2211 - View menu

[Barry4679]

[*]The additions to, and the reorganisation of, the View menu is a good improvement.

Some thoughts:

#1 Removal of the Preview, Playing, and the Player menu items

If I close the Preview or Playing panels with their little 'x's, it is not obvious how to turn them on again. ... ie. why would I think to go to View|Layout, when all the other panels are 1st level citizens in the new View menu?

? maybe the menu item could be called "Panel Contents..." instead of "Layout,.." ?

The toggling of the Player panel is of lessor concern, but the menu item would be clearer if it said "Bottom panel (Player)" ... or Top Panel (Player) if the user had rearranged.

#2 Tools|Options|Library options

Tools|Options|Library has two similar sounding options; Layout and Appearance.

Layout could be made clearer by renaming, as discussed above. But why is it is the "Library" section? ... It should be either be in General, or be a top level option IMO.

#3. Why add "main panel" to the Layout panel?

I can't find a use for it? It is not a valid drop target. And nothing seems to happen if I toggle its check box.

#4 I still think that these icons are near to indistinguishable

They look the same to me.

This would be a better choice for List (by Album)

[rusty]

Thanks for the feedback.
#1 Alternate solution proposed at https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=16065

#2 Tracked at https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=16005

#3 Already fixed as part of https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=16073

#4 I agree with your point, but I'm hoping we can find an alternative that doesn't look as similar to the 'Add Playlist' icon. Tracking at https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=16103

-Rusty

[Barry4679]

#1 Alternate solution proposed at https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=16065

Ugg! ... I think that is a backwards step. It is like bricking up a doorway, in response to complaints that the door handle is difficult to turn.

The close controls are good, because they are direct actions, and don't involve having to struggle through the maze of a complex UI.

I think that something is lost without any meaningful gain. ... You have created the problem where is is less discoverable that they are configurable. And there is no real gain when someone wants to turn them on again ... ie. just because I turned them on with some option, in some corner of the UI, doesn't mean that I can easily find the option again at some later time.

I think that you are already making improvements with what was the real problem:

• 1. returning the View menu to its full power .... ie. adding back the "view" related functions that were relegated to various visible|invisible controls, spread throughout the UI; tool bar, inside dropdown or hamburger menus, etc

• 2. Creating a top level node in the Tools|Options for "appearance" type functions ... the current (2211) situation is confusing maze
  • Controls not in "General", but in "library", against expectation
  • lots of options names that may, or may not, be what I am looking for:
    • Appearance
    • Layout
    • Collections & Views
    • Auto-Organise

I think you had already fixed the problem, before you bricked up the doorway.

There was no response to the following suggestion. I agree that it is not a big point, but I still think that it has some merit.

the menu item would be clearer if it said "Bottom panel (Player)" ... or Top Panel (Player) if the user had rearranged.

If I wanted to re-enable the Player panel, it would be helpful if I could quickly see "Player" somewhere when I opened the View menu ... ie. "[] Bottom panel (Player)" ... or [] Top panel (player)"

Also "[x] Right panel (Selected & Playing)" ... etc

Also maybe an option for "Unassigned objects: (Lyrics & Playing)" ... which just took me to the "Layout..." panel ... big improvement in discoverability

I am not sure that you [MM] people, fully appreciate the initial complexity of the MM UI ... It is kind of frustrating in the beginning ... and every little signpost helps.

One last point ... should these check boxes be enabled it they have no contents ... ie. it is not easy to learn what the "top panel" is ... I toggled it to checked, but I saw no change ... thinks: "... so maybe it is broken?" ... it would be better if the check box was disabled when the box had no contents.