Should I drop "Favorite Files"???
Posted: 06 May 2008 14:56
I don't use it myself anyway... 
XYplorer Beta Club
Forum for XYplorer Users and Developers
https://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/
Should I drop "Favorite Files"???
Page 1 of 2
Posted: 06 May 2008 15:30
I don't use it either. The Catalog is my Favorites. But is that a reason to remove the feature? Or do you think people are getting confused when they see two seemingly similar ways to store shortcuts to their favorite files/folders? Hmm...
Posted: 06 May 2008 15:35
Yes, some are getting confused, see http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?t=2455JustinF wrote:I don't use it either. The Catalog is my Favorites. But is that a reason to remove the feature? Or do you think people are getting confused when they see two seemingly similar ways to store shortcuts to their favorite files/folders? Hmm...
And I love to remove features that are superfluous!
Posted: 06 May 2008 16:14
I use the favorite file feature to bookmark certain documents that I either do not use enough to warrant taking a spot in the catalog or I do not want them visible on the screen. Usually these documents are also stored outside of folders I have set in the catalog.
I don't use the feature extensively (just a couple documents) so if you remove it I will not miss it too much. Especially now that I am more familiar with xyplorer I can easily accomplish what I need with a UDC.
That being said, I think the favorite files feature should stick around because who am I to tell someone else how to setup their interface. If I was someone who preferred to not use the catalog (crazy thought, but I am sure there are some people who don't) the feature would be much more important to me.
Also for a new user the term and use of 'favorite files' is fairly intuitive when 'catalog' may not be.
I don't use the feature extensively (just a couple documents) so if you remove it I will not miss it too much. Especially now that I am more familiar with xyplorer I can easily accomplish what I need with a UDC.
That being said, I think the favorite files feature should stick around because who am I to tell someone else how to setup their interface. If I was someone who preferred to not use the catalog (crazy thought, but I am sure there are some people who don't) the feature would be much more important to me.
Also for a new user the term and use of 'favorite files' is fairly intuitive when 'catalog' may not be.
Posted: 06 May 2008 18:15
admin wrote:And I love to remove features that are superfluous!
NO! Please don't remove this one! Because, I for one, as somewhat stated in the other thread, constantly use both the catalog and Favorites! I use them for totally different purposes...the favorites is basically for my 2nd/3rd tier of commonly used files/folders...And because the screen space I have available for catalog is somewhat limited as I like to see a good portion of tree, having the ability to have additional entries easily available via another method comes in quite handy!
I presently have 8 files as Favorites, and 12 folders as Favorites, and as eurytos said, this also makes them hidden on screen, which is good for these type of entries.
And...as he also wrote, some users may feel a bit intimidated by catalog and are happy with a simpler approach.
Posted: 06 May 2008 19:22
Yes, I agree that removing superfluous features is a good thing, but "Favorite Files" is far away from being superfluous.admin wrote:And I love to remove features that are superfluous!
For me it's an essential feature, so my answer to your question is NO.
Posted: 06 May 2008 20:14
Okay, I keep it. It does not take screen space, nor any notable memory. No big deal. Thanks for your votes.
Posted: 06 May 2008 23:19
wow, that was resolved very quickly with a few votes.admin wrote:Okay, I keep it. It does not take screen space, nor any notable memory. No big deal. Thanks for your votes.
From my point of view, a pity to keep a redundant function without a solid reason, but hey, it's democracy.
Very nice from you to consult the users, though.
Posted: 07 May 2008 00:04
Hey, now the the votes are closed let me add mine : drop it! 
Of course I don't personally use it, so I don't really care more than that I guess, but to be honest I don't see the use for it now, since Fav. Files is nothing but a list of places (usually files) to go to.
IOW one could just put them on its menu User, under Go To, and it would work the same. Or, you could simply create a Script File that would popup the menu and one click would get you to that file, just as it does now.
Even better than today : you could have as many "categories"/menus of Fav Files as you want, should you need more than one.
To be perfectly honest, though, I can see an appeal to it for now : the easy switch, the Toggle command.
But let's be honest, once scripting 2.0 is here with, I beleive, both a read and a write command, it will be easy enough for one to create it's own script file that will be exactly the same, including a Toggle menu, maintaining the data file(s) for your favorites very quickly.
This will not only mark, to me, the end of the need for Fav Files, but let's consider this : with scripting 2.0 one can have its own favorites (files, folders, URLs, VF, NS, anything supported by the GoTo feature/command goes) in menus, and those menus will be nothing but a few text files (at least two, one data & one script). Then it's very easy to share them with friends, collegues, etc
It's not the same as sharing actual Favorites (who also have a connection to XY's Tree) or (categories from) the Catalog, but it's a step closer anyway.
And this brings us actually to the second and only remaining advantage of Fav Files, really : there's easy to import as new category on one's Catalog. now if there was a way, through script, to create category and item on the Catalog, I'd think it'd be just perfect.
To sum up, I think once scripting 2.0 will be there, the Fav Files are probably better being removed. But that's only my opinion, of course.
Also, I'm very excited about everything that's hiding behind those letters (and numbers) : scripting 2.0
Of course I don't personally use it, so I don't really care more than that I guess, but to be honest I don't see the use for it now, since Fav. Files is nothing but a list of places (usually files) to go to.
IOW one could just put them on its menu User, under Go To, and it would work the same. Or, you could simply create a Script File that would popup the menu and one click would get you to that file, just as it does now.
Even better than today : you could have as many "categories"/menus of Fav Files as you want, should you need more than one.
To be perfectly honest, though, I can see an appeal to it for now : the easy switch, the Toggle command.
But let's be honest, once scripting 2.0 is here with, I beleive, both a read and a write command, it will be easy enough for one to create it's own script file that will be exactly the same, including a Toggle menu, maintaining the data file(s) for your favorites very quickly.
This will not only mark, to me, the end of the need for Fav Files, but let's consider this : with scripting 2.0 one can have its own favorites (files, folders, URLs, VF, NS, anything supported by the GoTo feature/command goes) in menus, and those menus will be nothing but a few text files (at least two, one data & one script). Then it's very easy to share them with friends, collegues, etc
It's not the same as sharing actual Favorites (who also have a connection to XY's Tree) or (categories from) the Catalog, but it's a step closer anyway.
And this brings us actually to the second and only remaining advantage of Fav Files, really : there's easy to import as new category on one's Catalog. now if there was a way, through script, to create category and item on the Catalog, I'd think it'd be just perfect.
To sum up, I think once scripting 2.0 will be there, the Fav Files are probably better being removed. But that's only my opinion, of course.
Also, I'm very excited about everything that's hiding behind those letters (and numbers) : scripting 2.0
Posted: 07 May 2008 00:49
From my usage, it's not a redundancy but a slightly different way (and result) to accomplish a similar task...when we got the Catalog, I didn't abandon the Favorites which had been my only option before, but changed how I used it so that it became my auxilliary 'catalog' instead.Walrez wrote:From my point of view, a pity to keep a redundant function without a solid reason, but hey, it's democracy.
And yes, Don does survey his users at times, and I think he might also possibly weigh the votes a bit based on their forum history...so that someone new here wouldn't override the forum regulars, for example.
Posted: 07 May 2008 01:46
I understand your point... I'm almost a new user. It's just that when I try a product I'm interested in, these kind of details *do* weigh.j_c_hallgren wrote:Walrez wrote: And yes, Don does survey his users at times, and I think he might also possibly weigh the votes a bit based on their forum history...so that someone new here wouldn't override the forum regulars, for example.
For an older user who used it for a long time, removing it may be frustrating. But for a new (potential) user like myself, it's legacy code, doesn't really provide me anything I can't do with the other method (which I prefer). Try to think as a person that never used the program before. I can't think of a reason to use favorites when the catalog is out there.
But from what I see, the author seems like a fair guy. I don't think he will disappoint use loyal old users
Cheers,
Walter
Posted: 07 May 2008 08:23
No, I think a "multi-way" approach can be a good thing, just like redundancy is not bad per se. Multi-way: have various ways to the same destination, ways that differ in complexity, power, speed, feel...jacky wrote:To sum up, I think once scripting 2.0 will be there, the Fav Files are probably better being removed. But that's only my opinion, of course.
UDC, while more powerful, has a price: it's more difficult.
Scripting, while more powerful, has a price: it's much more difficult.
Catalog, while more powerful, has a price: it takes screen space.
Fav Files is a maximally easy way to achieve a specific, natural and easy-to-understand goal.
However, I just saw: Fav Files is completely covered by Fav Folders! You can have a file in Fav Folders and the functionality is 100% identical to having it in Fav Files.So I could drop Fav Files and do these things:
- call "Favorite Folders" simply "Favorites" (also better because favorites can do so much more than just goto folders...!)
- when List has focus, Ctrl+B will add the sel+foc file to the Favorites (currently it adds the current folder)
But then the top menu is called "Favorites" already...
... so rename "Favorite Folders" to "Locations"? Hmmm, makes only sense to users that know what "Locations" can be in XYplorer (namely a lot of things...). Maybe "Bookmarks"? Hmmm?
Posted: 07 May 2008 09:32
That's very true. Imho and only imho, though, that should be a different way to access the same database. Meaning, if I don't want to see the catalog, I could still access it through a menu. That would be very useful. I would even call the menu "Catalog".admin wrote:No, I think a "multi-way" approach can be a good thing, just like redundancy is not bad per se. Multi-way: have various ways to the same destination, ways that differ in complexity, power, speed, feel...
You could show the favorites on the first level, as an internet browser, and the specific additional options separated by a line.admin wrote:
So I could drop Fav Files and do these things:
- call "Favorite Folders" simply "Favorites" (also better because favorites can do so much more than just goto folders...!)
- when List has focus, Ctrl+B will add the sel+foc file to the Favorites (currently it adds the current folder)
But then the top menu is called "Favorites" already...
Hmmm?
See Firefox, for example: At the top of the bookmarks menu, you have "Bookmark this page", "Subscribe to this page", "Bookmark all tabs" and some other options.
After that, you have a separator, and only then the bookmarks themselves.
That would make it only natural for new users.
Those are just suggestions. Unifying favorites would be a good step by itself.
Walter
PS: What is scripting 2? Just to let you know, scripting is what made me approach xyplorer.
Posted: 07 May 2008 09:53
That would not work because the Catalog can be of unlimited size. I see your point in having "the same database" -- it feels cleaner -- but in this case it's okay to have 2 databases. And they are infact stored in 2 different files! Later we will get a way to load a different catalog just like we can now load a different INI file (and with it: different favorites).Walrez wrote:That's very true. Imho and only imho, though, that should be a different way to access the same database. Meaning, if I don't want to see the catalog, I could still access it through a menu. That would be very useful. I would even call the menu "Catalog".admin wrote:No, I think a "multi-way" approach can be a good thing, just like redundancy is not bad per se. Multi-way: have various ways to the same destination, ways that differ in complexity, power, speed, feel...
Yes, I also thought about showing them at the first level. There's a little space problem (on smaller screens) there because of the other entries in the menu. I might move some of them down to a submenu called "Mark" just as I already did in the Tree context menu -- that would bring more consistency here as well.Walrez wrote:You could show the favorites on the first level, as an internet browser, and the specific additional options separated by a line.admin wrote:
So I could drop Fav Files and do these things:
- call "Favorite Folders" simply "Favorites" (also better because favorites can do so much more than just goto folders...!)
- when List has focus, Ctrl+B will add the sel+foc file to the Favorites (currently it adds the current folder)
But then the top menu is called "Favorites" already...
Hmmm?
See Firefox, for example: At the top of the bookmarks menu, you have "Bookmark this page", "Subscribe to this page", "Bookmark all tabs" and some other options.
After that, you have a separator, and only then the bookmarks themselves.
That would make it only natural for new users.
Those are just suggestions. Unifying favorites would be a good step by itself.
Walter
PS: What is scripting 2? Just to let you know, scripting is what made me approach xyplorer.
New menu Favorites:
Code: Select all
----------------------------------
Toggle Favorite Item
-
Mark >
Toggle Highlight
Set Highlight Color
-
Toggle Boxed Branch
Set Box Color
-
[Favorites list]
----------------------------------Posted: 07 May 2008 10:01
Scripting 2 will add file i/o commands, global variables, and (if I manage to do it...) conditions (If then else) and loops.Walrez wrote:PS: What is scripting 2? Just to let you know, scripting is what made me approach xyplorer.