Filenames truncated in drop-down list

Hi,

Is there any chance that you (Toni...) could change the display of the drop-down list for files so that we can always see the right-most part of the filename. As you can see from the attachment, given the length of the path (especially when looking insider archives) it's difficult to select the correct file.

Thanks for all the hard work,
Rob

[Toni Wilen]

I don't think Windows supports right aligned drop down lists.

I was thinking more along the lines of only populating the list with with say:
"w:\abc\def...\full filename.adf" - although I'll concede that what's in the list may be what gets passed back to the program which wouldn't be ideal. Ideally what's displayed should be seperate to the string that's returned when that option is selected.

I appreciate what VC++ offers might not be good enough, I'll try and take a look into it (or think of a better way - navigating the TOSEC demo's archive isn't particularly friendly from the GUI, long paths are probably unavoidable)

I really like the idea of the archive support (automatically looking inside rar files in my case) - just trying to make it easier for me to start demos on demand.

BTW: Any chance of the archive expansion supporting files ending with .exe? I've a lot of executable binaries which I'd like to rar up rather than leave uncompressed.

Thanks for all the hard work,
Rob

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Silk

I was thinking more along the lines of only populating the list with with say:
"w:\abc\def...\full filename.adf" - although I'll concede that what's in the list may be what gets passed back to the program which wouldn't be ideal. Ideally what's displayed should be seperate to the string that's returned when that option is selected.

This is unfortunately idea that is not worth the trouble to implement. Clipping the text properly inside the text box is quite impossible.. and I won't create any custom dialogs. I still hate GUI programming

BTW: Any chance of the archive expansion supporting files ending with .exe? I've a lot of executable binaries which I'd like to rar up rather than leave uncompressed.

Done

[Codetapper]

Toni: Could you perhaps do a "cheat" version of this? Instead of creating one drop down list, create 2 - one being invisible. The invisible one is effectively the current one you have, and everytime you populate the list, you put the shortened version into the display list in the same order. If the user selects a game, the index will be the same for both lists so you can lookup the full path by looking in the invisible list, but the user only sees the shortened version. And no GUI programming required!

[BippyM]

How about just displaying the filename and removing the path?

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by bippym

How about just displaying the filename and removing the path?

good idea, i second it, if possible

[Toni Wilen]

It isn't that easy, length of textbox is unknown and font is non-proportional. I guess it is possible but I am quite sure it is something I don't even want to know..

Removing paths: what about users who have identically named files in multiple directories. (for example, can happen when testing adfs)

[BippyM]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

It isn't that easy, length of textbox is unknown and font is non-proportional. I guess it is possible but I am quite sure it is something I don't even want to know..

Removing paths: what about users who have identically named files in multiple directories. (for example, can happen when testing adfs)

Have the option of having full paths or filenames.. I rarely see filenames anyway as the path is so long!

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Removing paths: what about users who have identically named files in multiple directories. (for example, can happen when testing adfs)

is that adjustablewith a tooltip 'lil popup window?

[andreas]

Originally Posted by bippym

Have the option of having full paths or filenames.. I rarely see filenames anyway as the path is so long!

Same problem here.
It's more a guessing game when selecting files.

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

It isn't that easy, length of textbox is unknown and font is non-proportional. I guess it is possible but I am quite sure it is something I don't even want to know..

Removing paths: what about users who have identically named files in multiple directories. (for example, can happen when testing adfs)

I personally don't see the problem. At the moment if you have any files inside your "My Documents" folder, the drop down list is almost unusable. Why not just put in the file without any path at all so it's just the filename. If that item already exists in the listbox, add the path or a shortened version of the path by comparing where it differs from any existing entry. eg:

c:\documents and settings\codetapper\my documents\winuae\hunter.adf
f:\amiga\backup\games\Hunter.adf
f:\backup\games\Hunter.adf

The bottom one would be first so goes in as Hunter.adf.

Then you hit f:\amiga\backup\games\Hunter.adf and it detects that the filename Hunter.adf is already in the list. So it only puts in the different parts. So it would appear as say f:\amiga\...\Hunter.adf.

Then you hit the top one, and you can put in something like c:\...\Hunter.adf

Any shortening of the path would be a great improvement imho...


or how about this?

Put the entries in with the filename FIRST, then the path at the end, preferably indented/tabbed etc?

Hunter.adf   c:\documents and settings\
Hunter.adf   f:\amiga\games\
Hunter.adf   f:\backup\amiga\games

That would be really good as the filename is the important bit, and if there are multiple games with the same filename you then check the secondary part, the path?

[BippyM]

Or display the filename and the CRC only, most adf testers would probably be okay with this and also know the differing versions..

Or have the rightmost part of the path and the filename, after-all you can't have 2 adf's with the same name in the same path!

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by bippym

Or display the filename and the CRC only, most adf testers would probably be okay with this and also know the differing versions..

Or have the rightmost part of the path and the filename, after-all you can't have 2 adf's with the same name in the same path!

You could have this problem:

c:\program files\winuae\hd\games\g\golden_axe.adf
c:\backup\program files\winuae\hd\games\g\golden_axe.adf

Having the last part of the path would end up showing exactly the same string in the dropdown list.

I really think filename <tab/indent> path is the simplest way to go! After all, when you've got 50 games in the list, you just want to select the game and having to find the filename amongst a long path is difficult enough as it is...

[Toni Wilen]

or how about this?

Put the entries in with the filename FIRST, then the path at the end, preferably indented/tabbed etc?

Good idea but it is not possible to indent it.. It is just a simple string and indenting proportional font with spaces looks crappy.

I tried without indenting and it works but feels slightly weird..

filename.adf [x:\path\to\somewhere\]
some.adf [x:\path\to\elsewhere\]

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Good idea but it is not possible to indent it.. It is just a simple string and indenting proportional font with spaces looks crappy.

In Delphi it's very easy to over-ride all paint events yourself, so I would think you can do it in C aswell. Everytime the control needs to be drawn it calls the OnDrawItem event and you are given the bounding rectangle where the object is - you can then just print text onto that canvas and thus indent easily. You don't have to worry about clipping either, Windows handles all that automatically. Another option maybe?

I tried without indenting and it works but feels slightly weird..

filename.adf [x:\path\to\somewhere\]
some.adf [x:\path\to\elsewhere\]

I would rather have that than what it currently has - maybe a tickbox option somewhere so the user can decide which format they like?

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

In Delphi it's very easy to over-ride all paint events yourself, so I would think you can do it in C aswell. Everytime the control needs to be drawn it calls the OnDrawItem event and you are given the bounding rectangle where the object is - you can then just print text onto that canvas and thus indent easily. You don't have to worry about clipping either, Windows handles all that automatically. Another option maybe?

Did you already forget I said I hate GUI programming?

I would rather have that than what it currently has - maybe a tickbox option somewhere so the user can decide which format they like?

No. I am very much against more or less useless options. Especially options that don't have anything to do with emulation settings.

[T_hairy_bootson]

As a compromise perhaps a tool tip popping up showing the full path + filename when you hover the mouse above the path in the box...


/me ducks Toni's wrath

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Did you already forget I said I hate GUI programming?

If only it was written in Delphi, sigh