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Reworking full-screen documents

Started by arlo, August 31, 2021, 01:47:35 PM

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How would this change affect you?

I would miss the ability to switch between a smaller document in the layout and a full-screen document.
1 (33.3%)
I use full-screen documents, but I don't need to also see a smaller document in the layout.
1 (33.3%)
I don't use full-screen documents, so this wouldn't affect me.
1 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 3

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

#1
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

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

Correct, that wouldn't be affected.

Quote
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

#5
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.