New Compact Player Layout

[Alexis]

A few suggestions:

1. Please add a right-click menu item of "Paste Artist Picture" that will overwrite the corresponding dat file in ArtistCache folder with a copied picture. This will also help to address not-properly-clipped pictures by manually replacing it.

2. Ability to move artwork to the right side by dragging it, just as another (right-aligned) layout option.

3. Option to choose the blending color either from artist picture or from artwork (as with Bee-liever's wish).

I like 1 and 3. but I am nut sure I understand option 2 (I know they are not directed to me, but just curious), is it a function we can do in other forms of musicbee already?)

for #3.  I also like Bee-liever's suggestion, but as Redwing suggested, would also like the other option.
for #1  I agree as I still would not want this to become a second theatermode in a sense... because as Redwing has demonstrated, we can achieve some of these things in a theatermode window.

The way I see theatermode, is that it is not something where you are expected to do much (unless customized to do so) but instead,  a display of sorts for entertainment/appearances value.

Compact player I feel is a more active window that  you would use in place of the regular player window for the sake of size and I guess convenience... well, same thing as the classic compact player, though  some degree of reduced function is expected to accommodate what we are striving for.  So.... a click-able interface similar to the current compact player, but just more eye candy. 

Again, I realize that the same functionality cannot be expected, but hoping to maintain some degree of it.

I hope I made some sort of sense there.

[ma_t14]

Additionally it would be nice to see an "on-top" option

[Alexis]

Additionally it would be nice to see an "on-top" option

If you rightclick on the menu (Musicbee Icon), there is an always ontop option. is that what you mean?

[ma_t14]

Additionally it would be nice to see an "on-top" option

If you rightclick on the menu (Musicbee Icon), there is an always ontop option. is that what you mean?

Yes, thanks

[Alexis]

hmm, it is there for left-click too... did not even realize that.

[redwing]

I like 1 and 3. but I am nut sure I understand option 2 (I know they are not directed to me, but just curious), is it a function we can do in other forms of musicbee already?)

That's indeed an interesting point. I just checked MB to see what can be moved with drag & drop. Except playlists and tracks, the only element working that way seems to be tabs only.

Interestingly, lots of layout functionality is built upon double-click such as all the panels on the right sidebar and main-to-mini player transition, whereas there's almost no support for moving elements with drag-and-drop. If that's supported, it would be much easier to customize right-sidebar layout (e.g. place of wave bar and sound graph) and could get rid of lots of options in settings pane. Just like Windows taskbar, why not drag main player to the top and bottom?

Hopefully this wish could serve, if implemented, as a starting point for such functionality.
  

The way I see theatermode, is that it is not something where you are expected to do much (unless customized to do so) but instead,  a display of sorts for entertainment/appearances value.

Compact player I feel is a more active window that  you would use in place of the regular player window for the sake of size and I guess convenience... well, same thing as the classic compact player, though  some degree of reduced function is expected to accommodate what we are striving for.  So.... a click-able interface similar to the current compact player, but just more eye candy.  

Yes, I agree that TM can't be a match, functionality-wise, for the default compact player. I guess they serve different needs.

[Alexis]

About that volume control, here are my suggestions:
- Drop the arrow
- Make the icon reflect the volume level
- Show the volume slider on mouse over

+1 all three. 
Personally, I especially like the idea, if possible, to have the icon reflect the volume level, because I reference my volume level often at a glance (Or just have the option to keep the volume level bar)   ...  however, i realize that we cannot all have what we want... a compromising mindset is in order.
I am struggling  to use the current drop-down arrow for volume, but I figure I would get accustomed to it.

"- Show the volume slider on mouse over.". as lnminente said... YouTube is the reference.

[Alexis]

maybe my final nag .. 

I suppose that the player bar does not necessarily have to be thinner if the top bar is removed.  I realize I have been suggesting that the playerbar be thinner.. but I think it was in an effort to have less bar distraction.. but after messing around.. it seems with the top bar gone.. the playerbar is not as bad.  It would just appear more like a base/anchor.

Of course  the necessary close/minimize/max and menu button would be there on hover or outright.

[Steven]

this has the following changes:
- visiualiser colours should be stronger for dim colours and also a better colour match
- artist pictures no longer have any distortion applied to help with fitting into the available space
- if >20% clipping is required and there is space available vertically the artist picture will fill the entire window and the track info written over the picture

http://musicbee.niblseed.com/V2_1/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip

[Alexis]

Nice compromise Steven.  Like the blurring and how it compensates.

One thing i actually just realized is that the area that has the track information is as tall as it needs to be to accommodate the information we choose to display.  That makes sense. 
However, seeing that this is a minimal (I guess) kind of appearance, it would probably ideal to have the option to select what is displayed there separately from what is selected for track details details under 'nowplaying configuration'.  EG:  you will see I have  the file url in my posted images.. I really would  prefer the option not to have that in compact player.

(It probably can be done already but I do not know how as yet)

So it would be equally nice that if someone only wants to display one line of track information there.. the area resizes to accommodate that decision.

[psychoadept]

Nice!  I'm sure there will still be some that are awkwardly clipped, but look at this:



I think I can live with some of the others looking less than perfect.

[Bee-liever]

like the transparency blending between the artist pic and track info in both normal and full pic. nice work.
still would prefer more colour, but it's not MB's fault that there a lot of arty B&W artist pics out there  

+1 for Alexis's suggestion of being able to change what is displayed in the track info area for the compact player, applied to both 'classic' and 'flat' view

NB maybe 'art' or 'artist' or 'plus' view might be alternatives to 'flat' view

[psychoadept]

2. Ability to move artwork to the right side by dragging it, just as another (right-aligned) layout option.

+1

I think this would eliminate 90% of the remaining awkward artwork problems.  It should be something quick, like dragging as proposed, or maybe a right click menu toggle, since you might want to change it from one track to the next.

[redwing]

With these changes, taking the blending color from artwork now seems no longer making sense.
But still I would like to see my two wishes implemented.

1. Right-click menu item of "Paste Artist Picture" that will overwrite the corresponding dat file in ArtistCache folder with a copied picture:

For classical music artists, no pictures are the norm, not the exception. And even for some pop artists, users may want to see their favorite pictures than the retrieved one. Currently it's not impossible but it's quite a pain to replace it.

2. Ability to move artwork to the right side by dragging it, just as another (right-aligned) layout option:

Implemented changes has no effect on the composition of the retrieved picture. For many pictures, placing artwork left just don't fit and make it look awkward (Just saw scampbll made the same point).

[psychoadept]

Nice compromise Steven.  Like the blurring and how it compensates.

It would probably ideal to have the option to select what is displayed there separately from what is selected for track details details under 'nowplaying configuration'.

Considering that you have to go back into "classic" view right now if you want to make any changes to that displayed info, I agree it would be a good idea to have separate controls for the compact player.