Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Any ideas about how to improve MediaMonkey for Windows 4? Let us know!

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mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

Though this would be quite a feat and most likely not even a possibility for a while, I think it would be amazing if Media Monkey incorporated a tab feature similar to that of Mozilla Firefox or IE7 for searching,organizing,etc...

Though this may seem somewhat pointless to some let me further explain my reasoning.

The main reason I started using Media Monkey to begin with is for it's notorious reputation for efficiently handling massive media libraries. Due to this being a main selling point for not only me but also many other users I feel it would be wise to focus and enhance the whole concept of managing extremely large music libraries. I can't think of a better way to do so then integrating some form of tabs into it.

I often find myself trying to organize songs into playlists but being slowed down by going back and forth between playlists, searches, and the library as a whole. I may search for a specific artist to add it but have to spend the time to refresh my library again and find another artist through means of the search field or just browsing. I can't even begin to fathom the amount of time that would be saved if I could simply open up a tab for displaying a playlist, a tab for certain searches, and a tab for the library as a whole. Instead of having to navigate through all of these sections in one window why not give the user an option to create a tab for performing a certain task. This would not only be much more efficient but also very User-Friendly.

The only negatives of this concept that I can think of are:
- Extra system resources being used (Memory, CPU, etc...). I am sure with a little testing and creativity this obstacle can be less of a concern for what is being gained.
- Large amount of coding and restructuring as well as testing.

Regardless of the negatives I feel the positives clearly out-weigh them by far. What a better way to release a new up-coming version then announce a tab feature! Luckily the most recent version just came out so I am sure there would be plenty of time to implement this idea into a future version (Whether it be the next or a revolutionary release later on down the road).

Needless to say the tab feature is extremely popular in most programs ranging from Web-Browsers, FTP Clients, Instant Messengers, etc... With popularity like that I don't see why not implement this feature.

Also, When I refer to tabs I am not only describing the idea of having each tab take up the main window space but also the idea of have customizable tab windows sizes so a user can have multiple tab windows open at once inside the main window. In a way they could be used as columns inside the main window. If you need more area to work a certain tab just minimize an open tab to unveil more working area.

I love Media Monkey and it is and most likely will always by my Media Player of choice (Even if this feature is never incorporated). I just thought I would suggest the idea to not only see other user's response but also to make the developers aware as well.

Thank you for your time and good luck!

*NOTE*
I am not aware of any other Media Player that allows users to create custom tabs on demand so this would definitely make Media Monkey much more appealing to those that are still stuck on other mediocre Media Players.
DazB
Posts: 409
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:09 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by DazB »

Hi,

It's the main feature I switched to Firefox for in the first place, so I aren't going to disagree. I do suppose doing it via panels would only be a poor substitute, but pagination might be a (resource) solution in some cases.

Daz
mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

Regardless of which way this task is executed I imagine it would be much more beneficial to the user compared to the single window navigation it's currently using.

*Note*
I apologize if I come off as complaining. I am extremely satisfied with Media Monkey's current interface. This is just a suggestion, not a complaint.
:D
Lowlander
Posts: 56491
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by Lowlander »

I wouldn't call your request tabs. Tabs would be separate windows and don't allow for various tabs to be shown simultaneously (IE7 can do this, but the tabs aren't functional in this view). You are more asking for an easier way to manage window panes (maximize/restore to position) and probably the ability to have more types of panes (based on views maybe). This I think would be closer to the way MS Access for example manages windows, than the way Firefox manages tabs. Anyway this is merely a philosophical observation.

Tabs and the ability to create windows/views for different areas of the library (think of a separate window for playlist to enable easier drag & drop) are both on the wishlist.

I personally do see the point of being able to create various tracklistings windows with different views of the library. It allows for comparing and drag & drop (the explorertree can be a hassle in drag & drop due to auto-expanding/auto-scrolling). Tabs on the other hand seems somewhat pointless for an application like MediaMonkey.
mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

I suppose panels would be a better way pf putting depending on how the idea is implented. I referred to tabs because I was not only comparing it to the MS Access method but also the Firefox and CuteFTP method of tabbing. The tabs would be useful regardless of which way it's done. The main idea is to save refresh time and such. Though a panel would be much more efficient and user-friendly the tab feature could also be useful because it offers more space to work in a an area while dedicating seperate work-spaces to certain tasks.
Teknojnky
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Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by Teknojnky »

Yea, this has been requested before and I still support it. It would be great to have multiple tabs to support different instances/views of the interface.
mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

So is this is already a listed request under the Official MediaMonkey Wishlist?

I assume items that actually make it to the WishList could be categorized as "To-Do's" for the Media Monkey team?
Lowlander
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Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by Lowlander »

All wishlist items on the forum are user generated and as such no indication of future development of MediaMonkey. The only recourse us users have is supporting wishes if we would like to see them in MediaMonkey so the developers can see that many people support the idea.
mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

Yes but isn't there a thread specifically for listing popular and useful user-submitted suggestions?

I would normally check myself but I am using an old version of IE here and the connection is bad. Plus I am tight on time so I aplogize.
Kilmatead
Posts: 206
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:16 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by Kilmatead »

mushroomheadbangers wrote:Yes but isn't there a thread specifically for listing popular and useful user-submitted suggestions?
Is the obvious title of "MM Wishlist" not clear? This is it; you're here; welcome to life. (I'm not being rude, just pointing out the obvious.)

And, just out of interest, does un-checking the Options > General > "Allow Just One Instance of MediaMonkey" not allow for at least a work-around for your problem? Just invoke another MM window atop the first (second or third...), and that would be, effectively, a new tab - certainly enough to allow for list comparisons, searches, etc. Or am I missing the point? Task Manager shows MM merely using up 61,400K of memory. In this day and age, that's not even close to a resource consideration. (Unless it changes per library-size?) Though come to think of it, God knows what might happen if two or more instances of MM start modifying the library concurrently... messy.
DazB
Posts: 409
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:09 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by DazB »

Hi,
Kilmatead wrote:...God knows what might happen if two or more instances of MM start modifying the library concurrently... messy.
The database is locked (or should be) when writing so all should be OK.

Daz
mushroomheadbangers
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by mushroomheadbangers »

Kilmatead wrote:Is the obvious title of "MM Wishlist" not clear? This is it; you're here; welcome to life. (I'm not being rude, just pointing out the obvious.)
I am not referring to the sub-forum MediaMonkey Wishlist...I am not that clueless. I was referring to "The Official Wishlist(V3.0+)". I did not have time to go back and check up on the name/existence of that thread so I inquired upon it by addressing it as a THREAD not a Sub-Forum. Now that I am home I simply verified it.

Also, having multiple instances of MM would cause more of a hassle then the convenience of tabs. I understand where your coming from when you describe it as a work-around but I find running one instance of MM and doing it the intended way would be much easier and convient then switching between multiple MM's.

Though you may not find 61,400 K to be resource intensive (Though it actually is in most user's cases) , I am just specifying what I feel "could" be an issue with the idea of multiple instance running as one. I am not saying for a fact it is but it is definitely something to take into consideration. As of now I do quite a bit of multitasking so the resources I do have at my disposal I attempt to use as wisely as possible. Not everyone has a good system either so if this idea was implemented other user's minimum spec systems most definitely won't be able to handle it as others may.

I appreciate your input though :D. Just clarifying on a few points...Once again, I apologize if I come across disrespectful. I tend to present myself that way sometimes accidentally :(
hintergrundrauschen
Posts: 211
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:20 pm

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by hintergrundrauschen »

Strong support :)

Only got a 19" screen, so additional panes won't help me, but tabs like in Firefox would. I don't need a complete MM GUI on the additional tabs, but to be able to configure a certain pane to be displayed there. E.g. internal browser window, web lookup, song lists from selected nodes etc.

Currently I use web lookup and MonkeyRok less than I want to, because there is either not enough space on my screen or the switching back and forth in the navigation tree is enerving. Also, I never click on the parent album or artist node in the main tree, because each time MM will load all information again, which takes lots of time with 29K songs. A tab would possibly require only a screen redraw.
Claude
swears
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:23 pm

Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by swears »

Wow, I was just thinking of the same thing.

I keep finding myself pressing CTRl +T to try and perform various searches.

This would be an incredible feature which would allow for superior library management!
ToeAndno
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Re: Tabbed MediaMonkey!!!

Post by ToeAndno »

It would be very interesting to see this done. Don't know if I would end up using it permanently but I would certainly give it a good go.
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