IMatch 2018 Sneak Peak 2

Mario · February 20, 2018, 06:55:39 PM

Over the weekend I've made good progress on File Window Apps.

If one or more File Window apps are installed, IMatch displays them in the File Window layout drop-down list. If the user selects one of these App layouts, the file window is replaced by an app window which runs the File Window app. See screen shot below.

A File Window app has no restrictions of how it presents files. It can use a grid, thumbnails, postcards, it can work like the Pinboard app, it can even use 2D or 3D graphics to preset the files in the current scope in user-friendly ways.

A File Window app will have to maintain the 'data' of a file window, and provide feedback to IMatch about file selections, the focused file and whatever. I'm still working on that part. Once this is working, File Window Apps will behave like any regular file window, cooperate with panels etc.

As you can see in the screen shot, the toolbar for App Panels is minimal. Concepts like hierarchical display, pausing, the search bar are probably 'better' implemented by the File Window app itself. It may provide new and ingenious concepts for this. Hence I plan to allow FWApps to hide any of the standard controls in the file window toolbar - except the layout selector, which is required to switch between file window layouts.

The general idea of this concept is to implement specialized ways to present files to you.

For example, one user recently requested a "Lightroom-like" file window, with a strip of thumbnails at the bottom and one or two larger image displays at the top.
The Pinboard App is another example for an innovative and intuitive File Window layout that can be implemented with this new concept.
And I need this for one or two of the new concepts I will introduce in IMatch 2018.

A first rough version of a File Window app running in IMatch 2018. Click to zoom.

ben · February 20, 2018, 08:11:22 PM

Perfect

sinus · February 20, 2018, 08:32:09 PM

Quote from: ben on February 20, 2018, 08:11:22 PM
Perfect

Exactly. Is it possible to share such layouts?
I am afraid, that cool stuff is possible ... but we must be able to do so, means we have to know JS, HTML and so, I guess?

Mario · February 20, 2018, 08:47:27 PM

Quote from: sinus on February 20, 2018, 08:32:09 PM
Exactly. Is it possible to share such layouts?
I am afraid, that cool stuff is possible ... but we must be able to do so, means we have to know JS, HTML and so, I guess?

File Window Apps are managed by IMatch like any other app. If somebody has written a cool File Window app he can share it with other users like any other app. You just download the app, copy it into the user app folder, restart IMatch and you can use it.

If you don't need or want File Window apps, you don't need to do anything. IMatch 2018 will work as IMatch 2017 when it comes to File Windows.
I plan to ship some File Window apps with IMatch, though. Maybe one based on the Pinboard app, and one or two others, to support some of the new concepts.

To create your own File Window apps you will have to use HTML and JavaScript.

Mario · February 23, 2018, 07:59:27 PM

It seems my concept for App-based File Windows is really dodable. Tons of problems to solve, though.

But today I've made a big step forward. File Window Apps now can get information about the scope, control which toolbar elements are visible, receive messages about scope changes and user interaction with the toolbar. That's basically everything that is needed to create any kind of File Window app!

For my initial tests I've created an app which displays the elements and files in the current scope in table form. Next step will be to implement the methods which allow the App to select and focus files, and let IMatch know about this. Then all panels will work again, like with any other File Window.

The File Window app which actually does something useful.

ben · February 24, 2018, 09:44:14 PM

Quote from: Mario on February 23, 2018, 07:59:27 PM
It seems my concept for App-based File Windows is really dodable.

I knew you would make it

Mario · March 06, 2018, 08:02:54 PM

I had to fix some bugs for the next release. And I did some performance work for IMatch 2018 (faster startup time, improved message processing, on-demand loading of Views etc.).
I've also made good progress on File Window Apps and the entire infrastructure behind it.

What took quite a long time was wiring all the connections between the File Window toolbar and apps. An FW App can control via it's app.json which toolbar elements to show, even the range of the zoom slider. This means that a FW app may do everything itself (no toolbar elements except the layout selector) or use the same controls as a regular IMatch File Window.

I have written an IMatchFileWindow class which neatly manages all the grunt work like connecting, wiring up sockets and stuff.
To create a new File Window App you just derive a class from IMatchFileWindow and then override the methods as needed. This makes it quite easy.
For example, the method onScopeChanged in your class will be called when the scope changes (user selecting a new folder, running a search, applying a filter). You then update whatever your app shows.

Having finished all that I can now implement the first "new" file window type. This will be my test case.
Another new file window layout type is directly linked to a major feature I will introduce in IMatch 2018. This has been requested often and should be most welcome for quite a number of users.