Author Topic: Proposed (optional) changes for simplified layout  (Read 113556 times)

Steven

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I would also like some comments from people using dark skins and see if you agree with me it looks better without the "UseModernLayout" setting when tabs are in the main panel.

Not quite sure what you mean by this, but I'd very much like to see the new layout in dark skins as well. I really like the tabs all the way across the screen. I feel it would work fine. Has anyone got a modified dark skin kicking around for me to try it out with?
unless you edited the dark skins to set "UseModernLayout" you wont be able to see what i mean. The current default behavior skins without this setting is to show the tabs where the location bar was in the main panel. In my opinion this looks good with the dark skins. But with the new setting enabled,
this shows what i mean - with "UseModernLayout" first and then without



Pingaware

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In that dark skin, I think either layout works fine. However, I most frequently use Honeycomb, old as it is, and in that skin I think it would look much better with the New Layout as the left navigator panel headers (e.g. Library - MusicBee) have a gradient behind them, matching the gradient of the column headers in the main panel (see pic). If these were aligned, it would definitely be an aesthetic improvement.


Realised I never commented on the status bar change. I'm kind of ambivalent - I don't think it's necessarily a big improvement, but I also don't think it's a bad change. However, I do like having the queued duration down in the bottom left - it'll take me a little while to get used to, but I think it makes more sense there.
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Steven

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http://www.mediafire.com/download/w37hzh4o95mlptj/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip

- fixes a few more bugs
- for older skins, it now extends the tabs into the left panel for the horizontal layout in the main panel
- new panel layout option to not show the tabs bar. This will be the default for new users

ma_t14

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When using the default skin, what is the difference between using the classic and modern layouts?

Bee-liever

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a suggestion for the new horizontal tabs layout:

1) background/border line under tabs


2) make tabs into floating, joined buttons (preferred option)




Steven, would you please also consider restoring the border attribute to the menu caption bar button element.  On some skins, where the bg matches the skinned border colour, the loss of the border doesn't look that good.
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psychoadept

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Putting the toolbar buttons behind another button is just about a deal-breaker for me.  The biggest benefit this layout offers me is the ability to put tabs in the caption bar and get a little more vertical space, but it's not worth it if I don't have direct access to the buttons.

...wait, is this not an optional layout anymore?  I switched back to a regular skin and nothing changed.
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Steven

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http://www.mediafire.com/download/w37hzh4o95mlptj/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip

- i have added a "group toolbar buttons when docked in the caption bar" option in the toolbar configuration dialog, enabled by default
- added back support for a border element on the menu button

I know it's probably not exactly related to this topic, but could you adjust the column browser header so it has the same height as the thumbnail browser, Steven? I always thought the gap above the characters is way too small.
Edit: Also something related, the option to choose how many columns to be displayed for the column browser is missing in the Configure Layout button.
its not possible to change the column header heights as thats controled by windows. The layout options are in the Preferences/ Layout(1) & (2) dialog

KissCool

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IMHO,

<element id="UseModernLayout">false</element> should apply to "tabs bar: horizontal", not only "tabs bar: Horizontal (Caption Bar)". This way, this new layout would be really optional.

<element id="UseModernLayout">true</element> should extend the tabs/tool bar in the right panel too, not only the left panel:
     - since tabs bar and toolbar are merged in the new layout and when using a lot of tabs and toolbar buttons, the extra space on the ride side would be welcome. Having a lot of "..." at the end of each tab is not really wanted.
     - Expanding / hidding the right panel should not modify the size of the tabs and move the position of the toolbar buttons/search box. It's quiete disturbing.

<element id="AllowStatusBarInPanel">true</element> should work with player controls on top too.
     - Whatever the position of the player controls, the status bar doesn't need this extra space but the left/right panel does.
     - And skinning wise, the left /right panel and the central panel could have a different color: atm, you have to choose the color of the central panel or the color of the left/right panel for the status bar.

<element id="ClassicNewTabButton">true</element> doesn't work anymore. Is it intended? I really don't like this "+" button. With this setting, I can hide or skin it and I'd really like the comeback of this setting: for me, a button like this is mandotory in a web browser, but useless in MusicBee because I don't use it every day: A right click, then a "add new tab" option in the drop down menu would be enough. But I guess some ppl use it a lot, that why I'd like the comeback of this setting.


If you want more vertical space, what about having an hide option for the header in album & tracks / tracks view like we have for artwork view?
With few columns displayed, you don't need this header to be always apparent since the content of those columns is obvious, while with a lot of columns displayed, it's better to have it always apparent (but I think that adding a horizontal scrollbar would be great: resizing a column or mouse over to see the tooltip isn't really friendly user).
If you don't want to implement this option, would you consider to add a gap setting between this new tabs/tool bar and the rest of the panel, plz? Some skins would take advange of more space between those two elements. IMO, there's not enough space between the tabs bar and the header bar of the central panel.

Bee-liever

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- added back support for a border element on the menu button

thank you for doing this
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ma_t14

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Okay, I'm going to ask again. What is the difference between the modern and the classic layouts? Because they seem identical to me. Is the new layout no longer optional?
Last Edit: July 08, 2014, 04:25:45 PM by ma_t14

phred

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Perhaps it's skin-dependent.  I'm using a self-modified version of AeroBee.  The two main differences I see are in the PLAY/FORWARD/BACK buttons, along with the ability to use the Wave Bar in the modern layout.
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Steven

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keep in mind this has been an iterative processs so what i was thinking when this topic started has moved on and there has been a lot of strong opinions expressed so i guess not everyone is going to happy.
The changes wont be optional, other than i might leave the skin creators with the flag to to implement the new layout with tabs in the caption bar - the reason that might be optional is so older skins, which wont have implemented the new colour elements, still look ok. But i am going to spend some time checking them before I finally decide on that. I will leave in the skin override to control the status bar layout when the player is docked down the bottom as i agree with some of the comments made with that.
So in summary the changes are:
- the tabs bar is optionally displayed - when not displayed the layout looks pretty much as now other than some minor formatting changes to the location bar and that the location bar can no longer be edited. This is the default for new users and i expect for the bulk of people they wont even bother with tabs.
- when the tabs bar is displayed horizontally it now extends into the left panel. I would still like some feedback from users of dark skins where the tabs are not outlined whether they think it works well
- when the tabs bar is displayed in the caption bar, the search box and toolbar buttons are also displayed in the caption bar to create some extra vertical space. The toolbar buttons can be optionally (by default enabled) grouped under one button. With the latest version this behavior is controlled by the skin creator but as mentioned that might be no longer optional
- for the status bar, the panel flip buttons are gone. You can still create toolbar buttons to do the same action
- the now playing duration now displays in the status bar
- there is a skin setting to control the layout of the status bar when the player is docked down the bottom
Last Edit: July 08, 2014, 06:06:14 PM by Steven

holuschi

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I have 2.4.5301 with a Dark Fine-tuned skin. I like the smaller header, looks good. But I miss the cross sign to close the left and the right sidebar when they are open and the arrows signs to open them manually when closed.

phred

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- when the tabs bar is displayed horizontally it now extends into the left panel. I would still like some feedback from users of dark skins where the tabs are not outlined whether they think it works well
I find that extending the tab bar into the left panel somewhat disorienting.  This could be because I'm not used to it yet.  But I find myself looking directly above the center panel to see my tabs.  Truth be told, I don't use tabs all that often so this won't bother me too much, but since you're looking to make a major change to the layout, I thought I should bring it up.
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Steven

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http://musicbee.niblseed.com/V2_4/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip

-  new horizontal tab dock choices: Horizontal (Left+Main Panel) and Horizontal (Main Panel)
- a few bug fixes
- new MusicBee Default skin based off SteelAndBee (by colagen) and Smooth Grey (by rotemK) with various tweaks and new skin elements

also i will not enforce the new layout when tabs are docked in the caption bar as it doesnt work well with various older skins, so the new layout for tabs in the caption bar will only work with skins that implement the new elements