Author Topic: Win10 Style [Concepts] [Discussion]  (Read 221444 times)

Bee-liever

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just a little something for consideration in 3.0

Quite a few skinners put extra effort into the splash screen for their skins, only seen for a few seconds on start up.  And that's if the option hasn't been turned off.

Maybe the details on the 'about' screen could be overlaid on the splash screen image, à la compact player.


(iasc's 'Ocean Deep' skin)
MusicBee and my library - Making bee-utiful music together

Xyzzy

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Re positioning panels - what about something along Visual Studio docking system: http://blogs.msdn.com/blogfiles/visualstudio/WindowsLiveWriter/WPFinVisualStudio.Part5WindowManagement_CAB0/DockAdornments_thumb.png - you just drag panels and see how they would fit. Makes all positioning options unneeded.


ankor

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Hope this isn't redundant...

From a pseudo high design level, the app window I see as 4 sections-top (caption & tabs bars & toolbar), right (now playing & curr track info & player controls), bottom (player controls option) and then the rest of the window (left/main panel).

I like the right-now playing-curr track panel showing whatever is related to what is currently playing and the Now Playing list.  It's all relevant and related to one another.  Something NEW...the option to display artist photos with or instead of artwork for the playing track in the right panel.  (I'm not big on album covers but at times prefer a changing artist picture--for variety--like Playing Track tab.)  I also like player controls in the right panel (still related to the rest of right panel) and to free up more real estate.

I like the option to still be able to display tabs and toolbar in caption bar in order to "better" use real estate but it certainly makes sense that the default should be separate lines especially for a cleaner look and for new users.

Now...the rest of the window (left/main panel). The left navigator is really all about what to control on the main panel which is the tab page.  Library, filters, playlists, library explorer, column browser--they are all about controlling the main panel (i.e. tab page). So what if the left panel actually was located on the left side of the tab page and only those applicable pieces were shown?  For example, if the Auto DJ panel was shown, do you need to see column browser or library explorer, etc.--unless you wanted to change the tab to show something completely different.

If navigation wasn't always going to be in a separate LEFT panel regardless and separate of the current tab, it could then be controlled and displayed/hidden per tab.

I use library/filters, playlists and column browser A LOT...library explorer, not so much. Perhaps I want certain pieces to be seen on certain tabs but not necessarily the same things on every tab. Maybe I could click something to see filters when I want for a tab but I want column browser to be constantly visible (for the tab).

Status bars...right panel would have its own status bar with option to toggle on/off. Same for each tab (i.e. main panel). So the window as a whole doesn't need a status bar (I think); Status bars would be tied/parented to either a panel or tab.

find-the-pig

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Re positioning panels - what about something along Visual Studio docking system: http://blogs.msdn.com/blogfiles/visualstudio/WindowsLiveWriter/WPFinVisualStudio.Part5WindowManagement_CAB0/DockAdornments_thumb.png - you just drag panels and see how they would fit. Makes all positioning options unneeded.


+1000 :D

I guess this would be the best solution :)
greetz find-the-pig

WannaBee

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1. Seeing that the Tab Bar may offer some challenges- some of which have already been discussed here, such as the truncation of long titles, an overflowing number of tabs, colors- why not pursue something like a Tab Manager to take a care of them- and other user tab-variables? See 3.

2. Generally speaking, I think the focus should be om simplicity of Form, not necessarily Function.

3. I also think that the closer one remains to the form (and some function?) of the one application everybody so constantly and consistently uses, the better for all- and for obvious reasons: The Internet Browser.
 

gpzbc

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Now...the rest of the window (left/main panel). The left navigator is really all about what to control on the main panel which is the tab page.  Library, filters, playlists, library explorer, column browser--they are all about controlling the main panel (i.e. tab page). So what if the left panel actually was located on the left side of the tab page and only those applicable pieces were shown?  For example, if the Auto DJ panel was shown, do you need to see column browser or library explorer, etc.--unless you wanted to change the tab to show something completely different.

If navigation wasn't always going to be in a separate LEFT panel regardless and separate of the current tab, it could then be controlled and displayed/hidden per tab.

I like this idea.  I see this as being similar to how we all use web browsers.  In Chrome, when you open a new tab, you get the the options for what you want to display in that new tab.  In MB, opening a new tab would give you the option to display what you want in that tab.  The familiarity that people have with this concept would go a long ways towards it being user-friendly.

small2cats482

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The design looks absolutely gorgeous, I'd definitely be hard pressed not to use any theme on it because it's so slick.
Please make sure that it scales properly across all resolutions and sizes. And also the settings menu is kind of a mess right now, it's hard to find settings and it's just a real pain to go through. Proper organization and maybe adding a search function would go a long way. And in the aesthetic settings, it'd be great if there is a preview available of how the player will look when the settings are applied, but I am no developer and don't know if it's feasible to implement it or not.
But great work with the visuals, really looking forward to it!

Ansem

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the concept in the first page is definitively the best!
btw the other one in third page is still very cool :D
please, don't make the tabs untouched, they are really horrible!
also a default dark skins for me is always the best, they are a lot more comfortable for my eyes :)

Xyzzy

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Please consider (a variation on) the following look for the main panel when Artists thumbnails are displayed:


(This is Photoshop Elements Organizer 13)

I hand pick my images for artists and I think exactly 0 of them are square :/ Such display would give full view of Artists thumbnails with the least wasted space/truncated or stretched images etc.

redwing

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Are you planning to re-design preferences as well? Here are some wishes about it.

- Search box (lots of the same requests have been made)
- Make ALL commands available for hotkeys (why do users have to ask this or that command to be included for hotkeys?)
- Do not limit the number of options due to the settings pane limitation (e.g. virtual tags, external tools commands, sorting sets, etc.)

ashash

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Came here from the MB 2.5 incremental update post
Looks nice, but if I were to prefer bee78 after trying this out I can keep my old layout right?
Otherwise it should be available.

Thank you everyone involved in this project. I love music and I love MB! :)

redwing

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Looks nice, but if I were to prefer bee78 after trying this out I can keep my old layout right?
Otherwise it should be available.

I think the pictures on the first post are more of how DarkRed skin would look from v3.0. Other skins will continue to be available, but with a new look, as long as they keep maintained by skinners.

mxmax

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never seen anything more beautiful than this this makes MusicBee even more beautiful than it currently is  :D


epizeuxis

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Will this view be retained?
Last Edit: March 07, 2015, 01:56:08 PM by epizeuxis