Author Topic: Library explorer should be able to change context from My Computer  (Read 8937 times)

Xyzzy

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Say I navigated in My Computer to some folder. Clicking on Library Explorer then just does nothing to the main panel. This is very disorienting. I would expect main panel to go to Music context and display what has been just clicked in Library Explorer.

Steven

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Its something that has been on the back of my mind and i think its a good suggestion but i would like to get any other opinions before doing that

redwing

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+1
As the name suggests, it's LIBRARY explorer. Hence it should change the contents of the main panel immediately whatever node you were at previously.
Last Edit: November 20, 2012, 07:18:46 AM by redwing

Zak

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There's two things you could look at here.

The first is whether the nodes in the Library Exporer shouldl update to only show items from a node selected in the panel above it. Filters already do this, but playlists or folders could too. I can't think of any scenario where someone wouldn't want it to do this.

The second, as requested by the OP, is that it should be possible to select nodes in the Library Explorer if a playlist or folder is selected in the panel above it. Not being to click on something and select it is unusual, especially when double-clicking the same thing does.
Bee excellent to each other...

Steven

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actually i remember why i didnt do the original suggestion in the first place and a reason against zak's suggestion - the way some people use it is to navigate and add files from the Library Explorer itself to the now playing list (or any playlist).

Xyzzy

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The actions (single click) on twistie icon and on item name can differ (the latter should update content of the main panel, the former can just expand tree node), as it is actually already implemented in Music context. This way it is possible to have the current behaviour in other contexts
as well (btw, there is My Computer context in the thread subject, but I had on mind actually all contexts except Music).

The scoping Zak mentioned can be implemented directly within Library Explorer, in the way I mention in my LE features request: (click here) - allowing for categories based on file metadata.

Zak

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actually i remember why i didnt do the original suggestion in the first place and a reason against zak's suggestion - the way some people use it is to navigate and add files from the Library Explorer itself to the now playing list (or any playlist).
Filtering the Library Explorer nodes based on prior selections wouldn't prevent people doing that - if anything it would make it easier. If people want to see everything in their Library Explorer they would just need to select their unfiltered Library view first.
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redwing

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Looks like there was a prior discussion about this with no subsequent changes (http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=3434.0).
I guess we have three choices here. Say, you clicked a playlist, and then an artist in library explorer. What do you want MB to do?
(1) do nothing (current)
(2) show all tracks of the artist on the main panel
(3) show tracks only in the playlist of the artist on the main panel

I'm for (2) since that's what LIBRARY explorer should do (you don't have to click Music Library again).  

Gary Young

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I'd take (2) as well. I always understood the two panels as two different navigational concepts.

The top panel is static - pretty much like the classical Windows Explorer, meaning that you have folders and sub-folders (or here: nodes and sub-nodes) and when you click on one you see its content shown in the main panel.

The bottom panel (Library Explorer) is dynamic - the shown content depends on the tags you have set. But I'd absolutely expect to see all tracks by the artist XYZ in the main panel when I click on the artist XYZ in the Library Explorer*.

*) I first even expected that I can CTRL-click items in the Library Explorer to show results which contain all selected tags. But that's another story :)

Zak

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I was all ready to barrack for number 3, because I thought MB already applied filters cumulatively from top to bottom and it would have been a logical extension of that behaviour. But it doesn't - selecting a playlist or computer folder does not also apply a previously selected filter. So then I got confused for a while.

Then I figured another way to look at it is to decide what the role of the Library Explorer is. Is it just an alternative view of the Track Browser (which lends itself to option 3), or is it considered equivalent to filtering by playlist or computer node (which suggests option 2)?

Given its location on the left-hand side, I'm now inclined to recommend option 2. It would also require that selecting a Library Explorer node deselects any previously selected playlist or computer node to make it clear filtering isn't cumulative.

Pretend it didn't have a big dividing header and conceptualise it like this - the suggested behaviour becomes obvious.

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Xyzzy

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redwing

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Maybe LE should be functionally identical to track browser?

That's a possible option, of course. But there is no reason library explorer and track browser should be functionally identical IMO. With small differences between them users can have more choices. They can filter a playlist further with track browser, or take a leap to the main library with library explorer.

Xyzzy

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Maybe LE should be functionally identical to track browser?

That's a possible option, of course. But there is no reason library explorer and track browser should be functionally identical IMO. With small differences between them users can have more choices. They can filter a playlist further with track browser, or take a leap to the main library with library explorer.

The problem is LE does NOT jump to Music when in Playlist/whenever, and it is significantly inferior to track browser regarding capabilites. On the other hand I find LE structure much easier to navigate and more clear.

redwing

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Maybe LE should be functionally identical to track browser?

That's a possible option, of course. But there is no reason library explorer and track browser should be functionally identical IMO. With small differences between them users can have more choices. They can filter a playlist further with track browser, or take a leap to the main library with library explorer.

The problem is LE does NOT jump to Music when in Playlist/whenever, and it is significantly inferior to track browser regarding capabilites. On the other hand I find LE structure much easier to navigate and more clear.

I know. I said those under an assumption that it's already implemented. I'm sure Steven will take a look at what's been discussed on this matter.

Gary Young

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It's a really tricky situation, I think. Every discussed possible appearance of the LE has its pros and cons and makes sense in its own way.

When the "Music" node is selected the LE is available for further filtering. It's not available when one of the other nodes is selected (Bookmarks, Podcasts, Audiobooks etc.). To make it consistent in this regard the LE should also be available when selecting one of these nodes.

So that would tend to (3).

On the other hand, when I see the LE independent from whatever is selected in the panel above, I'd expect it to display the results from ALL nodes and not only from the Music node. And, like Zak mentioned, "It would also require that selecting a Library Explorer node deselects any previously selected playlist or computer node to make it clear filtering isn't cumulative."

That tends to (2).


As I understand the Library Explorer more as a "Tag Explorer" I'd still tend to (2).

I don't know which capabilities might be hidden inside the LE, waiting to be set free - from the developers point of view. To make it a navigational element which got its own unique feature-set that you can't achieve using the nodes-panel or the track browser...
Last Edit: November 21, 2012, 07:54:50 AM by Gary Young