Result Windows with more information

Started by sinus, October 02, 2020, 11:53:14 AM

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sinus

This is really a very minor feature request, really.

But is would be a nice little enhancement.
Result windows are often, I guess, underestimated. But you can work with them, without affecting other stuff, like e.g. the updating in the categories, what could do the working with files slower.

I work quite often with them. But if you do open several result windows, you see 1,2,3 ... but it would be nice, to have also the amount of files in it.

Like e.g.

Selection 1/12
Selection 2/126

(the second number would be the number of files in this selection)

and so on, with that I would know, how many files are in.
Attached a screenshot, like it is now.

Thanks for thinking about it.

Best wishes from Switzerland! :-)
Markus

Mario

#1
What would that be good for?

The Result Window show the number of files in the caption bar above the File Window already, you just need to activate it...?

Some technical things:

- The "tab" at the top cannot know how many files the File Window contains. This is determined only when you first enable the result window.
Opening a result window does not actually load it, it just creates a new view. The File Window is initialized when you first switch to the new result window. This is for efficiency and performance reasons.

- IMatch would have to keep track of these tabs to update the count, e.g. when you delete files or change the contents of the result window otherwise, directly or indirectly

- Inactive File Windows do as little work as possible. For example, they don't update when files are deleted or moved out of the scope of the result window. The File Window just sets a flag "Update when next activated", which means that the tab may show the wrong number of files for inactive File Windows or even just "0 files".

- None of the other tabs (Media & Folders, Categories, ...) shows the number of files in the corresponding file window

As an alternative to opening files in a result window, maybe use temporary categories? You can use the convenient "Create category from files" command in the Category Panel for this.
This way you can store/isolate any number of selections, the categories show the number of files they contain, when you open the categories in the File Window they are independent from other categories etc.
And they persist when you close and re-open IMatch. When you don't need them anymore, they are deleted as quickly as they are created.
-- Mario
IMatch Developer
Forum Administrator
http://www.photools.com  -  Contact & Support - Follow me on 𝕏 - Like photools.com on Facebook

sinus

Quote from: Mario on October 02, 2020, 01:37:19 PM
What would that be good for?

Well, since you asked:  8)
If I have more than 1 result window, it is simply not easy to remember, what is in it.
If I would knew, in the first there are 3 files, in the second 77 and in the third 148, then it would help to jump directly in the correct tab.
The more result windows are open, the more it is "difficult" to remember.

I did not know, that this is complicated or even not possible.

Maybe I'm spoiled by Jingo's search app (Fancy Search), which also opens result-windows, but nicely displays in the tab how many pictures are inside - without having to open the tab first.
(attachment)

But a search or just a "normal" result window are obviously different things.

No problem, it's nothing important, I just thought it would be easy to implement and might help some users.

Hence forget it simply.  :)
Best wishes from Switzerland! :-)
Markus

Mario

QuoteMaybe I'm spoiled by Jingo's search app (Fancy Search), which also opens result-windows, but nicely displays in the tab how many pictures are inside - without having to open the tab first.
(attachment)

This is hard-coded and will not update when you remove files from the result window directly or indirectly. OK, for an app used by a handful of users, but not for IMatch in general.
-- Mario
IMatch Developer
Forum Administrator
http://www.photools.com  -  Contact & Support - Follow me on 𝕏 - Like photools.com on Facebook

sinus

Thanks, Mario!
All is clear now.

Have a nice weekend.  :)
Best wishes from Switzerland! :-)
Markus