XYplorer Beta Club

Hrm, good point. I'll sleep over it...

Strictly speaking - a fussbudget like me considers a "workspace" to include more than layouts and visible settings. In an XY context it refers to actual locations as well. Just like an Excel workspace file .xlw opens all associated spreadsheets in the manner they were arranged. In other words: Layout and content. Whereas the line-up or positioning or ordering of these contents is merely an ingredient in the overall workspace recipe.

In that respect, Tabsets are more closely related to the term workspace. To promote Layouts to a workspace-status is a bit pretentious and possibly misleading. But hey, it all boils down to definitions and viewpoints. Don't mean to be splitting hairs. That's why I didn't interfere earlier. No objections if you decide to stick with workspace, regardless of other traditions.

Why not call the submenu "Layout Configuration"...that's what it is. And, couldn't you simplify it a bit and say:
List Left
List Centered
List Right

Or instead of having several entries (left, right, center) you could have just one that links to a config dialog, similar to "Configure Thumbnails". The link could transport to Panes & Layouts (now called Dual Panes - enough space on that dialog to accommodate a second section).

Ideally, the layout section on that config page shows pictograms - tiny visual representations of the layouts - selectable with either-or radio (option) buttons that allow one choice only.

For scripting purposes you'd assign numbers to the pictograms or give them IDs or meaningful abbreviations or whatever.

Workspace is really missleading. an image browser XnView MP provides ability to place all parts of interface as one wishes, and the submenu is called Layout -what's the problem in our case? and why Save|Load can't be at the same menu's bottom?
btw i like Stef123's idea about Panes & Layouts -these are really not features user will re-set so often(well, aside from power users).

eil wrote:Workspace is really missleading. an image browser XnView MP provides ability to place all parts of interface as one wishes, and the submenu is called Layout -what's the problem in our case? and why Save|Load can't be at the same menu's bottom?
btw i like Stef123's idea about Panes & Layouts -these are really not features user will re-set so often(well, aside from power users).

Well, I don't see a problem here. Like Stef123 wrote it's just a matter of definition. I know in the past Layout/Workspace has often been used towards the same meaning (e.g. Cubase), but these days a "Workspace" is mostly including the objects of work, that is in XYish Tabs, Tree state etc.


Funny:

help file of my LayoutManager script wrote:I consider a Layout to mainly provide a snapshot of the visibility and relative positions of the major GUI elements at a given time. There's not really much more about it (at least, by now icon_wink.gif).... Don't mind the name (and I hope Don don't either...), it could be called anything else. But since Don already uses Environment and Workspace in the context of XY's Tabsets, I chose Layout - not knowing that this term is also 'reserved'

Cheers,
Filehero

Stef123 wrote:Or instead of having several entries (left, right, center) you could have just one that links to a config dialog, similar to "Configure Thumbnails". The link could transport to Panes & Layouts (now called Dual Panes - enough space on that dialog to accommodate a second section).

Ideally, the layout section on that config page shows pictograms - tiny visual representations of the layouts - selectable with either-or radio (option) buttons that allow one choice only.

For scripting purposes you'd assign numbers to the pictograms or give them IDs or meaningful abbreviations or whatever.

Hm, I like that idea too! The only (small) disadvantage is that you won't have Keyboard shortcuts for the layout commands.

Pictograms: Yep, something for the winter.

Scripting: You will get a new command LayoutWindow() that can do all you can dream of.

BTW, I will move the "Tabs" submenu from menu Window to menu Panes.

admin wrote:BTW, I will move the "Tabs" submenu from menu Window to menu Panes.

Now that I read it it sounds like the natural place for it.

Cheers,
Filehero

admin wrote:The only (small) disadvantage is that you won't have Keyboard shortcuts for the layout commands.

But how many people would use KS enough for this situation to be a problem? For me, on rare occasions, I use TB to change layout temporarily like going dual pane/single, show/hide Cat, etc...I suspect more folks would use/need those TB options to do so.

Yes. Actually the menu interface has also a big disadvantage: the menu collapses each time you click any item. Very uncomfortable for customizing a layout.

Besides, asuuming that these layout chgs could always be done via scripting, one could use that to get a "KS" to do desrired functions, right? They wouldn't have to be directly KS assignable.

Yep!

admin wrote:the menu collapses each time you click any item. Very uncomfortable for customizing a layout.

So true. With each trial and error you start over, dangling once again through the flyouts and dropdowns of the menu tree. Not to mention the mental process of translating the left/right directions - what goes left/right of what? - into the visual idea you have formed in your mind.

With layouts your brain switches to graphics mode. Acutally seeing an overview of all available layouts via small sketches/ pictograms matches this state of mind much better than left-right directions that are spelled out in written words only.

FYI, I postpone the transfer of those "Arrangement" settings from menu to config dialog to later. For debugging it*s useful to have them in the menu (with fast KS), and also, since this is set and forget, it's not that bad to have them in a collapsing flyout.

So, looks like I'm ready now. You might see a new beta later today...

BTW, this script will come handy soon...

Am I the first one to get my hands on it.

Spend just five mins on it and it looks good.