the 10 little suggestions ;) + field configurations

[spacekris]

hello,
i have some suggestions:

1. download different pictures at once.
2. choose and import more than one file (batch?) from a disc/hd at once
3. a separate field for url and file location. and an option to store only the imdb url, no matter which url the script updated it from.
4. a switch to lock the fields which have been read from a file (like videoformat,resolution..). so when you choose a script, they are automatically unticked/locked.
5. an configuration switch to copy the media label to the nr. field. all my disclabels have numbers.
6. a button in the picture window, where you can specify scripts that only download pictures (not asking for the filmtitle, taking it directly from the title field)
7. in the actors field there should be a line-makeup(return?) after every name.
8. in the list view, there should be an icon that indicates if i already watched the movie.
9. would be nice if you could use the list-columns also in the layout on the example pic.
10. the layout would be perfect if one could maximize the list space by being able to dock the window like on the pic, so that one could read the comment and description field.
or what would be even better and i think easier to implement, to make the description+comment field not tiled horizontally but verticaly, so if you undock the picture you would see the description field complete, but the comment field would be completely hidden behind the picture (like on example-pic). this would be the greatest change of all .



sorry, maybe too much for the beginning, but i think its worth it, because i like the prog and i think i will choose it to import my files. but maybe i start if you implement the batch-file-import .

thanks for listening, hope you find something interesting in my suggestions.
greets

ps.11. some little language flag icons could symbolize different languages in the list. but this is luxary.

[antp]

Hi,
1. planned for the future
2. also planned. Currently it can be done using some tricks:
viewtopic.php?t=229
If all AVI files are not in the same folder, it will probably be less easy.
But a little further on the topic somebody posted a link to a tool that generates a CSV file that you can import in AMC.
3. also planned. For storing the IMDB url only, you can uncheck this field from the other scripts that you use
4. cf 3, you can prevent fields from being modified by a script by unchecking them in the scripts window.
5. using scripting you can copy field contents to another, but you maybe one something automaticaly done at another time?
6. could be added, but some scripts already have an option to not ask title, and you can modify the scripts to bypass the title asking
7. depends on the script, as it is a free text field. IMDB script has an option for that, for example.
8. currently you can use the checkbox in the main list for that, later I'll add more fields
9. I plan to make the columns more customizable
10. when I will add fields I will have to make all this layout a little more customizable, but I do not know how already. But I agree that using the space lost by these fields on a large screen would be a good thing.
11. a little difficult as the contents of these fields is customizable by the user, and in some cases can even simply be the contents of the field for other movies of the catalog (i.e. a list generated automatically).

[spacekris]

thanks for the fast reply

3.yes, but i meant that the field is always and automatically inserted with the imdb ID of that movie. so an extra imdb button? when you click on it it will open the imdb page. doesnt matter what script you use.

4. yes but there should be an overall option, that when you are importing files like avi, these fields are never changed when updating from the internet. otherwise you have to pay always attention when you are using a lot of different scripts.

and another thing, there should be a security-question when you have marked a file in the list and you choose get file information, the old values are directly overwritten.

5.yep. option for automatically copying to nr. field.

6.can you name one for onlypictures that has the option or how i could modify it that way?
it would be more logic,faster and more userfriendly if you could just push a button in the picture window or right-click over the picture.

7.ah free text field. could the wordwrap be forced without paying attention to the script? where is the option in the imdb script?

10.if you make some fields for example drag&drop&automatic-dock this would be something really special for a catalog prog, because all the other catalogprogs i tested are mostly in a (x)tml-layout so you have to use a html editor to change the layout how you like it. very difficult.
before you make this possible could you just tile the description and comment field vertically (option?)(and this would be also better for readability on big screens! the lines are a little too long). so i could - like in my picture - just drag the floating moviepicture over the comment field, so i am just hiding this field and could fully read the description field? this would be great, because you can just one-click on the un-/dock picture button and you could read the comment field and click again and the pic is back into position.

11.hm, maybe an option if the user enters like "english" and "german" these words are exchanged for a corresponding little flag?

for the rest-numbers, thanks for planning!

[antp]

6. usually it is a line with "if Input..." that you have to comment (i.e. add // in front of it). For some scripts it may require more changes.
7. But word wrap at what time? Replace "," by linebreaks? This could be done directly in the script that you use. Well, maybe that in the future this field will be less "free", i.e. it will be shown as a grid with a "name" and a "role" column.
10. I already tried to do that but it is not so easy to manage, and will maybe not very much used. If there is someting customizable it will probably be HTML-based like the others
But as you suggested, I could already add an option to change the way these two fields are displayed, or add a dock area on the right of these fields for large screens.
Options for hiding the comments field would be quite specific, and most of the people use that field I think.

Note that by editing the translation field you could probably already resize the field. If you open English.lng and search for a line beginning by "EDescription", insert a new line with :
EDescription.Width=123
where 123 is the width in pixel that you want. You may have to do few tries when launching the program, as I do not remember if it applies the translation before or after having maximized the window.
You also have to specify that you want to use "english for translations" as language, and not the default built-in english version.

11. And what about "Anglais" and "Allemand" in my case, as my catalog is in French ?

[spacekris]

Note that by editing the translation field you could probably already resize the field. If you open English.lng and search for a line beginning by "EDescription", insert a new line with :
EDescription.Width=123
where 123 is the width in pixel that you want.

again congratulations to the program!! it is as easy as this!
you can change EVERY field with .width AND height. wow, this is so great, and everything i wanted! and its really easy.
now if there would be like .posX and .posY the complete layout would be customizable! this is great .
please dont change it in into html. this is what your program makes so special. i love it!
now only an option to hide the picture window titlebar,he.

11. of course every .lng file its synonym

[antp]

There is Left and Top properties for chaning positions
About HTML, do not worry, if I use that it will be optional: there will still the possibility to use classic fields as currently.

[antp]

For point 11, I mean that people put what they want, and there are so many languages Well, I'll see if I can do something like a customizable list where icons can be associated to texts.

About picture window caption, you can hide it:
Simply add the following like somewhere in the [MainWindow] section of the translation file:
ToolbarPictureWindow.ShowCaption=0

[spacekris]

wow again, c´est magnifique!

maybe you could do a list with these undocumented options?

[antp]

Actually there are really loads of things that can be changed.
These are the options that you can change when you design the window in Delphi. So each object has lots of parameter that you can change at "design-time". All these parameter can also be changed by specifying their name in a text string, which is the system that I use for translation (caption, hint, etc.)
I could actually use something similar to let people customize the fields by writing a file in the same style as the translation file, but dedicated to the customization of the fields.

[spacekris]

I could actually use something similar to let people customize the fields by writing a file in the same style as the translation file, but dedicated to the customization of the fields.

yes, yes. i am sure a lot of people would be interested in playing around with these and making there own designs!
maybe you could also make a section (or a thread at the beginning) where the people can post der individual designs.
is it possible to make this independent of the language? - erm, i guess this is what you meant by "writing a file in the same style .
and whats the option to enable/disable a field ?

[antp]

Yes that's what I wanted to mean. A file named "fields.ini" for example.
To hide a field you have the properties "Visible" and "Tabstop" to set to 0.

[spacekris]

i played around some hours with the field positions and now my catalog looks like this.



it is mainly for hd-file purpose.

would be nice ant if you could make this fields.ini or even better to go on a field in the catalog and via right mouse change the values of the field.
i closed and started the prog about a thousand times .

this is for a 1152 resolution so i dont know how it would look like on some other. if someone is interested in the design i could send it to ant then.
cheers,
hope you continue working some time on the app. especially a second audiotrack field is missing and the possibility to klick and load the file directly.

[antp]

I imagine that is it lots of work to get that working...
Do not forget to backup your work, as the translation file would be overwritten next time you install an update of the program

[spacekris]

.. update of the program

ah,sounds great .
in the meanwhile till you make your idea of fields.ini you could post it,
maybe someone is interested?

[antp]

Sorry I do not understand what you mean

[spacekris]

eh sorry, i ment you could post my design somewhere on the forum as an alternative to the original. i dont know where to upload it..

[antp]

Sure, just send it by e-mail and I will put it on my server
But as it is a text file, you could also post the useful contents it in a message here on the server if it is easier for you.

[spacekris]

But as it is a text file, you could also post the useful contents it in a message here on the server if it is easier for you.

yep your right.
and of course i wouldn't mind if you make it a sticky .
cheers!