Visual Improvements to Mediamonkey

[DaledeSilva]

Hello, here is an image depicting how mediamonkey looks and should look (with a particular skin).


the top image is how it looks currently.
- note the useless dotted selection outline around the cell that says "Dear Heart" (top middle)
- notice how tracks are shown as selected individually even when in a fully selected album
- notice how selection colours only go as far as the text data in the row

the bottom image is my modification to how I think it should look
- no dotted cel selection (it serves no purpose)
- when a whole album is selected, the selection colour involves all tracks (so the single tracks aren't shown as selected)
- selection colours now spread all the way across the window horizontally (both in the tracklist and the tree on the left)
(the icon disappearing in the tree is just my mistake)

Dale.

[Mizery_Made]

I disagree with points #1 & #3, and am indifferent about #2. Also, the "selection indicator" on that single cell isn't useless, as it indicates what cell you will edit if you hit F2.

[DaledeSilva]

good point about hitting F2.. hadn't considered that as I never do it.
So that's a reason for disagree with point 1 - though I think it should be skinnable (is it?)

I'm curious why you disagree with 3 though.

[nohitter151]

good point about hitting F2.. hadn't considered that as I never do it.
So that's a reason for disagree with point 1 - though I think it should be skinnable (is it?)

I'm curious why you disagree with 3 though.

It isn't skinnable.

[Mizery_Made]

I disagree with #3 mainly because it just doesn't look right to me (especially in the tree). Though more specifically, in the main window, the rows end at BPM in the example, there's nothing to select further to the right. Also, Windows Explorer (in Vista at least), it functions in a similar manor to how MediaMonkey works in regards to this. Not saying that just because Microsoft does it, Ventis has to, but it just makes sense to me for it to work in this manner.

[Eyal]

2. - notice how tracks are shown as selected individually even when in a fully selected album

This is not true. You can tell if it's a fully selected album if the selection backround color extendeds to Album Art and Artist/Album.

[DaledeSilva]

2. - notice how tracks are shown as selected individually even when in a fully selected album

This is not true. You can tell if it's a fully selected album if the selection backround color extendeds to Album Art and Artist/Album.

I'm not saying you can't "tell" it's a selected album...
I'm simply saying that the album selection is enough to tell - the track selections shouldn't show unless not all of the album is selected.

[Eyal]

the track selections shouldn't show unless not all of the album is selected.

Ah OK. Could be. But with the skin you present, it's actually impossible to do because of the gradient background color.
Each track line would need to have a different selection color to match the background:

[DaledeSilva]

yes.. I understand that.. that's why I'm making this post.. because I think it looks visually cleaner and I think the devs should make it work that way (I understand the skinners can't).

I think the most versatile option would be to have a different object in the skin to do a track line for "displaying over a selected album" verses a normal trackline.

this means both would remain possible and some skinners could set the one over an album as transparent.

thanks,
Dale.

[Mizery_Made]

On further thought, I can't really see a need for #2 either. I think it would look odd if the selection of a single track and a full album looked different. I'm not talking about how the Album Details area is highlighted when you select a whole album, but how the Track Rows would look different. It would look a little tacky in my opinion.

[DaledeSilva]

I can understand that some skins could not look right, that's why I suggested the solution above to enabled both options according to the skinner.

but do you actually think my version above looks tacky? - I think it looks neater and cleaner - and easier to interpret.

[Mizery_Made]

In all honesty, I do. The fact that the single track selections above have a rounded look and different color, then not far from it you have an entire album selected and the tracks appear flat and a different color just doesn't really look right to me.

[Dreadlau]

good point about hitting F2.. hadn't considered that as I never do it.
So that's a reason for disagree with point 1 - though I think it should be skinnable (is it?)

I'm curious why you disagree with 3 though.

It isn't skinnable.

I wish the dotted selection rectangle could be skinnable.

[DaledeSilva]

me too!

[Dreadlau]

me too!

I just posted in the skinning functionality wishlist.
So that Nohitter can put it there if he wants.