Endless Update Loop

[Drift]

After installing today's program update (4.23.1), restarting Coollector puts it in a loop of redownloading the update and prompting the user to install it again.

I know you'll fix that soon, but let me say here that I think the tab-less redesign is a huge mistake. Things that were easy to do before, cross-referencing actors and roles, are now much harder to do, because it requires fiddling with a drop down menu. Tabs are quick and easy, drop down menus are slow and tedious.

If you did it because you think the new design looks better, I'll have to disagree about that too.

I downloaded the redesign when it was a beta and stopped using it immediately, but now you have removed the option to use the old design. The old design was better by far. Please give us the option to keep using it.

[(cool) Hector]

After installing today's program update (4.23.1), restarting Coollector puts it in a loop of redownloading the update and prompting the user to install it again.

Thank you very much for reporting that issue, it's now fixed.

You'll have to update one more/last time, I apologize for the trouble.

let me say here that I think the tab-less redesign is a huge mistake. Things that were easy to do before, cross-referencing actors and roles, are now much harder to do, because it requires fiddling with a drop down menu. Tabs are quick and easy, drop down menus are slow and tedious.

Please explain what "cross-referencing actors and roles" means. What's your workflow? Are you in single or dual pane mode?

If you did it because you think the new design looks better, I'll have to disagree about that too.

I've always hated the tabs design, it was a mistake from the beginning, I felt ashamed about it and I'm so relieved that it's now gone.

To begin with, the app looked weird, no other movie app is organized this way. Having a main interface with half a dozen tabs, it's a no-no, it's amateurish. You've gotten used to it but for new users it's a barrier to entry. With the new design the app looks more like other apps that users are already familiar with, such as the various streaming apps, Plex, Jellyfin, etc... and I'll double down in that direction with an upcoming update.

On top of that, there were cases where the old design didn't make sense and even myself I could get confused, even after all those years using it. For example if you're using the single pane mode, it's ridiculous that the tabs keep moving around and only half of them are visible. When I can't find the tab that I want to select, I have to do some thinking, make it appear, and now I can click it

Finally, it's hard to deny that visually the app looks slightly better now, I'll be surprised if you don't agree with that. It's less cluttered, less "weird", and we gained some space.

The old design was better by far. Please give us the option to keep using it.

Unfortunately it's not possible, it was a complete rewrite, the internals of the app have changed to a point that it's impossible to keep both designs. Controls look and act differently, events propagate differently, various actions must be taken in different order, etc... etc... Even myself I hadn't anticipated that it'd take this many changes

[(cool) Hector]

Tabs are quick and easy, drop down menus are slow and tedious.

What if there was a keyboard shortcut? Could be even faster than tab, would you find it useful?

[Drift]

Workflow (double pane):
1. Name Search actor
2. Click on a movie they've been in (left pane)
3. Right pane shows other actors in that movie
4. Click on one of those actors to see what movies they've been in

Now, to return to the original actor requires using the drop down menu (Name Search again)
With the old version, returning to the original actor was a tab click.

Anyone doing this 100 times a day (me) will think of the drop down menu as a speed bump.

[Drift]

It's true that the original actor that was Name Searched is still present in the right pane as a costar or whatever, but sometimes their position in the list takes real effort to find. Could be way at the bottom as a production assistant, for example. The old version was just faster at this kind of cross referencing.

A keyboard shortcut might be the answer, but it depends on the implementation.

[(cool) Hector]

Now, to return to the original actor requires using the drop down menu (Name Search again)
With the old version, returning to the original actor was a tab click.

The new design added a new button to bring back the panel that was replaced by another one, in your case the person's name search. At first the button is of course hidden, but when it appears, it's located at the top right and looks like 2 arrows one above the other.

=> if you use that button, it's 1 click again

This new button can be very useful in many cases. When a panel gets replaced, you don't even have to think what's the name of the panel you want to make reappear, you just click the button and the panel is back! Personally I use that button a lot.

[(cool) Hector]

A keyboard shortcut might be the answer, but it depends on the implementation.

For the filtered searches, I was thinking about that combination:

Control + F => movie filtered search
Control + G => person filtered search

I hadn't thought it would be useful for the string searches too, but we should easily find a suitable combination. Do you have a suggestion?

[(cool) Hector]

Regarding the new button, it could have its own keyboard shortcut, maybe "Control + B"
('B' for 'B'ack).

[Drift]

I didn't see the new arrow button, but that probably solves my problem. Nice!

What I really want is Command-H. "H" for history.

[Drift]

p.s. whatever keyboard shortcuts you come up with, I will use them.

[(cool) Hector]

What I really want is Command-H. "H" for history.

I think that in the future I'll add a history feature, but it won't be soon because I have other things that are more prioritary.

[(cool) Hector]

The old design was better by far. Please give us the option to keep using it.

Unfortunately it's not possible, it was a complete rewrite, the internals of the app have changed to a point that it's impossible to keep both designs.

I can't bring back the tabs, but I can organize the menus any way I want. For example, if the window is wide enough, I can replace a menu by individual buttons that take a single click.

I propose to add a setting to decide if we explode or not (when possible) the movie menu and/or the person menu...

What do you think?

[Drift]

Sorry for my delay in responding. I didn't see your post.

The two windows that really matter - the ones I want to access quickly - are Title Search and Name Search. If you added buttons for just those two, I would be happy.

[(cool) Hector]

I will add a new setting called "Individual Menus" with a bunch of checkboxes. There'll be "Movie Panel", "Movie Filters", "Title Search", etc...

By default they'll all be unchecked, which corresponds to the current appearance.

You'll be able to check which menu elements will have their own individual button, actionable with a single click, i.e. working like "Stats".

If the main window isn't wide enough, they'll be grouped again.

[Drift]

Hector, you are amazing! Those changes will definitely be a big help. Thanks!