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[Discuss] File coloring features and consistency   [Discuss]

By: Slobodan Vujnovic   Homepage   France  
Date: Jan 15,2021 at 11:38


https://www.ztw3.com/forum/forum_entry.php?id=123313
I have moved the above discussion over here, seems more appropriate.

>I don't think this is a good idea because the default color of
>files in the Normal File Window is bright yellow, the same as
>the color of the Viewer text. So unless you've changed the color
>of files in the Normal File Window, the color would be the
>same as the viewed text, blending even more with the text lines.

Yes, I've changed most colors, and I don't necessarily want
to blend the viewed text color (it's yellow/black for me) with the
coloring of the file. Most of the time, it's impossible
to match the two.

Here is an example of a line displayed in Normal File Window,
with its SIX components. (The vertical separators are mine.)
I think of them as a ROW OF CELLS separated by spaces. All
these cell have their characteristics. Some are dead, other
change and evolve over time:

| Screenshot_1610647985 | .png | 218,763 | .a..| 2021-01-14 | 19:13:05 |

All my files are colored, based on their age, the YYYY-MM-DD cell.
I have sacrificed coloring the other five (well, except for extreme
cases in the SIZE cell -- these often require some action).

Currently, this great feature colors all of the six cells the
same, based on your ZCOLORS.INI customization, which is quite
powerful, but treats these six cells as a simple string of text,
as if they were the same type of data to the user.

In F7 mode, the left pane respects the coloring of the first two cells:

Screenshot_1610647985 .png

but the info on the top border does not apply the user's color
to the last four; they inherit the frame/menu coloring, I believe:

218,763 .a.. 2021-01-14 19:13:05

I find this inconsistent at the UI level. The fact that the 6
components have been split into 2+4 chunks, has little to do
with the nature and color attribute of the cells. If we could change
the font family or size, would we treat the chunks differently,
or apply them consistently, no matter where they end up on the screen?

In F7, on a semantic level, at least in my MO, I'm missing a visual
clue above the file content that could trigger some action on my part.

Sure, I can glance to the left and see the viewed file's color.
If it's cyan, I know it's been touched today, if it's red,
it's from yesterday, etc. So what's the problem, it's
just a glance away, a mild distraction?

Well, the selected file is highlighted, so I can't see the color
unless I move away from the file! I will never see cyan or red,
but black/white, or something similar. I will have to move
the selector away and than back to my file to obtain this visual info.

If, one day, we get cell-coloring, this would make even more
sense to "ruin" the border info with file colors, not inherit
the default ones.

Yes, it may look busy to some, but, as always, coloring is optional!

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