CC alpha release 3.4.4e

[chaley]

CC alpha release 3.4.4e has been published and will be available to people in the alpha test program.

Changes since 3.4.4d (see this thread for details about 3.4.4d):

• In book details, respect the calibre format for custom number columns if there is one, otherwise use commas.
• Add the scroller thumb to the grouping pane and the book grid.
• Add a mess of options to control the scroller
• Add option to fall back to automatic connect if connection to the specified IP address fails
• [BUG FIX]Fix "current value" not working when setting autosorts.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by chaley

[*][BUG FIX]Fix "current value" not working when setting autosorts.
Seems OK now
[*]Add option to fall back to automatic connect if connection to the specified IP address fails
Can't test this one

[*]Add the scroller thumb to the grouping pane and the book grid.

This one is a bit strange.

In Cover Grid mode: When I first open CC and start to scroll/fling I get a short, fat, vertical grey scroller "widget" which I can use to move quickly up/down the list. I'm assuming this is what you're calling a "scroller thumb". Sometimes, if I go to the Group drawer and 'do stuff' then go back to No Grouping, the Cover Grid now has the old style thinner scroll bar which is visible but not controllable. I can't figure out exactly what sequence of events causes the scroller thumb to vanish but the following is reproducible on my phone (Galaxy Note3 4.4.2 with 140 books)

• Open CC in Cover Grid mode (140 books). Scroller thumb present and correct.
• Open Group drawer, tap Group Series, but don't select a particular Series, then close Group drawer (140 books). Scroller thumb AWOL
• Open Group drawer again, tap top-line Groups to return to No Grouping. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb still AWOL.
• Open Group drawer and tap Group Published (Group by 1st letter ON). Tap 2 (year 2000+) 115 books. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb present and correct.
• Open Group drawer again, tap top-line Groups to return to No Grouping. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb still present and correct.

In Group drawer: I don't see a scroller thumb at all. Perhaps I'm not understanding what I'm supposed to see. If I tap Group Authors (with gp by 1st letter OFF) I have a list of 100-ish Authors. I can swipe/fling up&down but there is no scroll bar of any kind.

[kaufman]

Is there anything nicer than getting up to a new CC release? I don't think so.

Originally Posted by chaley

• In book details, respect the calibre format for custom number columns if there is one, otherwise use commas.

This is working very nicely, although It has caused me to turn off the file size option, since the Page count is now good enough for me.

Originally Posted by chaley

• Add the scroller thumb to the grouping pane and the book grid.

This works well, except that it doesn't show the covers in cover view while scrolling. This makes it less useful. Perhaps if there was a temporary popup to show where you were in the list.

Love the lefty mode. All us sinister types thank you.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

This one is a bit strange.

In Cover Grid mode: When I first open CC and start to scroll/fling I get a short, fat, vertical grey scroller "widget" which I can use to move quickly up/down the list. I'm assuming this is what you're calling a "scroller thumb". Sometimes, if I go to the Group drawer and 'do stuff' then go back to No Grouping, the Cover Grid now has the old style thinner scroll bar which is visible but not controllable. I can't figure out exactly what sequence of events causes the scroller thumb to vanish but the following is reproducible on my phone (Galaxy Note3 4.4.2 with 140 books)

• Open CC in Cover Grid mode (140 books). Scroller thumb present and correct.
• Open Group drawer, tap Group Series, but don't select a particular Series, then close Group drawer (140 books). Scroller thumb AWOL
• Open Group drawer again, tap top-line Groups to return to No Grouping. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb still AWOL.
• Open Group drawer and tap Group Published (Group by 1st letter ON). Tap 2 (year 2000+) 115 books. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb present and correct.
• Open Group drawer again, tap top-line Groups to return to No Grouping. Close Group drawer. Scroller thumb still present and correct.

In Group drawer: I don't see a scroller thumb at all. Perhaps I'm not understanding what I'm supposed to see. If I tap Group Authors (with gp by 1st letter OFF) I have a list of 100-ish Authors. I can swipe/fling up&down but there is no scroll bar of any kind.

Unless you check the "show permanently" option you get a scroll thumb (the fatter bar) only when there are 4 pages or more of information. This is an Android decision, not mine. On my phone, the only group with enough lines was tags, and then only with first letter off.

Does this explain things?

Originally Posted by kaufman

Is there anything nicer than getting up to a new CC release? I don't think so.

Well... Having my smallest kitten sit on my chest and purr instead of run from me is pretty good. Not that it happens often.

This is working very nicely, although It has caused me to turn off the file size option, since the Page count is now good enough for me.

At least you can turn it off now.

This works well, except that it doesn't show the covers in cover view while scrolling. This makes it less useful. Perhaps if there was a temporary popup to show where you were in the list.

It tries to show them, but the way Android works ensures they don't get there. The system recycles the cover slots as the list is moving, killing the task that is to fill it. As a result, the list must be moving slowly or not at all to see the covers. What I did to test is keep my finger on the thumb but stop moving, permitting the covers to fill in so I can see where I am.

I am not sure that adding an overlay is even possible, and if it is then the performance impact on flings could easily be prohibitive. It *might* be possible to cover the top of the book list with a widget that is normally invisible but that also could trigger Android's relayout, and that would be disastrous.

Love the lefty mode. All us sinister types thank you.

The Romans did have it right, you know. [I have wondered how the word morphed from left to a form of evil.]

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

It tries to show them, but the way Android works ensures they don't get there. The system recycles the cover slots as the list is moving, killing the task that is to fill it. As a result, the list must be moving slowly or not at all to see the covers. What I did to test is keep my finger on the thumb but stop moving, permitting the covers to fill in so I can see where I am.

In that case, it might not make sense to offer it for cover view. I can see that becoming a large support issues if people contact you to ask why it isn't working as they expect.

Originally Posted by chaley

I am not sure that adding an overlay is even possible, and if it is then the performance impact on flings could easily be prohibitive. It *might* be possible to cover the top of the book list with a widget that is normally invisible but that also could trigger Android's relayout, and that would be disastrous.

Do you avoid any of those issues if you put it in the group bar at the top?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

In that case, it might not make sense to offer it for cover view. I can see that becoming a large support issues if people contact you to ask why it isn't working as they expect.

That is why I originally didn't do it.

If I understand you correctly, stopping without lifting your finger doesn't provide utility?

My reason for originally adding it to the book list was to provide an easy way to go a *long way* down the list quickly. I was happy to fling up and down once I got there, but 20 or 30 flings simply to get there was not on. I never use the cover grid so not having it there didn't bother me, but if I did I would imagine that I would end up with the same need.

Do you avoid any of those issues if you put it in the group bar at the top?

Possibly, but I am willing to bet real money that people wouldn't notice it any faster than they would notice that the covers fill if they stop dragging without lifting their finger.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by chaley

Unless you check the "show permanently" option you get a scroll thumb (the fatter bar) only when there are 4 pages or more of information. This is an Android decision, not mine. On my phone, the only group with enough lines was tags, and then only with first letter off.

Does this explain things?

Not really, no.

It didn't occur to me to look in Settings so my previous tests had all the new scroller settings at default.

If I have 'Show scroller on left' checked & 'Always show...' unchecked, the scroller thumb is always visible in the Group drawer, even if there is less than one screen of info, e.g. if Group Formats is tapped (only 2 items - azw3, epub).

If I uncheck 'Show scroller on left', the scroller thumb is never visible in the Group drawer, e.g. even when Group Authors is tapped and there are 100 Authors in the list.

Regarding scroller thumb in Cover Grid mode. I would have thought 140 books at 9 covers per screenful (3-by-3) easily qualified as 4 pages or more.

I think perhaps feedback from more people is required.

[jackie_w]

... follow-up

The Group drawer right-hand scroller thumb becomes visible if changed to Landscape mode, not visible in Portrait.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

If I uncheck 'Show scroller on left', the scroller thumb is never visible in the Group drawer, e.g. even when Group Authors is tapped and there are 100 Authors in the list.

Originally Posted by jackie_w

... follow-up

The Group drawer right-hand scroller thumb becomes visible if changed to Landscape mode, not visible in Portrait.

I clearly have a bug involving show scroller permanently. If I set it then the display does not adjust to show the scroller, putting it in the cover area. Rotating the device fixes this (for me). What this tells me is that I must re-layout the display every time that option changes.

I equally have problems with the grouping drawer, but I am not yet sure what they are.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

If I understand you correctly, stopping without lifting your finger doesn't provide utility?

Maybe a little, and I can see now that moving slowly does allow them to show which is useful. I'm not sure the smaller utility (vs the way it works in list view) is worth the support emails you are bound to get. Perhaps the easy answer is to add text to the option "Show Scroller in book grid. Note that covers will only show up if you are scrolling slowly."

Originally Posted by chaley

Possibly, but I am willing to bet real money that people wouldn't notice it any faster than they would notice that the covers fill if they stop dragging without lifting their finger.

You could be right. I think it would be nice to have, but the existence of the scroller does provide most of the utility already.

There seems to be something broken about the scroller in the grouping menu. I have always show scroller turned off. For the same list, sometimes I get the wide grab-able one and sometimes I don't. Sometimes closing and reopening the grouping drawer gets it to work, sometimes not. I will keep investigating.

[kaufman]

Also, I have lefty mode turned on. Frequently (but not every time), when I hit the back button, it will show the bar on the right side for a second before switching it to the left side.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

There seems to be something broken about the scroller in the grouping menu. I have always show scroller turned off. For the same list, sometimes I get the wide grab-able one and sometimes I don't. Sometimes closing and reopening the grouping drawer gets it to work, sometimes not. I will keep investigating.

I don't have any role in this. All I tell Android is that it is allowed to show the scroller. It chooses when.

Originally Posted by kaufman

Also, I have lefty mode turned on. Frequently (but not every time), when I hit the back button, it will show the bar on the right side for a second before switching it to the left side.

This is the layout delay caused by having the options. I must tell Android what it is to do. When you tap the back button, sometimes the system will re-render the display using the "standard" options before I get the chance to tell it what it is really to do. I will try telling it more often, but I don't hold a lot of hope.

[srv181]

Problem with sync - during the "Get Book List from Device" I keep getting an error.
Using CC on Galaxy Note 8 with Android 4.4.2. This has been happening since 3.4.4c

Thanks for your help!


Details from Error Message:
calibre, version 2.3.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

dictionary changed size during iteration

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 87, in run
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 502, in _books
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\smart_device_app\driver.p y", line 50, in _synchronizer
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\smart_device_app\driver.p y", line 1275, in books
RuntimeError: dictionary changed size during iteration

[chaley]

Originally Posted by srv181

Problem with sync - during the "Get Book List from Device" I keep getting an error.
Using CC on Galaxy Note 8 with Android 4.4.2. This has been happening since 3.4.4c

Thanks for your help!


Details from Error Message:
calibre, version 2.3.0
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

dictionary changed size during iteration

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 87, in run
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 502, in _books
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\smart_device_app\driver.p y", line 50, in _synchronizer
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\smart_device_app\driver.p y", line 1275, in books
RuntimeError: dictionary changed size during iteration

There was a problem with calibre 2.3 that was corrected within hours of its release. Download and re-install it and you should be fine.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

I will try telling it more often, but I don't hold a lot of hope.

It's not a big deal. I am just trying to let you know about things you might care about.