Request: customize column profiles

General Discussion
1

99% of the time I do 2-3 kinds of work. And each of them either benefits or requires different set of columns being displayed. And as such, sometimes I have to turn on and turn off the same columns during the same day. So I do the same dull task over and over again. And my list of columns has over 30 positions, from which this 99% of the time I use around 10, from which I use 5-6 [depending on the kinf of work I'm doing]

If I could save the currently selected [turned on] columns then I could load them [choose that setting] from some kind of list. And then go back to other set. And so on

I know there already is this "Utils" in columns window, with option for loading and saving profiles. But:

  • it requires to go into a submenu [with only two positions to choose from]
  • a lot of the Columns window has an empty space [that could be used for new stuff]
  • those profiles store also the list of available columns [so every INI file can have different arrangement columns or even a list of different columns]

So why not:

  • add "Save" [set] a "Load" [set] as a button in the same place as "New", "Delete", Move up", "Move down", "Hide"; ditching the "Utils"
  • separate overall list of columns from saved profile; so that always one list of columns to choose from would show up

Of course then there would be a problem of missing columns, if for example in a set of them [in the INI file] would be a request for a column that was removed form the overall list. But that could be overcome very simply by making two lists: one overall and second with the selected columns. The overall list of columns could be even wiped out clean at some point, because INI file of a given set would still store columns that are meant to be displayed in a given profile. So the overall list would serve as a kind of menu [for preparing and modifying sets], being a separate entity [INI file in a different folder]

That would also make the view more clearer. In that sense that I could have those 30 something columns listed in the overall list, but this time in a [maybe] alphabetical order [if I choose such approach], and not is a chaotic order of often used positions. And the second list would have only those 5 or 6 columns really used in a given set. The overall list still would be crowded but the list-in-usage could be short

Such a change would also implicate the addition of buttons for coping columns between those two lists [the overall list and the active / loaded one], so that the user would not have to waste time to manually create or re-create a column in overall list if any column were to be removed but at the same time retained in one of the short lists

Also going further: some of those saved sets could be chosen to be turned [loaded] via an icon from the Toolbar. I know that or now it is not possible to choose icon on that Toolbar, and as such I could not have a separate icon for every setting that I would want there to be, but one extra icon could switch [circle] through all of the list of sets. That would make user go less into Columns window

2

Here is an extremely professional visualization of my ideas

3

Here is more accurate graphic represantation of the changes that I am proposing

4

Before that, a very basic and common column management feature that I expect to see in this type of interface is the ability to easily enable and disable columns via drop down list with checkboxes. Like in Windows Explorer. Why this hasn't been done yet baffles me.

5

If I recall correctly, a few months ago I made such an request

And it was diminished, with some explanation

6

What you're requesting here makes a lot of sense.

It could be made even more comprehensive by saving not only the column layout, but also the Tag Panel. This would probably also simplify the interface considerably. You'd just need "Save layout" and "Load layout" selections up in the View menu and a simple dialog box.

7

Yes, that would be a another logical step forward, if my suggestion was to be implemented

8

That would be great!
I have a lot of additional fields (above all because of classical music), and I could use this for example for a switch between working on classical music and rock/pop music.

Please please extend this very helpful software by a very helpful feature!!

Thank you!

9

There is a button called "Utils" in the "Modify columns" dialogue where you can load and save configuration files.
The name is to be set by the user.
So you can create a configuration file for pop called e.g. "pop" and one for classical music, called e.g. "classical".
So I would think that this function already exists.

10

Thank you, I found that (now)!
It only seems a little bit deep in the dialog to switch...

Is there also a possibility for the tag panel which I didn't find?

11

There is still the function to save the overall configuration. See the File menue for that.
There is no special function to deal particularly with the tag panel.

What kind of fields would you put into the tag panel - as the tag panel has its special virtues for fields that have the same value for several files.
If the contents varies, wouldn't the file list be the better place for editing?

12

Create a zip file looks like backing up the configuration, not like the possibility to switch the configuration.

I don't need fields like Composition, Chorus, Orchestra, Conductor when I am tagging Rock&Pop.

I don't know how to edit 4 lines simultaneously to set the same COMPOSITION in the file list. And besides I would not want to miss the possibility to select the correct item out of a input field's combo box, if there are different values...

In the moment the switch to the alternative column layout is very deep. If we had a more variable tool bar there would be a great place...

13

You can put the user-defined fields to the bottom of the tag panel so that they scroll out of the way.
And fields that are not filled do not exist in the files.
So they do no harm when they are present in the tag-panel.

But we are discussing a certain kind of workflow which is pointless in most cases. I only tried to show the current options.

14

Yes, and scroll and scroll and scroll every time???
I wouldn't have defined them if I wanted them "out of the way"...

15

Yes, I think that is the consequence, if you need more fields in the tag panel. It is already fairly packed, so that 4 additional fields make it even longer.
But what does this have to do with a way to save configurations and switch between them?
As far as I understand it, the tagging of classical music requires more fields than that of pop music.
I assume that the classical fields come on top (quantity-wise) of the pop fields. So the scrolling would be there even if you could switch between configurations.
Or where did I go wrong?

16

The feature has been requested by another user: /t/18631/1

17

A new proposition of upgrade to the column innerworkings: /t/19362/1

18

With the addition of this feature

I guess it will be now harder to implement my request for Columns profiles. Because the profiles would also have to be incorporated into the context menu. So here are my thoughts:


Maybe at the top there could be a list of profiles - and below a separator a list of Columns? And the active profile would be somehow highlighted? And if even one Column would be changed then automatically a new profiles would be created, with a name like "Temporary"? And that profile would disappear completely when a saved profile [available in the list at the top] would become chosen

Or maybe there could be two lists, side by side? On the left the list of profiles and on the right the list of Columns? Just imagine how easily and quickly we could circle through them and check out which Columns are active in which profile. And then maybe we could turn on and off Column in each profile through that [right side of] context menu- and thus automatically save a change to a manipulated profile [thus disregarding a need for a Temporary Profile]