[seemingly abandonware] Columns UI, alternative user interface Options

[Yotsuya]

Foobar "skins" are a combination of many different components that are constantly evolving. Abusing titleformat code to achieve basic coding techniques and building interfaces from these components is a somewhat taboo topic especially after the recent PanelsUI fiasco. I suggest starting out with a basic columns configuration, then pick a component thread and read it from beginning to end to see if it is something you want to integrate into your layout. Start simple and steadily build an interface that YOU want (not some massive chunk of eyecandy from someone else). Ask questions in appropriate threads for better responses and look to others for inspiration. Read the forums religiously and keep up with the latest developments with the components you use and remove components you do not use. Become active in the community and before you know it you'll be able to take 1 look at a screenshot and know how it was built.

Foobar and 3rd party components are constantly evolving, there is no quick tutorial that will teach you from scratch how to build autosizing panels in panel stack splitter with toggle buttons if you havnt learned basics like how to change the colors of your playlist.

[musicmusic]

I think I've found a bug/glitch: in Filter Preferences, enter a quite long string in Field, enough to make the text clip, then double click the right column header separator to make the scroll bar appear. Now try to edit another Field, which has to be very short: the string to be edited is not visible in the box, because it scrolls to the end of the longest string.

This should be sorted in the next build, thanks for the report.

[2E7AH]

Minor notice about Album list panel:
On Windows 7 when frame style is set to grey or sunken there is some king of outline (like the one UPnP panel has always)

...I see what the issue is, I'll fix that.

If changes will be made in buttons options, can commands filter be added (something like input box) to "command picker" dialog?

[musicmusic]

Minor notice about Album list panel:
On Windows 7 when frame style is set to grey or sunken there is some king of outline (like the one UPnP panel has always)

If you restart foobar2000 (or change layout preset and back) it should be OK, it was always a problem under theming.

...I see what the issue is, I'll fix that.

If changes will be made in buttons options, can commands filter be added (something like input box) to "command picker" dialog?

Well I already fixed the quoted issue, but the whole area needs some work, yes.

[durch]

It would be great if you could add the option to have multiple Playlist Views like NG simultaneously that don't affect each other and can be assigned permanently to a certain playlist. That way we could assign maybe the Playing Queue to one of those playlists. And everyone would be able to have their long-wished Now Playing playlist that doesn't change while browsing through the media library. Oh, that would be so great - please add this!

Edit: On top of that, it would be a great feature to be able to create those fixed playlists following conditions like "Album Artist = Various Artists" or "Date = 2000" etc.

This post has been edited by durch: May 20 2009, 11:56

[eradumvelhinho]

Edit: On top of that, it would be a great feature to be able to create those fixed playlists following conditions like "Album Artist = Various Artists" or "Date = 2000" etc.

You can do that "out of the box" with autoplaylists. (% Album Artist% IS Various Artists, etc, etc)

[Robertina]

It would be fine if the layout names (View / Layout) could be sorted alphabetically.

At the moment the date and time where they have been created determines their order (oldest first).

[callisto]

Man, I want tab-alignment in group scripts so hard!

[durch]

Would be good if there could be a button command that lets users reset all filters at once.

[barty]

I have a request: please show the name of the various UI items in Layout if the name has been changed from the default, i.e., instead of

Panel Stack Splitter
|_ Tab stack
|_ Tab stack
|_ Tab stack
|_ WSH Panel Mod
|_ WSH Panel Mod

I would see

Panel Stack Splitter: Playbar
|_ Tab stack: Playback Default
|_ Tab stack: Playback Shuffle
|_ Tab stack: Playback Repeat
|_ WSH Panel Mod: Volume
|_ WSH Panel Mod: Seekbar

It'd sure make life easier, especially when trying to figure out someone else's config.

thanks

[2E7AH]

If you restart foobar2000 (or change layout preset and back) it should be OK, it was always a problem under theming.

That was it.

However, I have another issue somehow for Album List panel
I wanted to swap prefix for field with multiple values:

$swapprefix(%<album artist>%)

But output prefix was not swaped. I checked then with default Album List and the result is correct there - multi-valued fields are splitted and the prefix is swapped.
Any workaround?

[edit] Well, checking again, also default Album List doesn't swap splitted field but only regular unsplitted

This post has been edited by 2E7AH: May 21 2009, 21:18

[musicmusic]

However, I have another issue somehow for Album List panel
I wanted to swap prefix for field with multiple values:

$swapprefix(%<album artist>%)

Use $meta_branch_remap_swapprefix(album artist) { or not tested: $if2($meta_branch_remap_swapprefix(album artist),?) }

[2E7AH]

Perfect, thanks

It splits and swaps correctly (both unsplitted - single value and splitted - multiple values)
only for Album List Panel

This post has been edited by 2E7AH: May 21 2009, 22:23

[elenhil]

I'd like to have a way of sorting Filter panel contents by a criterion other than its contents' alphabetical arrangement. Namely, to have the albums sorted by date without having to display it.

This post has been edited by elenhil: May 27 2009, 14:32

[novembre]

I'd like to have a way of sorting Filter panel contents by a criterion other than its contents' alphabetical arrangement. Namely, to have the albums sorted by date without having to display it.

A workaround could be displaying the the date in the same colour of the background and the album name in normal (visible ) colour. But some space will be wasted.

[xbullethammer]

I'd really love having a secondary "style string" for listviews in general.

I mean, if you can have any style on EVERY column in the playlist, why not in the Item Properties list? or maybe the Filters? I'm not requesting another configuration option on every panel of this kind but a general string that'd apply to the Playlist Switcher, Album List Panel, Porperties and Filters. This way all my panels'd have alternating rows

[elenhil]

I'd like to have a way of sorting Filter panel contents by a criterion other than its contents' alphabetical arrangement. Namely, to have the albums sorted by date without having to display it.

A workaround could be displaying the the date in the same colour of the background and the album name in normal (visible ) colour. But some space will be wasted.

No, it's precisely a matter of space

[rubber soul]

is there any way to change the header color of a filter? seems odd that i can't change it from white, or am i just being a moron.

[xbullethammer]

@rubber soul

That's managed by your Visual Style.

You can of course hide'em and paint'em with PSS stuff.

This post has been edited by xbullethammer: May 30 2009, 22:03

[rubber soul]

where do i edit the visual style? or are you saying my windows xp visual style?

the only way i can hide/paint over it would be to add additional child pss correct?

[xbullethammer]

^^ Correct!

But if you care more about looks than anything else, go and try the old browser plugin, in which it's possible to hide those labels.

[bubbleguuum]

@musicmusic: I noticed that in Preference / Column UI / Layout, when right clicking on a panel, the "Copy panel" action is available for single instance panels (ie panels for which get_is_single_instance() returns true). Shouldn't that action be disabled for such panels ?

This post has been edited by bubbleguuum: May 31 2009, 11:49

[tedgo]

Silly question: Isn't it possible to copy these single instance panels from one layout preset to another?
(Haven't tried it still).
If it is so, disabling "copy panel" would make it impossible.

[musicmusic]

@musicmusic: I noticed that in Preference / Column UI / Layout, when right clicking on a panel, the "Copy panel" action is available for single instance panels (ie panels for which get_is_single_instance() returns true). Shouldn't that action be disabled for such panels ?

No, because you could copy from one preset to another. Any checking should be done when pasted, but no as far as I am aware there is none. It was something noted at the time, and has remained as such I'm afraid.

Anyway, why do you need to use a single instance panel? It was only a feature added by request, and as you may have guessed I'm not particularly fond of them.

[bubbleguuum]

@musicmusic: I noticed that in Preference / Column UI / Layout, when right clicking on a panel, the "Copy panel" action is available for single instance panels (ie panels for which get_is_single_instance() returns true). Shouldn't that action be disabled for such panels ?

No, because you could copy from one preset to another. Any checking should be done when pasted, but no as far as I am aware there is none. It was something noted at the time, and has remained as such I'm afraid.

Anyway, why do you need to use a single instance panel? It was only a feature added by request, and as you may have guessed I'm not particularly fond of them.

I use a UPnP framework that is not multi-instance aware and would need de-multiplexing and that's not worth the effort since there's not much point of having this component multi-instance in the first place. Add to that a complicated init/destroy sequence even more complicated by the fact code is shared with an UI element whose init/destroy sequence is slightly different. Sure it could be done but not worth the effort IMHO.

You still can add multiple single instance panels in each layout preset using "Insert panel" instead of "Copy panel"
Not a huge deal that you can copy single instance panels though at long as it doesn't crash. It might just not do what the user expect.

This post has been edited by bubbleguuum: May 31 2009, 13:03