selecting multiple images

[David Werier]

Sometimes I need to select multiple images that are not adjacent to each other in the thumbnail area. To do this I hold down the control key and then click the thumbnails I want.

The issue I am running into is that if I accidentally click in between two thumbnails all of the thumbnails that had been selected become unselected. This becomes an issue for me since I am trying to select dozens and sometime hundreds of thumbnails. And if I accidentally click in between two thumbnails all of the work I had been doing is lost.

So my question is: Is this a bug or what should be happening? If normal behavior is there someway I can get around it? If not should I make a feature request? Is this a feature request?

Thanks for any help anyone can give to me.

David

[Mario]

Clicking in the free area outside the thumbnail panels resets the current selection. This behavior is by design.

When you are in need of selecting dozens or even hundreds of individual files that way, maybe you can achieve the same goal much quicker using a filter, s search, a collection? After pre-selecting the files you can do a quick <Ctrl>+<A> and maybe even un-select some files...

[David Werier]

Thanks for the rapid response.

I realize clicking outside the thumbnail panel will reset the current selection but is it also normal behavior if I click in between two thumbnails within the panel?

The reason I can't do the filter is that this is my initial categorization of the files and there is no meaningful filter that would accomplish what I want until the images are assigned to some categories. Other suggestions? I wish there was a faster way.

Thanks.

[David Werier]

Mario,

I just checked again and actually if I click outside of the thumbnail panel the thumbnails that were selected don't become unselected. It seems this happens only when I click between the thumbnails. Remember that I am holding down the ctrl key when doing this.

I guess is there a way that the thumbnails can be made to not have a gap inbetween them so that I can't accidentally click between the thumbnails?

Thanks

[Richard]

When I am selecting a large number of files I click on the ones I want and press <B>. With the desired files Bookmarked I can handle them as a collection.

[David Werier]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your comments.

The point is what happens if as you are originally selecting your images and before you hit the ctrl B you accidentally click between two thumbnails. You loose the selection of all the images you had selected before you get a chance to hit the ctrl B. That is my point. Once my images are selected I am all set it is before this point. My current work around is to try and not select that many at one time. But as I work with smaller and smaller number of images it takes longer.

I guess my question is why, if I am holding down the ctrl key and I click between two thumbnails, should the selection be reset. I can understand if I am not holding down the crtl key, but why is it the default if I am holding down the ctrl key. In what scenario would someone who is holding down the ctrl key want to loose the selection of images they have already selected?

[sinus]

I guess my question is why, if I am holding down the ctrl key and I click between two thumbnails, should the selection be reset. I can understand if I am not holding down the crtl key, but why is it the default if I am holding down the ctrl key. In what scenario would someone who is holding down the ctrl key want to loose the selection of images they have already selected?

Hi David

I see, what you mean. I had this behaviour also in IM3, lost quite often some selected images ... and I did like you, simply press bookmark (in IM5 we have even more collections) every 20-50 images or so.

Hm, I do not know, maybey you could think about creating a feature request?

[Richard]

Hi David,

You misunderstood what what I meant. I click on an image to select it. I then press <B>. That is it. No <Ctrl> involved. There is no "selection" to lose because I am not selecting multiple files. It goes just as fast as I can click with the mouse and press <B> with the other hand.

[David Werier]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the clarification. Your idea is a very good solution and it will work well as a work around. Thanks for the idea!

David

[sinus]

Hi Richard

Maybe David will try your way (edited, David was quicker  - so he will try it, fine)
I tried both (in IM3 is the same), and with the ctrl-key pressed, and click on say, hundred images on several places (not neatly side-by-side, is much quicker then your way.

Of course your way is also fast, but not that fast and not that flexibel. With the Ctrl-key pressed, I can very quickly select and deselect thumbs.
At least me have never managed to be so quickly with your system.

The best way would be, I think, to have a key pressed (like Capslock or another key before) and then IMatch would be in a kind of "selecting thumbs-state".
Then we could select thumbs as long this special key would be pressed a second time to unlock this system.

But this is only a quick and roughly (and maybe bad) idea, MAYBE David will create a feature request.
Because it is not a really bad problem, I will not do a feature request on my own.

David, I guess, you have tried the different Windows-layouts (smaller thumbs, tabelar view), maybe some layouts are better than others.

[joel23]

Sometimes I need to select multiple images that are not adjacent to each other in the thumbnail area. To do this I hold down the control key and then click the thumbnails I want.

The issue I am running into is that if I accidentally click in between two thumbnails all of the thumbnails that had been selected become unselected. This becomes an issue for me since I am trying to select dozens and sometime hundreds of thumbnails. And if I accidentally click in between two thumbnails all of the work I had been doing is lost.

So my question is: Is this a bug or what should be happening? If normal behavior is there someway I can get around it? If not should I make a feature request? Is this a feature request?

This IMHO is a normal (Windows) behavior - just try it in explorer.
When using CTRL you click-add single files. When you click somewhere else - even when it's the space between two files - , the selection is lost.

Maybe an alternative for you is to use the SHIFT key: press SHIFT and mark the first and the last file you want and than press and hold the CRTL key to EXCLUDE the files you don't want in the selection. What to use just depends - are there less files to exclude or less files to include...
As before: every accidentally "mis"-click discard a previous selection. Which is - as said - IMHO not to avoid.

[sinus]

I think, you are right, Joerg.

Well, a very easy way to avoid this could be to use another windows layout.

If I use a tabular windows layout, it is nearly impossible to click between two thumbs, because there is no space.

If now Mario would allow or give us the possibility to get rid of the space between the thumbs (some pixels), then it we had a perfect layout for this, what David wants, because it would be simply not possible, clicking accidentally between two thumbs.

The layout editor, what we have now, does not give us such an entry to change the space between thumbs.
I think anyway, like David wrote, there are workarounds, but users wishes makes IMatch always stronger and stronger - except, sometimes also maybe weaker (too many preferences)!? 

[joel23]

I think, you are right, Joerg.

Well, a very easy way to avoid this could be to use another windows layout.

If I use a tabular windows layout, it is nearly impossible to click between two thumbs, because there is no space.

If now Mario would allow or give us the possibility to get rid of the space between the thumbs (some pixels), then it we had a perfect layout for this, what David wants, because it would be simply not possible, clicking accidentally between two thumbs.

Nope, disagree, Markus. This is not a real solution and I don't want a space-less layout.

It's is not (only) about clicking between two images. In the worse there are five different locations, where you get the same results when you miss an image by some pixel: above, below, right and left and the empty space below in the file window. With other words: the whole background.
You can click in the Media View or the Metadata/Info/Category/Keyword Panel and a selection stays, but as soon the background of the File Window is clicked once (or twice when getting back from another window, like Media View), you lose a selection, even when CTRL or SHIFT is pressed.

Eg. in Bridge it's just not possible to click the background neither in the content window nor in the preview window at least as long CTRL or SHIFT is pressed. You can even click a single thumb in the preview window to get the loupe and the selection does not change.

So IMHO this needs to be changed: while CRTL or SHIFT is pressed - regardless where some clicks - images should not get unselected.

[Mario]

So IMHO this needs to be changed: while CRTL or SHIFT is pressed - regardless where some clicks - images should not get unselected.

Makes sense and easy to change. Done for 5.2.10.

[sinus]

So, Joerg, you are right of course (BTW: I personally clicked in IM3 always (if) between two images), and the solution, what Mario now will do, is of course the best and very good.

Specially because it it easy to implement, like Mario writes, it makes a lot of sense.

[joel23]

So IMHO this needs to be changed: while CRTL or SHIFT is pressed - regardless where some clicks - images should not get unselected.

Makes sense and easy to change. Done for 5.2.10.

Thanks.

[David Werier]

Thanks Mario. This will be a very nice added touch to an already amazing piece of work you have created. Thanks again.

David