image browser

AaronShep · 03-16-2022, 11:35 PM

I'm using Sigil 1.9.2 on MacOS 10.13.6. When I Ctrl-Click on the Images folder in the Book Browser and click on "Add Existing Files," I get a dialog to select the images to add. BUT the dialog only lets me choose files on my boot drive. It will not let me navigate to any other internal drive on the same computer (a 2010 Mac Pro). I assume it will not let me navigate to an external drive either, but I have not tested that.

Anyone who, like me, keeps data files on other drives would be greatly helped if they could reach those images through this dialog. (For now, my workaround is to manually move the images I need onto the boot drive and then remember to remove them after use.)

Ashjuk · 03-17-2022, 05:05 AM

I can confirm that right clicking on the Images folder can access all drives on a Windows PC. I can access my second hard drive, and also my NAS device.

I have not got any portable hard drives plugged in at the moment, but I'm sure Sigil would see them too.

KevinH · 03-17-2022, 10:06 AM

On a Mac, when the file dialog pops up, click on the left pane and select "Computer".

In the right pane, right click to get the context menu and enable "Show Hidden Files".

Then you will see the Volumes and can select external drives.

I have no idea why the macOS now decided to call Volumes hidden. Makes no sense to me but ...

Here is a screen shot of Sigil on my mac:

AaronShep · 03-17-2022, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH

On a Mac, when the file dialog pops up, click on the left pane and select "Computer".

In the right pane, right click to get the context menu and enable "Show Hidden Files".

Then you will see the Volumes and can select external drives.

I have no idea why the macOS now decided to call Volumes hidden. Makes no sense to me but ...

Thanks, Kevin! That worked for me. And then I could drag volumes and folders into the left pane for quick access later.

Still, it seems like it's something that should be fixed in Sigil, doesn't it? If you use the File Open command, it shows "Volumes" whether or not you choose to show hidden files. And anyway, the left-panel choice says "Computer," so it should really give a listing of all drives, not the contents of the boot drive. Very confusing!

DiapDealer · 03-17-2022, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronShep

Still, it seems like it's something that should be fixed in Sigil, doesn't it?

If it's already a native file dialog, probably not. If it's a non-native Qt dialog, then maybe/maybe not. That's one of things about supporting 3 different platforms with the same codebase: there are always going to be compromises to be made on all 3 of those platforms.

AaronShep · 03-17-2022, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If it's already a native file dialog, probably not. If it's a non-native Qt dialog, then maybe/maybe not. That's one of things about supporting 3 different platforms with the same codebase: there are always going to be compromises to be made on all 3 of those platforms.

I understand, but it seems the wrong file dialog is being called, or it's being called in the wrong way. On my Mac, when I click on the Computer icon in the Finder, it brings up a list of all drives, not a directory of the boot drive. And if I click on the boot drive in the Finder, "Volumes" does not show up. And this is consistent in file opening dialogues across every other Mac app I use.

It seems like someone added a non-hidden "Volumes" to the File Open dialog to address the same problem I'm seeing in Add Existing Files for Images -- but failed to apply it in both places. But like I said, it's not the way the native dialog normally works anyway.

But I'm not a programmer, so I should shut up now.

KevinH · 03-17-2022, 12:35 PM

The File->Open one calls QFileDialog::getOpenFileName(), and the AddExisting one calls QFileDialog::getOpenFileNames() (note the plural) because the first only opens one file while the second allows the user to select multiple files to open at the same time.

So it is a bug in Qt if they work differently. One of many. We used to use native file dialogs in Qt on Mac but that caused crashes so we switched to non-native dialogs from Qt on Macs.

But then you get bugs like:

https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-6875

That you can fix if you manually use QFileDialog and set your own sidebars but that is not how we do it in Sigil and we open files in lots and lots of places.

Sorry but Qt is the one who should fix this but of course Mac deciding that Volumes should be "hidden" is the root of the problem.

The best I can do is create our own QFileDialog and not use the built-in static routines and make sure to force add /Volumes to sidebar. The built-in routines do not let me do that.

Maybe something for a future release.

03-16-2022, 11:35 PM	#1
AaronShep Connoisseur Posts: 56 Karma: 3274 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: iPad	image browser I'm using Sigil 1.9.2 on MacOS 10.13.6. When I Ctrl-Click on the Images folder in the Book Browser and click on "Add Existing Files," I get a dialog to select the images to add. BUT the dialog only lets me choose files on my boot drive. It will not let me navigate to any other internal drive on the same computer (a 2010 Mac Pro). I assume it will not let me navigate to an external drive either, but I have not tested that. Anyone who, like me, keeps data files on other drives would be greatly helped if they could reach those images through this dialog. (For now, my workaround is to manually move the images I need onto the boot drive and then remember to remove them after use.)

03-17-2022, 10:06 AM	#3
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,764 Karma: 6000000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	On a Mac, when the file dialog pops up, click on the left pane and select "Computer". In the right pane, right click to get the context menu and enable "Show Hidden Files". Then you will see the Volumes and can select external drives. I have no idea why the macOS now decided to call Volumes hidden. Makes no sense to me but ... Here is a screen shot of Sigil on my mac: Attached Thumbnails

03-17-2022, 12:35 PM	#7
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,764 Karma: 6000000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	The File->Open one calls QFileDialog::getOpenFileName(), and the AddExisting one calls QFileDialog::getOpenFileNames() (note the plural) because the first only opens one file while the second allows the user to select multiple files to open at the same time. So it is a bug in Qt if they work differently. One of many. We used to use native file dialogs in Qt on Mac but that caused crashes so we switched to non-native dialogs from Qt on Macs. But then you get bugs like: https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-6875 That you can fix if you manually use QFileDialog and set your own sidebars but that is not how we do it in Sigil and we open files in lots and lots of places. Sorry but Qt is the one who should fix this but of course Mac deciding that Volumes should be "hidden" is the root of the problem. The best I can do is create our own QFileDialog and not use the built-in static routines and make sure to force add /Volumes to sidebar. The built-in routines do not let me do that. Maybe something for a future release. Last edited by KevinH; 03-17-2022 at 03:16 PM.

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03-17-2022, 05:05 AM	#2
Ashjuk Fanatic Posts: 500 Karma: 3498633 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Surrey, UK Device: Kobo Aura One, Sony PRS 600/650	I can confirm that right clicking on the Images folder can access all drives on a Windows PC. I can access my second hard drive, and also my NAS device. I have not got any portable hard drives plugged in at the moment, but I'm sure Sigil would see them too.