List and Info Panel Splits

[afrocuban]

[Mod] This topic became a feature request at reply #7. Moved at OP's suggestion.


Currently I'm working on improving my own tabbed skin. It is shown in picture 1.jpg

I don't know anything about xml, but I cope with it using PVD manual and common sense.

When amount of data exceeds the size of the screen, scroll bar appears on the right side of the skin, of course. When scrolling in this case, it is not convenient for preview, which is shown in picture 2.jpg (movie title, tabs, screenshots and posters become totally or partly invisible - out of the screen).

So, considering PVD Skin Engine Manual, is it possible to set up (invoke?) scroll bars in the <section> container(s), so to get results (scroll bar and scrollabale area) as faked in the picture 3.jpg? Is it possible, further more, to put the part of xml file (section container), or additional xml file into iframe, maybe?

Something like: "<iframe src="Scrollable_Area.xml" autosize="true" halighn="center"><p>PVD doesn't support iFrames, unfortunately</p></iframe>?

How?

Any suggestion would be more than appreciated!

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[rick.ca]

The Skin Engine addresses the same need by providing the field attribute collapsedlines. Set however many preview lines you want for a field, then use the '+' control to expand. You can also configure 'expand all' and 'collapse all' buttons for the toolbar. Overall, I find it faster and more convenient than the traditional 'scrollbars everywhere' approach. It's also far more effective in a 'theatre view' type skin controlled with a remote.

[afrocuban]

I do use collapse attributes as you can see in the pictures attached.

My question is just regarding the case when those fields get expanded. I find it much more convenient then to be able to scroll certain areas/sections of the skin.

So, my OP application still stands. Any ideas?

[rick.ca]

So, my OP application still stands. Any ideas?

Maybe you could clarify what it is you are asking for or suggesting. The design reflects the decision to address the need with collapsible fields rather than scroll-able ones. The answer to 'How?' is therefore it's not possible, by design. If the suggestion is scroll bars would be better than collapsible fields, I think most users would disagree. It's fair to ask if scroll-able fields might be offered as an alternative, but I wouldn't hold my breath. There are surely worthy items on our collective wish list which have no existing alternative. Even if it were easy to do (I have no idea), nostra would have to consider whether providing two mechanisms to achieve one purpose is worthwhile, or just adds to the overall complexity of the program (i.e., consider how such a choice would be explained to a new user).

[afrocuban]

I'll try to clarify as much as possible, considernig language barriers.

1. I set up skin with collapsed attributes so to all data are fit to screen, so therefore there's no scroll bar on the right side of the skin. [b=]which is shown in picture 0.jpg attached in this post.[/b].

2. When expand some field, amount of data exceeds the size of the screen, so therefore, scroll bar on the right side of the skin appears. When scrolling it is inconvenient for preview (movie title, tabs, screenshots and posters become totally or partly invisible - out of the screen) when reachin the bottom of the expanded skin)

3. So, is it possible when expand some field and amount of data exceeds the size of the screen, with some xml tag to invoke scroll bar to appear in some <section> I'd define - for instance the one a Ifaked in pictur 3.jpg above?

[EDIT]Notice differences between picture 2 and 3. When "IMDb Plot" field is expanded and data doesn't fit the screen,  scroll bar normally appears on the right side of the skin in picture 2. In picture 3, when same field is expanded, scroll bar would appear only in <section> where the field resides, and there wouldn't be scroll bar on the right side of the whole skin

4. If 3. is'not possible by design, is it possible to put iframes in PVD classic skin for instance ? How? What is tag? [EDIT] Is it possibble to create PVD skin to look like svenne's HTML Frame export file?

Thanks.

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[nostra]

It is not possible yet, but I have added this feature request to my TODO list, so it will be possible sooner or later.

[afrocuban]

Thank you so much for the kind of answer I needed! 

[rick.ca]

I'll try to clarify as much as possible, considernig language barriers.

Thanks. So it really has nothing to do with individual fields, but the window itself. Based on your description, what seems to be required is a scroll control that can be applied to a section of the skin. But what would be more straightforward and useful to more users is a splitter for the Panel. That would result in a scroll bar for each of the top and bottom splits, allowing any part of the panel to be placed in either split. The splitter could be dragged to any position to set the size of the splits, and simply dragged to the top or bottom to return to one view.

But why stop there? A split List would be very useful too. The currently selected movie could be kept in view in one split, while the other is used to scroll to a different movie. Having two movies in view in the list would provide an easy way to switch between the two. And maybe an Alt-Click of a movie in a split list would instead open that movie in the corresponding panel split—so the two movies could be compared directly.

Nope, not finished. This reminds me of something suggested long ago. That's another panel to display the person record last selected in the movie panel. In other words, clicking on a person link in a movie record would show their record in a panel below the movie panel, rather than switching to People View. Imagine that being the bottom split of the movie panel rather than a separate panel. That would allow the space used by each to be controlled with the splitter in exactly the same manner. The List could change between movies and people depending on which panel is selected. Or if split, would show movies in the top and people in the bottom split.

I'll stop now, before this gets moved from the TODO list to the BUCKET list.

[afrocuban]

1.

what seems to be required is a scroll control that can be applied to a section of the skin.

2.

But what would be more straightforward and useful to more users is a splitter for the Panel.

3.

A split List would be very useful too.

4.

It's another panel to display the person record last selected in the movie panel. In other words, clicking on a person link in a movie record would show their record in a panel below the movie panel, rather than switching to People View. Imagine that being the bottom split (or vertical left and right, obj. by afrocuban) of the movie panel rather than a separate panel.

5.

Or if split, would show movies in the top and people in the bottom split (or vertical left and right, obj. by afrocuban).

Language barriers bridged. Bumped, so to say 

I'd move couple of these posts to a Feature suggestions board...

[rick.ca]

I'd move couple of these posts to a Feature suggestions board...

Done. As you can see, I've moved the whole topic here. As I see it, the feature request is a rather significant change to the UI, rather than a group of related changes. I do hope, however, it's the sort of thing where the implementation effort doesn't outweigh the benefits. It does seem to be something that effectively leverages the current design, rather than requiring something radically different.

I'm assuming that once the ability to split the List and Panel (along with the rather special ability to display a different list or record in the second split) is added to the UI, all that's left are the logical behaviours for things users would expect to happen automatically. There would be differences of opinion as to what those should be, but surely such things are easily implemented and changed. Maybe there would be options for some alternative behaviours. Just to be clear about what I mean by 'behaviours'...

• When a link is selected in one panel, the target record (movie or person) is shown in the other.
  
  
• When the movie list is split, the movie selected in the top list will be shown in the top split. When a movie is selected in the bottom list, it will be shown in the bottom split. If no movie is selected, the bottom split will remain unchanged.
  
  
• When a person is shown in a panel, the corresponding (top or bottom) list would change to people.
  
  
• Dragging a splitter to the top or bottom would not only remove a split, but clear it as well. In other words, if a split list or panel were showing a different list or record, removing the split would clear that second list or record, and making a new split would again result in two views of the same list or record. For the sake of speed, clearing a split might also be done by something like double-clicking on the splitter.

It's not difficult imagining this thing being so flexible as to eliminate the need for a separate People View. I'm NOT suggesting that, as I fear it would make the change far too complicated. (And the result might be too complicated for some users to understand.) I see nothing wrong or confusing about providing the ability to select and view people records in Movie View. People View would be retained as is for updating or viewing people records in isolation. Why not splits for People View as well? It would be redundant—most of the same things could be accomplished with the splits in Movie View.

This would take a little getting used to, but would be a very flexible way to display a variety of different information in different ways. It goes well with the main idea behind the new toolbar—providing the means to quickly assemble whatever tools are necessary for the job at hand. This would allow us to quickly select whatever presentation of information is best suited to whatever we're doing at the time. Even better, split settings could be saved with tabs. Imagine just clicking tabs to get your favourite toolbar layout, view settings and splits.

[afrocuban]

"Like this post" 


As I can see it, more "the things happen" in a browser-like PVD UI, wider the users acceptance of it.

My 2c:
1. "Clicking the link opens the target in the current panel-no movie list changed (that's how we know where we came from)/Clicking opens the target in a split panel-movie list panel splits if people are clicked".
2. Clicking on any url not redirecting to PVD database, splits panel, loads default browser in another panel with the target site