Reworking full-screen documents

[arlo]

(For the purpose of this post, "documents" and "lyrics" are the same thing.)

Opening and closing full-screen documents has always been a leading source of app bugs, but I've always figured if I removed that capability, it would create widespread rage and panic. However, I'm realizing that switching from no document view to a full-screen document view (as in the default Big Set List layout) is much simpler than switching from a smaller document view to a full-screen document view (as in the default Split View layout). So I'm considering restricting the ability to open a full-screen document to layouts that don't already have a document view.

In this scenario, you could have layouts with...

• no document viewer at all
• a static document viewer that uses part of the screen
• a hideable/showable document viewer that uses part of the screen
• a hideable/showable document viewer that uses the full screen

The only thing you couldn't have is a layout with document viewer that uses part of the screen and can expand to the full screen. So you couldn't jump from this part-screen document view...



...to this full-screen document view:



If you were in a split view like that and wanted to see a larger document, you'd have to switch to a different layout.

On the other hand, the third option above would be new and could be interesting. For example, you could design a layout that shows some buttons on the side and song fields in the main area of the screen, then you could toggle a document viewer to cover only those song fields, or the entire screen. So you could jump from a song info layout like this...



...to a part-screen document view (by showing the document view over part of the layout)...



...or a full-screen document view (by showing the document view over the full screen):



Update Sept. 20, 2021

Since I haven't gotten much feedback on this, I'm proceeding with the changes, but will keep the old functionality available for a while. When you try expanding a part-screen document to full-screen after this is released, you'll get a warning message directing you to use either a layout with a larger document, or a layout with no document which can then open a full-screen document.

I have the new functionality up and running on my test devices. Advantages include:

- The ability to layer a document over part of the screen, as described above.
- The ability to hide and show a document without interrupting auto-scrolling.
- Faster and smoother transitions between the layout and a document layered over the layout.

[Neill00]

I'm trying to follow what you're saying here. I think I might be OK with what you are suggesting. In the past if I had a setlist and document in the same layout view,, I never bothered to switch to full screen.  Currently what I have is the setlist takes up the whole screen but when I select a song the setlist disappears and the screen is mostly the document.  I also have along the right side of the screen some icons such as tempo, scroll, automations etc.  If I am understanding you, the changes you want to make wouldn't affect this setup.

I have been toying a little with the documents opening on a second screen. The downside is that I can't my transparent box to show up in full screen mod and I don't get all those icons from the right side.  Would these things be possible with what you are proposing? 

[arlo]

If I am understanding you, the changes you want to make wouldn't affect this setup.

Correct, that wouldn't be affected.

I have been toying a little with the documents opening on a second screen. The downside is that I can't my transparent box to show up in full screen mod and I don't get all those icons from the right side.  Would these things be possible with what you are proposing?

I don't know what "I can't my transparent box to show up in full screen mod" means, but I think what you're looking for would become possible in the new setup, similar to screenshots 3 and 4 above.

[Neill00]

This is what I mean by the transparent box.  My lyrics pass through the box at the appropriate time. It helps me landmark.

[arlo]

Your screen shot shows the lyrics highlighting function, and that wouldn't change.

[Neill00]

It's actually not the highlight feature.  This is a box I created, coloured and sized in the layout and it just sits there overlayed on the lyrics box and the lyrics roll through the box as the song plays.  For some reason I couldn't get the entire screen shot to show up so the difference may not have been obvious but the lyrics don't jump to the middle of the screen.

If I use the hide songlist function upon song selection, the box remains and i see all those icons that you see on the side.  But if I use full screen the box disappears as do the icons.  I could do with all the icons disappearing except the metronome icon.  I don't like the full screen flash but really do want the icon flashing.

[arlo]

Oh, okay. The layering of lyrics over the background box, and hiding/showing the song list, would still work the same way. You wouldn't be able to switch from the screen shot you're showing to full-screen lyrics, but it sounds like you're not doing that anyway (because you lose the background box and all the buttons in that case).

[Neill00]

Perfect! thanks for the clarification.