-Brading Software Message Board
+--Forum: Mp3/Tag Studio Suggestions
+---Topic: UI flickering and some tagging stuff. :) started by Jens Vogel
Posted by: Jens Vogel on July 18 2004,00:23
Hi!
I bought a license of Mp3Tag Studio several versions (and years :)) ago and wanted to bring some things to your attention.
1) I'm missing the "maximize" button. :-) From the UI layout I gather that Mp3Tag Studio is not intended to be run at full screen (all pptions are always centered, etc.). However, to get the biggest directory tree view possible it's necessary to maximize the Mp3Tag Studio window "manually". So I wonder why the maximize button is disabled.
2) That's something I noticed ever since I bought Mp3Tag Studio - on different PCs and using different graphics cards: Mp3Tag Studio makes all open windows and visible icons on the desktop flicker several times when started. It used to be this way back in my Nvidia days and it's like that now that I have an Ati Radeon 9800 Pro (Dual Head, two screens). Also, when the window is resized, the big, blackish "Mp3TagStudio" Logo image flickers massively. Mp3Tag Studio seems to handle the graphics engine of windows differently than other applications. It seems to refresh it's GUI very slowly.
I had a chat with a friend of mine this evening, and I asked him to reproduce this "flickering upon start". He can't reproduce it. That's very odd, because as I just said, I've experienced this on my PC ever since (and its hardware changed a lot over the past Months and years).
A similar thing happens when the "Explorer Browser Tree" is swithed on. I can clearly see that the main window is resized to the right and immediately afterwards resized to normal (this time, of course, with the tree switched on).
3) That's just cosmetic, but as I'm a programmer myself, I can't help mentioning it. I think the eight tabs on the main "Name and tag tools" window are a bad idea. The reason is simple: The keep changing position whenever a tab is clicked. Over the months I got used to it, but it's still annoying. You probably don't notice that anymore, as you know Mp3Tag Studio better than the back of your hand. But I still find it confusing from time to time, especially when doing lots of mp3 operations and when it's therefore necessary to swith the tabs quickly and lots of times. "Erm, where was 'Mass set tags/flags' again? *looking around, irritated* Ah, ther it is - in the upper row now." My suggestion would be to use toggle buttons (like the two in the upper right corner). The stay where they are, like the tabs they clearly indicate which one is currently activated and they don't use more space either. I understand that this would mean a major change in your main UI, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
Normally tabs are used on option screens - some settings are made and then the window is closed until the next time when a change should be necessary (usually not that often). But in Mp3Tag Studio they are being used to access the main functionality of the application, which gives those tabs a different quality. Maybe it's just me. But I'm usually giving UI design lots of thought, and in my opinion the tabs are not the best solution.
4) I noticed something by accident: With some of my files, some other mp3-related program I use displayed ID3 informtaion clearly not present in the tags. I checked with MP3Tag Studio and the ID3v1 tag was disabled and the ID3v2 Tag contained what I had entered. But when I examined the mp3 file with a hex editor, I found track information I never entered and didn't know it even existed. And apparently this other program of mine dug this information burried in the file structure up. Now, whether or not this program had a bug and should have shown the correct information anyway: Is it possible to set Mp3Tag Studio so that it erases this old tagging information?
Well, I can't think of anything else at the moment. :-) Apart from those things: Thumbs up, Mp3Tag Studio is just great - and I'm using it fro a very long time now.
Bye,
Jens
Posted by: Magnus Brading on July 18 2004,17:32
A major GUI code rewrite is planned, which will hopefully remedy most of the issues you mention (which are also known to me already), including the maximized button. Please stay tuned.
About the tabs, I'm aware of the problem too, the only bad thing with exchanging them for something else, e.g. toggle buttons, is that tabs are very common and well known to people, contrary to many other custom solutions, and using common controls is always good to make people intuitively understand that GUI faster (but of course the best control for the job should still always be used, I agree).
About the "hidden data" in the tags, Mp3/Tag Studio should never remove any data from the tags that it is not explicitly told to remove. Try to look under the "Advanced ID3v2 info" box of the browse tool on these files, and see if you find the data there. Also, some programs store data in proprietary formats inside binary ID3v2 frames, in which case you would only see such a frame listed in Mp3/Tag Studio, but not any further info about its contents.
Posted by: Jens Vogel on July 20 2004,22:37
Hi!
Great to hear about the changes. I'm looking forward to them!
In response to what you said about the "hidden" tag data: You were right, as it turned out those were remainders of MusicMatch Jukebox and other applications.
Bye,
Jens
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