw the focus box both times.

Without closing XY changed the color scheme to Silver.
Performed the same steps with XY.
Saw the focus box both times as well as the list view using the Default (blue) styles instead of Silver.
Closed XY.

Started XY (while color scheme is still Silver)
Performed the same steps with XY.
Saw no focus box both times as well as the list view using the Silver styles now.

Went to XY's Tools->Configuration->Colors tab.
Changed the Text and Background colors for the List in Browse mode to 999999 and 000000 respectively.
Performed the same steps with XY.
Saw no focus box both times.
Closed XY.

Started and performed the same steps with XY.
Saw no focus box both times.

----------------------------------


So I've eliminated:
A change caused by any third party app other than XY.
A conflict with another program running within XP.
A specific setting or hardware configuration that differs from the default.
A change caused by custom themes or a patched dll.

What's left? Only three things have remained constant through the five tests.
Windows XP Pro.
The Sept. 13 beta of XY, with no changes from the default settings.
Me

Since I don't have access to another Windows' OS and I'm not sure how I can further eliminate user error from the picture, perhaps some other people can test this and let me know if I'm missing or screwing up something?

[admin]

Okay...

Wow! It's becoming a thrilling mystery, Sherlock! Let's see whether the next version brings a difference...

[TheQwerty]

Let's see whether the next version brings a difference...

And it works - good job! Thank you!

[j_c_hallgren]

Finally! After about a year since I'd mentioned this in these two related threads:
http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?t=1152
http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?t=1181
This change means that, on the rare times when I use non-Details view, I can now find the focused item with these older eyes of mine!

In quickly reading those threads, while they tended to relate to selected, I had posted a few ideas on how focus could be improved also...but the way it's been implemented now works just GREAT! Yet another excellent usability enhancement!