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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 11:49 pm 
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winstep wrote:
Thanks for the link to the GERMAN page lol. :)


It's auto-translated to german, I didn't understood a word. No idea why I got this link, my search terms in google were in english. It was a .com link after all. Didn't notice the "de" after the first slash. I thought it was auto-translated based on my location. However, didn't you get a big yellow box in the upper mid of the screen with an "english" button? I got this box...


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 11:54 pm 
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winstep wrote:

I mean, it works great if you have a sub-dock already open, all snuggled up close to the parent dock, and you are coming from *outside* the dock(s) - in that case the sub-dock will just magnify as expected.

But if you are coming from the parent dock, as you mouse away from it the parent dock de-magnifies and the sub-dock moves along with it, which often results in the mouse pointer overshooting the icon (in the sub-dock) you were aiming for. The smaller the icon sizes, the worse this gets - you're basically chasing a moving target.

So I'm not sure what can be done to solve this.


Alright. I can live with the current behavior. Maybe you could just add the "old" behavior as an option, for people who really hate the increased distance...


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:13 am 
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toniostarcevic wrote:
Maybe you could just add the "old" behavior as an option, for people who really hate the increased distance...


It is already an option, but the new behavior became the default.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:35 pm 
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toniostarcevic wrote:
Edit: If I understood correctly, you want to make both options available. If that's the case you could name them "static sub-dock height" and "dynamic sub-dock height".
I think this would make the function relatively clear, without adding too much explanation.


As I stated above, I'm not happy with the results, particularly with smaller icon sizes - with larger icon sizes, it's no so bad because you don't end up going off-target so much.

But I don't see a way to fix this, so I might as well give the user the chance to select whichever option he likes best:

1. Parent docks are not allowed to magnify when sub-docks are open, sub-docks open right next to parent (pre-v17.1 behavior)

2. Parent docks are allowed to magnify when sub-docks are open, sub-docks open at a distance large enough from parent that icon magnifying never becomes a problem. Drawback is that there can be a large gap between sub-docks and their parent. (new v17.1 behavior)

3. Parent docks are allowed to magnify when sub-docks are open, sub-docks dynamically position themselves in real time so magnifying icons from parent dock never overlap it. No gap between sub-docks and their parent when not mousing over the parent, but when moving the mouse pointer from the parent to the sub-dock the dynamic position can get in the way of getting the icon you want.

###

Once again regarding the new moon module: I just solved something that I got wrong (hey, I'm not an astronomer eheh) and was also bothering me because, if I actually went outside and looked at the moon, it might not appear in the same angle the moon module showed it.

The moon rotation (i.e. moon position angle) you see when animating the moon on the calendar module is 100% accurate, and this can be verified by comparing it with THIS PAGE on the NASA web site (for Northern Hemisphere, you can find a link for the Southern Hemisphere on that page too).

However, the moon position angle obtained that way is Geocentric, i.e.; relative to the center of the earth.

The 'Tilt Moon based on observer's location' setting was supposed to fix this (i.e. convert the rotation angle from Geocentric to Topocentric) by tilting the moon at a fixed angle based on the observer's latitude coordinate/angle.

This is wrong because it is not what happens, the angle is not fixed as I initially thought (rooky mistake, I was induced in error by something I read on the web - which made sense at the time, but has nothing to do with reality).

The actual topocentric angle varies as the earth rotates, depends on both the latitude and longitude coordinates, and is called the 'Parallactic Angle'. Subtracting the parallactic angle from the geocentric moon position angle results in a moon module that looks exactly the same as the real thing (i.e.; if you go outside and actually look at the moon in the sky).

However, the parallactic angle correction cannot be applied to the moon animation in the Moon Calendar: because it is related to the speed of the earth's rotation, it changes so fast that you get a bouncing mess instead of a smooth animation.

So, I'm going to change things so that the parallactic angle is applied to the actual moon module (provided 'Tilt moon based on observer's location on earth' is enabled, of course) but is ignored in the Moon Calendar and moon animations in the settings panels.

This way you still get a smooth geocentric animation in the Moon Calendar dialog, but also an accurate representation of what the moon actually looks like at that exact time and place if you look at the module itself.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:59 pm 
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seeker wrote:
i was thinking about maybe sub-dock being on top of magnified icons as a third setting, but i think your idea is better and more elegant if it works


wouldn't that ^ be preferable to overshooting the dock constantly?


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:17 pm 
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seeker wrote:
seeker wrote:
i was thinking about maybe sub-dock being on top of magnified icons as a third setting, but i think your idea is better and more elegant if it works


wouldn't that ^ be preferable to overshooting the dock constantly?


Hmmm, I could try making the sub-dock a child window of the parent dock to accomplish that... and see how well (or not) that works. But doing this has at least z-order implications since, the docks and sub-docks then become 'tied' together.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:26 pm 
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my thought was to make sub-dock opening in pre-17.1 manner but with z-order always on top, while parent dock is allowed to magnify in new v17.1 behavior

since sub-docks are only open while you need them 'always on top' shouldn't cause any problems (at least i cant think of any)


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:43 pm 
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Imagine you're trying to drag from an Explorer window into a sub-dock. An always-on-top sub-dock partly overlapping that same Explorer window can cause problems if the icons you want to drag are under it. There are other potential issues too.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:49 pm 
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didn't think of that since i first grab the icon then hover over the sub-dock holder to open it while holding the icon


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 6:16 pm 
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Not only that: z-order only has one level. Setting the sub-dock to be always on top would only work if the parent dock was not set to be always on top as well (and it can be set like that by the user). Furthermore the whole thing would break when you open a nested sub-dock, because then both sub-docks will be always on top.

Things are (almost) never as simple as they seem. :)

So, if that suggestion is to work, it has to be via SetParent. In that case Windows itself will (should) ensure a child window is never below the parent.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 12:03 am 
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Sorry to interrupt as I have nothing to add to the above.

I just renewed to get the latest version. Thanks for the Moon Phase widget, my suggestion way back. It is much better than what i had before. I look forward to finding what else is under the hood. Sadly though, this will likely be my last version as I am in the process of moving over to Linux, on a dual boot for a while as there is still software I need in Windows.

The flexibility and seemingly infinite customizability of Winstep software is such a welcomed contrast in an age when software is being continually dumbed down, over simplified and having functionality removed all in the name of user-friendliness and marketing to the lowest common denominator.

So Thank You and keep writing great code Jorge. Now, I know you won't do it, but Linux needs Winstep. Cairo is a poor substitute :wink:


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 12:26 am 
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Yellow wrote:
I just renewed to get the latest version. Thanks for the Moon Phase widget, my suggestion way back. It is much better than what i had before. I look forward to finding what else is under the hood. Sadly though, this will likely be my last version as I am in the process of moving over to Linux


WHAT?! Now that I implemented what you asked me for all that time ago you're jumping ship?! :P

Seriously now, I understand you. I - and a lot of other people, I suspect - would do the same if I could. I'm sick of Microsoft, its lack of respect for users and developers alike, and the direction it's taking these days.

Yellow wrote:
The flexibility and seemingly infinite customizability of Winstep software is such a welcomed contrast in an age when software is being continually dumbed down, over simplified and having functionality removed all in the name of user-friendliness and marketing to the lowest common denominator.

So Thank You and keep writing great code Jorge.


Thanks for the kind words! :)

Now don't be a stranger and come back from time to time to tell us poor Windows users about your Linux experience and how it compares to Windows. At least I'm interested, I'm sure others will be too!

Yellow wrote:
Now, I know you won't do it, but Linux needs Winstep. Cairo is a poor substitute :wink:


Eheh. Cairo it's actually pretty good, and a lot of Nexus features (particularly in terms of effects) were inspired by it.

Anyway, getting back to normal programming:

seeker wrote:
wouldn't that ^ be preferable to overshooting the dock constantly?


Well, what do you know? Your method (but by setting the parent dock as the window owner instead of messing with the z-order) actually works pretty well, even at smaller icon sizes (although it is a bit weird to see an icon magnify behind the sub-dock and extend beyond its other edge). :)

I don't know, I'm divided... On one hand I think I should let the user choose which method works best for him, on the other I know too much choice is not always a good thing - besides all the other methods have drawbacks (including the original), this one... not so much, you could say its the best of both worlds.

So perhaps I should remove choice and make this new method the only one available.

Or I could make a quick beta and let you guys decide.

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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:27 pm 
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Well, I have to say I'm not a fan of the big gap between the main dock and subdock. I prefer the old method and I have to admit that I never really thought it was problematic. I read somewhere above that this behavior was an option and could be changed. I looked for a place to change this option but couldn't find it. How can I select the original behavior?


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 5:00 pm 
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http://prntscr.com/e7f8zc

per dock settings, not sure if there is a global option


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 Post subject: Re: So, what's next after v16.12?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:13 pm 
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It's global. Global settings have the little 'world' icon next to them. And no, it's not also available in the main Preferences dialog.

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