V4.2.10 beta channel release

[chaley]

V4.2.10.1:

• Find random book action. Tapping it will choose a book from the currently listed books and open book details on that book.
• DB upgrade small performance improvement
• [BUG FIX]Fix cloud connection losing second and later authors, identifiers, and author links when downloading books.
• [BUG FIX]Detect when the "Group on startup" group is no longer in the grouping drawer. Reset the option if the group is gone.
• [BUG FIX]Disable the Read action in the content server book details if no formats have been downloaded, rather than telling you that you must download a format first.
• [BUG FIX]Fix sometimes not remembering the last search when CC restarts.

[kaufman]

I like to startup group to no grouping. If I set things to no grouping, and say set the group on startup option, it shows a dialog saying that the option will be unchecked because the group "" is no longer shown in the grouping drawer. Maybe it should silently do that change, or allow no grouping as a valid option.

Also, if it can be done easily, it might be nice to show what the option is currently set to. Its not needed, because the user can see it when they start the app, but it might be nice if the user was thinking about changing it to se what it currently is.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

I like to startup group to no grouping. If I set things to no grouping, and say set the group on startup option, it shows a dialog saying that the option will be unchecked because the group "" is no longer shown in the grouping drawer. Maybe it should silently do that change, or allow no grouping as a valid option.

I forgot that one. The "no group" is special cased and not in the list of known groups. I will fix it and make another release tomorrow.

Also, if it can be done easily, it might be nice to show what the option is currently set to. Its not needed, because the user can see it when they start the app, but it might be nice if the user was thinking about changing it to se what it currently is.

I thought of this too. It isn't one line of code, but it isn't so hard that I shouldn't do it. I hope to have it in tomorrow's release.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

Also, if it can be done easily, it might be nice to show what the option is currently set to. Its not needed, because the user can see it when they start the app, but it might be nice if the user was thinking about changing it to se what it currently is.

I was wrong. Turns out that the preferences system controls the checkbox, but the value stored is controlled somewhere else. That value is stored only after exiting preferences back to the book list.

Oh well ...

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

Oh well ...

Countdown to you posting that you have found a way to do this starts in 3...2...1...

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

V4.2.10.1:

• Find random book action. Tapping it will choose a book from the currently listed books and open book details on that book.

The menu is getting crowded. If you are interested, perhaps you could do some of the following:

1) add an option to hide the random book search
2) Merge translation credits, about and help into one entry by adding a link for the translation credits. and changing the label to help/about. All the help info is in about anyhow.
3) i would love to move books with missing files somewhere, but i cant think of where.

thoughts?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

Countdown to you posting that you have found a way to do this starts in 3...2...1...

Oh dear, now you have challenged my manly capabilities. What to do? Nothing so I show you I can stand strong? Or something, admitting I am weak? Oh Oh Oh ...

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

The menu is getting crowded. If you are interested, perhaps you could do some of the following:

1) add an option to hide the random book search
2) Merge translation credits, about and help into one entry by adding a link for the translation credits. and changing the label to help/about. All the help info is in about anyhow.
3) i would love to move books with missing files somewhere, but i cant think of where.

thoughts?

There are some difficult choices here.

I put the translation credits front and center in hopes that people who might help would notice, and I am loath to remove it. I really want people to realize that they can help. I don't know whether it is effective, but as we now have 25 people contributing to translations I suspect that it is.

(Re)Moving "Books with missing files" creates a large discoverability problem. One reason that the menu item is there is that people might not even realize that the problem could arise.

Adding yet another option to remove "Missing books" is of course possible, but downside is that the sheer number of settings is creating problems with people finding any of them. Comments (really, complaints) about the complexity of the settings have been increasing for some time. On the other hand, one could argue that there are already so many settings that adding one more doesn't change anything. I would be tempted to remove the missing books function before adding an option. I added it because of a wishlist comment and to see if I could, even though I think the function is close to useless. As I said before, sigh.

What you say about "About" and "Help" is right on. I can combine those two into a single menu line. I even think I can do this without breaking translations, but that remains to be seen.

[iatheia]

What about adding a "search" for the settings, like what Android Settings has? Sometimes I know that a certain setting does exist, and I probably even seen it somewhere before, but I don't remember what menu, but it requires digging though all sorts of menus and submenus in order to be able to locate it. Having a search would simplify having to deal with the large volume of settings.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

There are some difficult choices here.

I put the translation credits front and center in hopes that people who might help would notice, and I am loath to remove it. I really want people to realize that they can help. I don't know whether it is effective, but as we now have 25 people contributing to translations I suspect that it is.

What if you put them in the language selection screen?

Originally Posted by chaley

(Re)Moving "Books with missing files" creates a large discoverability problem. One reason that the menu item is there is that people might not even realize that the problem could arise.

Agreed, I couldn't think of where to put it. Do people use it? Perhaps you could change it to an option that automatically removes books with missing files on connection.

Originally Posted by chaley

Adding yet another option to remove "Missing books" is of course possible, but downside is that the sheer number of settings is creating problems with people finding any of them. Comments (really, complaints) about the complexity of the settings have been increasing for some time.

I take a lot of the blame for that. Sorry.

Still, as you said, one more option (for the random book thing) only makes it slightly worse.


In any case, its a small thing. The important parts of that menu are at the top anyhow.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by iatheia

What about adding a "search" for the settings, like what Android Settings has? Sometimes I know that a certain setting does exist, and I probably even seen it somewhere before, but I don't remember what menu, but it requires digging though all sorts of menus and submenus in order to be able to locate it. Having a search would simplify having to deal with the large volume of settings.

This is an excellent idea, but unfortunately I can't see how to do it in any standard way. Android seems to have added it in Lollipop, but even there I don't find any aids for setting it up.

In spare moments I will look at rolling my own.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

What if you put them in the language selection screen?

I don't want to do that, because then the person would need to find that setting. As it is, people get a hint that both language settings as well as the possibility of improving CC's translations exist.

Still, as you said, one more option (for the random book thing) only makes it slightly worse.

I will look at adding the option to the "Menus" settings group.

[chaley]

V4.2.10.2:

• Add option to remove Find Random Book in Menu settings
• Combine About and Help dialogs
• [BUGFIX]Fix groups on startup regression where "no grouping" was not accepted

[kaufman]

All changes are working.

One issue. The set grouping at startup makes no sense as a check box. It's not about turning it off and on, it's about setting it to the current value. If you want to change get it, you have to turn it off and then on again.

If you know the current grouping when you go I to the settings, maybe it would make more sense to have a button here and a label to say "set startup grouping to whatever_it_is" . Maybe have a second button for none.

[iatheia]

Originally Posted by kaufman

All changes are working.

One issue. The set grouping at startup makes no sense as a check box. It's not about turning it off and on, it's about setting it to the current value. If you want to change get it, you have to turn it off and then on again.

If you know the current grouping when you go I to the settings, maybe it would make more sense to have a button here and a label to say "set startup grouping to whatever_it_is" . Maybe have a second button for none.

I actually think it would make even more sense to move it away from settings to the grouping drawer, for example, by making adding option of setting or clearing away a certain grouping as a default by a long press. It would make it a bit more difficult to "discover" this option, but I think it would be less confusing what this would actually do.