Move stacks without expanding

[Mees Dekker]

A lot of my images are "stacked", either in version stacks or in normal stacks, sometimes both.

Is there an easy way to move an entire stack without the need to expand it first, then select all the "expanded" images and move them (and of course: stack them again in their new location)?

[Mario]

File move/copy operates on all selected files. If the stack is collapsed, you can only select the stack top. hence only the stack top is moved.
You must select all files in the stack you want to move (partial moves are possible as well this way).

The "operate on selected files" paradigm also includes stacked files.

[lbo]

Good to know, didn't move stacks till now.

Some users might stumble over this if they expect the entire stack to be moved.

I'm not sure whether it's worth a warning (or even the offer to move the entire stack) if someone moves a collapsed stack top.

My mail client warns me when I delete collapsed threads, but that's the opposite case (hidden elements are processed by default).

My preferred file sync application (Beyond Compare, great!) warns if elements are hidden, also a different case.

[Mario]

This is the way IMatch works since version 5, many years ago. Its the standard paradigm for the majority of commands - all work on the files selected.

[Mees Dekker]

So the answer to my initial question is: No, there is no easy way to move all files in a version or normal stack.

I'll file a feature request for making that possible.

[Mario]

So the answer to my initial question is: No, there is no easy way to move all files in a version or normal stack.

I'll file a feature request for making that possible.

Of course there is. Expand the stack, press <A> to select all files in the stack (if you want to move/copy all) and then drag the files or use Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V.
You can also move parts of the stack that way.

Don't bother about the feature request.
I won't change the "commands work on selected files" paradigm.
Just remember than all commands work on the selected files, and files hidden under a stack are not even loaded by the File Window and hence cannot be selected and cannot be processed.

[lbo]

Don't bother about the feature request.
I won't change the "commands work on selected files" paradigm.

the feature request could formulate a "select stack" option.

Although I understand the current paradigm, I can also imagine that users expect the whole stack to be selected.

[Mario]

The file window does not even know which files are in a collapsed stack and hence cannot select them.
Stacks may spread over multiple folders. They can be in a different collection or category or timeline node than the top/master when you select the top in a collection, category, timeline node, result window....and the files in the stack can be in totally different contexts and not part of the current scope at all....

[sinus]

I work often with stacks.
And if you have several stacks, it is not that convenient to select all the files in stacks.
Ctrl A works only, if you have no other unstacked files in the Window.

Hency you have to expand the stack and press Ctrl H (or Shift Ctrl A) to select all files in the stack.
A very good ehancement is the command "show or hide stacked files" (Ctrl Shift T), some version added from Mario, thanks for that!

Thanks Andy (Jingo) I have an app for make my life easier.
I can select the top of a stack (the master - stack) of a collapsed stack, press a button of the app and all files of this stack (even if they are hidden) are assigned to a category.
Helps me a lot, thanks to Andy.

[lbo]

Stacks may spread over multiple folders.

I see. This makes a "move whole stack" unsuitable.

Oliver

[Mario]

@sinus:

Ctrl+A is the command to select all files in a file window.
If your stacks are collapsed, the stacked files are not loaded and thus cannot be selected that way.

Expand the stack before with Shift+C and then press Shift+Ctrl+A to select all files in a regular stack.
If you use version stacks instead, just press <A> to select all files in the stack.

Most commands in IMatch work with the currently selected files.
The purpose of a stack is to reduce the number of files displayed in the File Window, and to save resources.
The File Window does not load files hidden by a collapsed regular or version stack and it has no information about these files.
Only when you expand the stack the files are loaded from the database and the commands can work.

Implementing a "move entire stack" command is doable, but there are many, many fringe cases that need to be handled or excluded. And then documented.
The rule "this commands works on the selected files and currently you have n files selected" is learable and consistent.

Feel free to add a feature request and if this is useful for more than a few users I will look into it after IMatch 2020 has been released later this year.

[Jingo]

Thanks Andy (Jingo) I have an app for make my life easier.
I can select the top of a stack (the master - stack) of a collapsed stack, press a button of the app and all files of this stack (even if they are hidden) are assigned to a category.
Helps me a lot, thanks to Andy.

The good ole.. ."stack to a cat" app!  One of my favorites... :-)   Glad it is still working for you Markus!

[Carlo Didier]

The rule "this commands works on the selected files and currently you have n files selected" is learable and consistent.

I think some people stumble over this because they suppose that everything in the file window, stacked or not, get's selected when they "select all". Happened to me a few times.
The reasoning is that even a collapsed stack is a single entity which can only be treated as such, like a book. You move a whole book, not just the cover without the contents.

This is based on my own workflow where stacks always contain files in the same folder (series of images for stitched images, focus stacks, etc).

Mind you, I understand the difficulties behind this, just to explain how users may see it.

[Mario]

The rule "this commands works on the selected files and currently you have n files selected" is learable and consistent.

I think some people stumble over this because they suppose that everything in the file window, stacked or not, get's selected when they "select all". Happened to me a few times.
The reasoning is that even a collapsed stack is a single entity which can only be treated as such, like a book. You move a whole book, not just the cover without the contents.

This is based on my own workflow where stacks always contain files in the same folder (series of images for stitched images, focus stacks, etc).

Mind you, I understand the difficulties behind this, just to explain how users may see it.

Thank you for your feedback.
I can only repeat my comment from above about an  explicit feature request.
Implementing this will require a substantial amount of work, especially analyzing and handling/documenting all fringe cases, mixed selections of closed and open stacks, partial selection of stack files, stacks containing files from different folders or disks etc.  Since this seems to be a not-problem for most users (based on feedback) I need to know how many users really want me to spend time on this via a feature request after IMatch 2020 has been shipped. Until then, I concentrate on that.

[Carlo Didier]

Not really a big issue for me personally. I can circumvent it in my scripts which need to consider all files, including stacked ones. I just fetch all the members of selected stacks and add them to my list of files to manipulate. No need to manually "select all", "expand Stacks", "select all" before and the reverse after my operations, which I did in the beginning.

[Mario]

Not many users use scripts and less users write scripts.