Boxed/highlighted directories/files in list view

[noutters]

Hi, I have two requests.

1) I love using boxed and highlighted directories in the tree view. I would like to use this functionnality in the list view. Any chance to see it coded one day?

2) Any chance to set up box and highlights by scripting? I would need some logics in the scripts to toggle the highlights or boxes by date, size, text, etc...

Cheers,

[jacky]

1) I love using boxed and highlighted directories in the tree view. I would like to use this functionnality in the list view. Any chance to see it coded one day?

Configuration - Interface Colors : Apply box color to list.

2) Any chance to set up box and highlights by scripting? I would need some logics in the scripts to toggle the highlights or boxes by date, size, text, etc...

You can set them using scripts, yeah, using commands box & highlight, but unless it's a "the n older get red and the n next ones get blue" kinda thing you won't be able to do an automatic script like "if older than n days then red else blue"...

[noutters]

Configuration - Interface Colors : Apply box color to list.

I am afraid I was a bit unclear in my request. I would like to see highlights of files and directories in the list view, not the highlight of the whole content when I open the directory.

i.e:
"c:\program files" highlighted in tree view = "c:\program files" highlighted in list view when the source is c:\

[j_c_hallgren]

i.e:
"c:\program files" highlighted in tree view = "c:\program files" highlighted in list view when the source is c:\

This could potentially prove useful when one needs to hide the tree (or doesn't normally have tree shown) in order to see more of the list.

[serendipity]

Basically you mean, include the highlighted paths in color filter, right?

[noutters]

What I mean is making available folder highlighting in the file view.

[serendipity]

What I mean is making available folder highlighting in the file view.

Oh, OK. "Text Highlighting"!! I thought "Text coloring" like what color filters do now.
I understand you could not show this here since forums don't allow that. but your example was confusing me.

But i agree, it would help in locating my favorite folders easily. My second choice would be bolding of text with respective tree highlight color.

[admin]

(Background-)Highlighting (potentially) conflicts with other coloring features of the list.

[serendipity]

(Background-)Highlighting (potentially) conflicts with other coloring features of the list.

I agree, but i guess what noutters was suggesting was, if user sets highlight and box color in the tree in a non-conflicting way, then the conflicts in list will not appear too.
But since there are other colors in list (unlike tree), there could be potential conflicts. I can recognise 5 other conflicting colors, but still i dont mind.

It is definitely an useful feature because favorite folders can be spotted easily and its upto user to choose what is conflicting and what is not. plus having similar colors in tree and list will make things consistent.

I mostly use catalog and not favs, but i might start using it since it seems useful for easy spotting.

Will the highlight be shown in search mode too??

[j_c_hallgren]

It also depends on how the colors are done, that is, in which order...such that this highlight would override/overlay any other colors...

And also as to what fields are involved...I would think that just marking the name field would be best, as that would leave other markings untouched.

And IF it conflicts, I'd say that it's at the users request, so what's the problem? I don't see one yet.

[noutters]

Here is a solution to handle color conflicts:
I guess the problem is when the text has the same color as the background. Like in this text: [Message body] Yellow on light gray is not so readable, huh?

Solution: change the text color of the highlighted folder/files consequently.
If the background and the text colors are too close, transform the text R-G-B to H-S-V, pick H, add 180 modulo 360 (because 0=<H<360) and you get H2, the complement. Assign H2-S-V to the text. That would do the trick. Read more about HSV here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSV_color_space

In my example, you would obtain after recoding the color something like [Message body] that is much more readable

[admin]

Here is a solution to handle color conflicts:
I guess the problem is when the text has the same color as the background. Like in this text: [Message body] Yellow on light gray is not so readable, huh?

Solution: change the text color of the highlighted folder/files consequently.
If the background and the text colors are too close, transform the text R-G-B to H-S-V, pick H, add 180 modulo 360 (because 0=<H<360) and you get H2, the complement. Assign H2-S-V to the text. That would do the trick. Read more about HSV here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSV_color_space

In my example, you would obtain after recoding the color something like [Message body] that is much more readable

But the text color transports information (Color Filters...). I cannot just change it.

[jacky]

But the text color transports information (Color Filters...). I cannot just change it.

Well, in the mean time those color filters are likely to mostly affect files, not folders. So it's doesn't matter here, since obviously Highlighted Folder only applies to, yes, folders!

And just like with any other colors (List colors & Color Filters, Boxed Branches when applied to List, etc) in the end you can say it's all up to the user to select his colors appropriately & use options he wants.

[noutters]

I understand box-highlighting is an issue that conflicts with color filters.
This conflict is really up to the user to handle. It depends how you set-up your color filters. Today, if I want to have white text on light gray background and water my eyes off, it's my problem

Why not highlight folders/files in the file view with hollow boxes with 1 or 2 pixel width and a user (or parameter like size, date, etc...) defined color?