Color Coding Catgories vs. The Color bar

[Richard]

I have gone crazy with color coding categories. I started with my oldest ancestor included in my database and gave him a dark yellow background and dark blue text. All of his children get the same colors only one shade lighter for the background. For the text color, they get their mother's background color. Thus cousins have the same background color but with different text colors. But if cousins or siblings appear in a photograph the color bar is the same for each of them. An entire generation has the same color bar color.

My request has two parts.

1) I would like symbols to appear on the color bar and those symbols would be the same color as the text of the category.

2) I would like to be able to assign a symbol or letter at the same time I assign a text color to a category. A blue color-bar segment might have ***, or whatever, added. Thus we could have a much wider meaning for what appears on the color-bar. We would still be limited to six segments for the color-bar but each segment could have a very distinct meaning even if the colors were the same or close.

[Mario]

The color bar supports up to 10 (15) segments (not sure, must look that up), depending on how wide your thumbnail is.
But the color bar uses a rather narrow height, too small to display a real text. I would either have to use a very small font, or increase the height of the color bar, or only increase the height when there are symbols to display (probably ending up with different heights for the color bar for different images in the same file window).

What about a two segment color bar, with an outer color (background) and an inner color (text color)?
What with backwards compatibility for other users: Currently the bar takes it colors from the category background color (if set) or the text color (if set). If we change the behavior, users may suddenly see other colors than before...

[sinus]

Categories are such powerful.
If you remember, 1 or two years ago, I asked for two rows instead one (because we could then take more colors without "cluttering" one row).

The label for example is quite high, in contrary to the colored bars. Like Richard wrote or you answered, Mario, there are a some possibilites to change the displaying of the colored categories, finally one of the big advantages of IMatch! So why not give a bit more to display them with the thumbs?

For me personally I support such a request, whatwever it is, if it end with more possibilities to display under (or above) a thumb.

[Richard]

But the color bar uses a rather narrow height, too small to display a real text.

By my eye the color bar is close to the height of the text for the file name and that is readable. However, if the color bar and label were the same height, that would suit me. The thumbnail would end up a bit taller but I can live with that.

What about a two segment color bar, with an outer color (background) and an inner color (text color)?

That would be an improvement and is very similar to my first thoughts on this but my wishes expanded from there.

What with backwards compatibility for other users

Carried to the extreme, we would still have IMatch 3 in order to stay backward compatible. Sometimes we have to accept changes and adapt or we can not advance.

The color bar supports up to 10 (15) segments

Hmm! Not sure where I got the idea it was six but 15 segments would be great even if I have to use a wider thumb during some tasks.

[Mario]

Hmm! Not sure where I got the idea it was six but 15 segments would be great even if I have to use a wider thumb during some tasks.

The color bar adapts to the available panel width. If you use very wide panels, you can fit in 20 or more different color sections:



It adjusts to a minimum width of each segment (6 pixel) and then fits in as much segments as possible. Most of these categories use the same color for this test, so don't wonder why most segments are blue.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Richard]

Most of these categories use the same color for this test, so don't wonder why most segments are blue.

No problem with that. I get similar results all the time but I can still tell that there are N segments and thus the file is assigned to N categories. With 20 segments possible I should not need to exceed that limit. But then again, I am going crazy with color codes. 

[sinus]

To have text or icons would be a great thing, of course. I have seen this also with my file windows - layout. An icon says quicker something than a text or color can - except it is only a very short text (stop) or a warning color (red).

But only have colors, say 10 under a thumb, is very difficult to say, ah, the red color is there, hence it is a raw (example).

Or that the 7 color from let is blue.
From my experience are up to, say, 5 color good managable, I know, ah, the third color is red, the 5. is blue and this means this and that.

That is why I would prefere to have instead 10 colors in one line, having 2 lines with 5 colors each. This is much better to distinguish.
Or, like Richard wrote, icons or text, would be even better.

But also the idea from Mario, inner color plus outline color would be interesting, we could create a kind of "two states" per category (for example blue alone is "needs editing", a yellow outline means "edition done".

The layout of the whole file window is GREAT, but I am sure, with some enhancements, like Richard asked for, we could make it even better. And specialy with displaying categories (and labels and icons), I think, there could be still some enhancements to make IM5 even better.

[Mario]

You already have:

a flag with 3 states.
a bookmark with 2 states
3 dots
3 pins
stack icons
version icons
warning/info icons
read-only flag with two states
rating icons with six states
a  label bar

up to, say, 10-20 color segments in the category color bar.

I wonder how many users really not more icons or visual indicators in a thumbnail panel, and if it would be worth the effort to implement all the changes to wrap category color bars into a second row. Why not a third row? Or a configurable number of rows? Or maybe configurable segment widths? Or maybe a configurable number of segments, auto-wrapping in as many rows as needed. There are many things which can be done here, but how many users will benefit from that? I'll say we let this request sit for a while and see how many other users comment.

[sinus]

There are many things which can be done here, but how many users will benefit from that? I'll say we let this request sit for a while and see how many other users comment.

Of course, but you know, users has always wishes 
I wanted only to support, any enhancement of displaying the categories, since they are so powerful.
Like your "blue example" here, Mario. If someone really wants use so many colored categories, I think, instead having this long line, it would be better to have simply 2 lines.

I hope, Richard, I did not torpedo your feature request.

[Ger]

I definitely support Richard's proposal.

I do use color coding (like Markus) for easy identification of the state of an image. The exact way of implementation (2+ color bars, icons, inside+outside coloring) is less important.

In another thread (https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=3352.msg22297#msg22297) Mario indicated that using Category (regular expression) filters in the file window come at a cost, which is understandable and -unfortunately- true. The feature request would give sufficient options to resolve this!

Ger

[Richard]

Hi Ger,

Thanks for your support. The way it is implemented is less important but still important.

1) A two segment color bar, with an outer color (background) and an inner color (text color)?

While this would be a huge step forward, it is limited by the number of color combinations that one can use successfully. Only color combinations with sufficient contrast will work.

2) Use a symbol or letter designated at the same time one assigns a text color to a category

While the second option might require a slight increase in the height of the color bar, it multiplies the effect achieved in 1) by the number of characters and symbols on one's keyboard. So many that a user might have to keep notes to remind themselves what difference they intended by using M vs. m or \ vs. /.

[Ger]

Hi Richard,

I understand your question to give a preference. Ok, option 2 above option 1; a combination of 1 and 2 as ideal. And even better if I (as user) can exactly define which segment of the two (or more) color bars to be filled with what color/symbol.

Mario has to build this in IM and I trust that if he takes this on, he will come back with a good proposal.

Ger

[Richard]

And even better if I (as user) can exactly define which segment of the two (or more) color bars to be filled with what color/symbol.

I am not understanding what you are saying. If one can show both a background color AND a text color for that segment, doesn't that meet your request? Per my request the segments will be filled with text color according to the color I have chosen for text and thus multiple segments of the same background color will be easily distinguished from each other unless the user chooses the same color combinations.

[Ger]

I don't use background colors, only text colors, which simplifies. My nice-to-have comment was related to the point that at this moment the color code segments are filled in an order defined by IMatch. What I wanted to say is that the user could say that a specific category will always be shown in the third segment or so for easy reference.

However, I solved this with formatting comments (a bit similar to Sinus's example in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=3352.msg21915#msg21915). It's easy to print text on a background color to clarify even more. After the performance increase Mario implemented a few versions ago, that works great.

Ger

[Ger]

Maybe for clarification: here's an example of the file window with color coded descriptions

Ger

[attachment deleted by admin]

[sinus]

Hey Ger

looks cool!