IMatch 2017 Version Stack Visuals

[Mario]

IMatch 2017 includes an enhancement for version stacks that will be very useful for many users users: version stack proxies.

You can now set a new option for a version (Version Stack Visual). This option works like a visual proxy - but only when the version stack is collapsed.
With this new option you can now designate a specific file in a version stack to represent the version set in the collapsed state. In IMatch 5 it was always the master, now you can choose.

For detailed information and screen shots which explain this, check out the release notes for IMatch 2017 at https://www.photools.com/release-notes/?productId=144

[sinus]

Ahhhh-YES!
COOL!

Thanks a lot, Mario, VERY good, this sounds quite like the thing, on what I have waited since a long time. 

[bonsai]

The missing option 
Great!

[Jingo]

Indeed... yes... visual proxies is indeed a great enhancement.... is it based on a file type, filename or chosen individually per stack?

[Mario]

.... is it based on a file type, filename or chosen individually per stack?

Neither.
It is an option you can set for a file relation rule. If you have a rule that makes .JPG a version of .PSD and you enable the "version stack visual" option, the JPEG file will be shown as the stack top visual - works like the standard proxy image.

IMatch shows the proxy image instead of the 'real' master image.
But it still shows the data  (file name etc. of the master).
It just swaps the image, to be compatible with how normal proxy images work.

I envision that some users may want it different.

If they make a JPEG the visual stack proxy, and the stack is collapsed, they probably want to master to be removed entirely and the JPEG shown instead (e.g. you see the file "beach.JPG" when you collapse the stack else the master "beach.RAW").

But this will be very hard to implement I think. From sorting to searching to filtering to grouping etc, So many things depend on how this works now. So I had to make a compromise.

[sinus]

If they make a JPEG the visual stack proxy, and the stack is collapsed, they probably want to master to be removed entirely and the JPEG shown instead (e.g. you see the file "beach.JPG" when you collapse the stack else the master "beach.RAW").

But this will be very hard to implement I think. From sorting to searching to filtering to grouping etc, So many things depend on how this works now. So I had to make a compromise.

I think, this is what I have written in my feature request as a minor thing:
The only (minor) thing is, thought the jpg (proxy) is on top, there is written (if we have configured this) on the thumb layout "nef" instead of "jpg" or whatever version-format. But this is really a minor thing.

Compared to the huge enhancement for me this is really a minor thing, specialy if it would be so hard to implement, like you wrote, Mario.

One question, what I am not sure:
Can I see in the collapsed version stack, that the top image is a "version stack visual" with another icon or another border color or so?

But anyway, it is great, that you have implemented this! 

[Mario]

Can I see in the collapsed version stack, that the top image is a "version stack visual" with another icon or another border color or so?

No. Too many icons already.
This is such an advanced feature that I doubt that more than a few dozen users will ever use it. Or even know what it does.
You will just have to remember that the image shown for a collapsed version stack is not necessarily the master. But you already need to do that if you use proxies, right?

If you think this is a problem, just keep the version panel open at all times.

[sinus]

If you think this is a problem, just keep the version panel open at all times.

No, this is not a problem for me, I wanted only to know.

Fine, thanks again for the implementation!