[Sansa Clip+] A better shortcut to return to WPS

[mfe555]

Personally I think the WPS is more attractive than returning to where you've been, so how about:

"left" from main menu -> (nothing)
"long left" from main menu -> back to where you've been
"home" from main menu -> WPS

[JdGordon]

The problem with that is that is can become confusing.
HOME is just about all screens brings you back to the main menu. On just about all targets the button that does that gets you back to where you were when you press it again.

[Llorean]

Currently the "Home" button does the same thing in every screen except the 'home' screen. This makes a lot of sense. You'd be changing it so that the 'Home' button takes you to the main menu (or 'home screen') from the WPS, but the WPS from any other screen. Or would the "Home" button do nothing in the WPS since it now doesn't take you to the 'home' of the firmware?

As I said earlier, the current button mapping mirrors that of almost every other device with a menu or home button. While this device could warrant a special case, why don't we discuss why it should? What you've just suggested just now is basically what was originally suggested, and doesn't change anything about why it might be objected to. The problem isn't "how will we get to the menu and back" but "why should it disrupt the existing general keymap?"

You still didn't answer my question as to why the two buttons present such a problem. If it's a real problem during use, there's much more to consider than if it's just a "Personally, I prefer it this way" issue. Which is why I keep asking for use cases where it's important, to find out if there are ones where it really is quite difficult to work around the issue.

Consequently, "Long left" in the menus is handy because holding it repeats "left" over and over until you get to the 'top' menu. Otherwise it scrolls text left/right if you've enabled that function. So long left also already has a use. Left "not doing anything" and Long left doing left over and over are more or less a usability combination already.

[torne]

Now when I know that the bug of power off during pause was resolved I will start to use pause but still there is no single-button control for resuming playback after the player has been turned off.

Set the start screen to "resume playback". Now you have a zero-button control for resuming playback after the player has been turned off.

[pabouk]

I know about the start screen setting but I do want the player to start the playback automatically every time after turning on. In addition often I listen to radio. Anyway thanks for your tips.

[mfe555]

About "returning to where you've been before activating the menu":

Currently the menu can be activated by pressing "home":
- from the WPS
- from the file list
- NOT from radio mode - is this a bug?
- NOT from recording mode - is this a bug?

Currently you can return from the menu by pressing "home":
- to the WPS (as long as you have not entered a sub menu)
- to the file list (as long as you have not entered a sub menu)

When you have entered a sub menu, pressing "home" repreatedly will just toggle between the recent two levels of the menu.

Is that really a function a user needs?

How about this:

Pressing "home" in the menu takes you back to
- the WPS
- radio mode
- recording mode
depending on what was active before entering the menu, or before entering the file list and then changing to the menu.

I think no one wants to return to the file list (which is just a sub menu of the main menu).

And: There is currenty no "exit" from the file list without interrupting the song being played, except by pressing "left" to go to the main menu, and then selecting "now playing". With my proposal above, pressing "home" twice would first enter the menu, then activate the WPS (as in the OF)

[flaps]

I completely agree with mfe555 analysis and proposal. What I believe is frustrating about the Clip is that whenever you're accidentaly in the file menu (by clicking select) you can't click 'right' to return to the wps, because that would restart the song. I already suggested that, but it would be useful if the current file being played took you to the wps without restarting the song, when in the file menu. It would be intuitive and wouldn't break any functionality.

I don't get how returning to previous menu is useful (the menu key in most devices isn't subject to accidental keypresses), is there a reason or are we being conservative for the sake of familiarity? If originally it took you to the WPS/radio, would anyone want to change it so it returns to previous menu?

[JdGordon]

the main menu is not the "previous menu" as you put it. that is the main entry point for the rockbox ui. The whole reaosn it is there is because some people thought the file browser was the main screen, and others through the WPS was.
from that screen you can get anywhere.

[flaps]

the main menu is not the "previous menu" as you put it.

I believe you misunderstood me. Whenever you're in the main menu (root) and press home you're taken to the previous menu you were browsing (GO_TO_PREVIOUS).

[mfe555]

Does anyone know: Is the (more or less useless) toggling between the two recent levels of the menu (when pressing "home" in the menu) a "speciality" of the Sansa Clip port or is this a feature of rockbox on all players?

[JdGordon]

it is all targets.

[mfe555]

So I would like to make the following proposal. As this is not limited to Sansa and is no longer only about "a shortcut to WPS", I will post it in a thread of its own after the moderators’ feedback:

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Better handling of "home" in the menu (making it easier to go to the WPS)

Currently pressing "home" in the menu executes "GO_TO_PREVIOUS" which takes you back to where you have just been. If you have been browsing the menu, it toggles between the two recent menu levels which is probably not the most useful function.

Some users would like to have a shortcut for going to the WPS. This has been discussed for Sansa Clip where it is quite annoying that, after activating the file list by pressing "select", the only way of returning to the WPS without interrupting the song being played is to go to the menu and select "Now playing". In the Sansa OF, pressing "home" twice takes you to the WPS. This could be achieved in rockbox as well by changing the function of "home" in the menu.

My proposal:
Pressing "home" in the menu changes to

• the WPS
• radio mode
• recording mode

depending on which of these was active before entering the menu, or before entering the file list and then changing to the menu.

From the file list, pressing "home" twice would now take you first to the menu, then to the WPS.

------------------

Before opening a new thread I would like to know if my description, especially of "GO_TO_PREVIOUS", is correct and whether “Feature Ideas” is the right place for it. Other feedback is appreciated as well.

[JdGordon]

you're missing the fundamental point though that the menu button *by design* takes you back to where you were. This is what we want.

Yes the clip+ is badly short on keys but we wont be changing the ui for every target because of it.

[Llorean]

the only way of returning to the WPS without interrupting the song being played is to go to the menu and select "Now playing".

This is completely incorrect. There's also already a simple two-button combo on the Clip+ that returns you to the WPS and resumes playback if stopped.

Also, on nearly every other player there is a single-button way to return to the WPS. This is mainly a problem with a very small subset of players (in fact it may only be the Clip and Clip+) because they require the use of the Play/Pause button as a navigation button in lists. On players where the Play/Pause button is free in the lists, it functions as a single-button resume playback.

[mfe555]

the menu button *by design* takes you back to where you were. This is what we want.

Yes, this makes sense. It's what I want as well. The question is about taking you back to where you were when: back to where you were a second ago (there you can go again easily using the normal menu navigation) - or back to where you were before entering the menu.
Post Merge: September 18, 2011, 11:06:36 AM

Also, on nearly every other player there is a single-button way to return to the WPS. This is mainly a problem with a very small subset of players (in fact it may only be the Clip and Clip+) because they require the use of the Play/Pause button as a navigation button in lists. On players where the Play/Pause button is free in the lists, it functions as a single-button resume playback.

I see. I will no longer propose to change this in general, but for the Clip series it would be really nice.

I know that mimicking the OF behaviour is not the concept of rockbox, but in this case I think many users would appreciate to have the similar behaviour.