Drop-Down Column Browser

[Joshua]

Hello

If MusicBee isn't cool enough, this would be the Bee's Knees.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1058x488q90/834/wkr7.jpg

Double-clicking any column could drop all down at once. A single click could open the column you selected. Clicking the columns or moving you're cursor off the expanded columns could close them/it.

Thank You.

[ma_t14]

Why not just use the available column/thumbnail browsers? I feel like implementing something like this would be unnecessary as it does not serve any purpose better than what is already available.

[psychoadept]

I like the idea of a column browser that you can open and close easily, but not sure about this particular implementation.

[Joshua]

Why not just use the available column/thumbnail browsers? I feel like implementing something like this would be unnecessary as it does not serve any purpose better than what is already available.

Yes it does. It's space effective and looks awesome.

[ma_t14]

Why not just use the available column/thumbnail browsers? I feel like implementing something like this would be unnecessary as it does not serve any purpose better than what is already available.

Yes it does. It's space effective and looks awesome.

Yes, it is space effective. I almost forgot that not everyone has a big widescreen monitor these days 

I like the idea of a column browser that you can open and close easily, but not sure about this particular implementation.

What if there was an additional button you could click on each of the sorting column headers that would open the mentioned dialog. This way it would appear really elegant and would not take any additional space.

[psychoadept]

What if there was an additional button you could click on each of the sorting column headers that would open the mentioned dialog. This way it would appear really elegant and would not take any additional space.

Something like that would be awesome, yeah.  I was thinking of how it works in Excel tables, so that would fit.

[Joshua]

Widescreen or not, space is space. A button is unnecessary, just visual clutter.

[ma_t14]

Widescreen or not, space is space. A button is unnecessary, just visual clutter.

I doubt you understand what I am proposing. The "button" would appear inside the column name so it would not take additional space. You can't just change the current behaviour of columns, clicking a column changes the sorting (ascending/descending) and that is something any new user would expect to happen hence my suggestion for an additional button inside the column.

[Joshua]

I said "visual clutter".

[ma_t14]

I updated my answer.

[Joshua]

The option for sort by - ascend/descend can be made a left click option. It's a smarter compensation because you aren't always changing you're sorting, but you are always filtering.

[ma_t14]

The option for sort by - ascend/descend can be made a left click option. It's a smarter compensation because you aren't always changing you're sorting, but you are always filtering.

You mean right-click? That might be true but still it would not be standard behaviour which is an important usability aspect of any software.

[Joshua]

Apologies, I did mean right-click. And no, I think it's good to be innovative.

[Bee-liever]

+1 for the idea

I think it would be an improvement on the column browser (in horizontal layout), as really, once you've made your selection/s from there, you don't need to see the list anymore.

The implementation could be a cross between the menu (in caption bar button form) and the thumbnail browser header.
Click to open with 'hover' sorting icon that you right-click to use.
It could even be done that once you click to open one, moving the mouse over the header-bar would drop down each list.

ADDED:
Could even be implemented vertically with the header similar to the vertical tabs arrangement.

[psychoadept]

On further thought, I think it would be a great idea for this to replace the column selection menu as the right-click effect in the header bar.  The columns menu is still accessible through the usual button.  I don't think that it needs the whole header, too.