Better icons and look needed YES it is

[sqa_wizard]

Yet, why not offer 3 basic different configuration sets for Total Commander which in particular new T.C. users can choose from and which will take care of items (2) ... (5)?

Support ++

(2)...(4) are just entries at wincmd.ini (font has to be installed)
Just (5) is more difficult, because it requires a separate DLL with a license free icon set.

[Sob]

One great design would be just fine.

Oh, please, no! No great designs. ;) Just simple application consisting of standard Windows controls. That way it can look good everywhere, Win95, WinXP, Win7, even some future Win10000. Look "good" meaning "as the rest of the system". And if you don't like how your system looks, complain to Microsoft. ;) I'd really hate to get TC 8 with some wanna be super cool look without possibility to change it back. It happened to some of my other favorite programs. Usually it's some "Office style" toolbars or menus and it sucks big time. On the other hand, as long as it's possible to revert it back to classic style, then do anything with default new installs and I don't care. :)

[Sombra]

Hello Karl,

* (1) the basic Windows appearance: Classic Theme vs. Luna or Classic vs. Aero or Classic Theme vs. <whatever_the_new_theme_name_is>
(It is really hard to make T.C. or any programme look good on a Classic Theme. - My perspective.)
* (2) directory brackets on or off
* (3) T.C. filepanel background colors and using alternating background colors for even and for odd lines
* (4) Fonts used for file panels and dialogue boxes
* (5) Iconsets used for the filepanels and for the buttonbars

Let me to add two items to your list:

• (6) Modify the space line (In XP the value for explorer seems to be -1 and in vista/7 -55)
• (7) Show file extension aligned directly to the filename *Edited

[karlchen]

Hello, sombra.

6) Modify the space line (In XP the value for explorer seems to be -1 and in vista/7 -2)

Sorry, I fail to understand which parameter you have in mind?

(7) Show file extension aligned to the file

Oh, Aligned Extension=0 is not the default?
The list of 5 items has been setup pretty "quick and dirty" only. So thinking harder about which settings have an influence on the appearance of T.C. the list will get longer.

Yet seriously, individual parameters as such are not really what this thread is about. Or as Lefteous correctly stated

Icons and other aspects of the UI must be considered as a whole.

Kind regards,
Karl

[MVV]

It is really hard to make T.C. or any programme look good on a Classic Theme. - My perspective.

Disagree. For me all programs look fine in my classic theme, TC too.
I'm not using Luna/Aero 'cause it is impossible to change white background in theese themes. And, in classic theme window borders eat less space.

But some settings in INI by installer won't hurt.

[Sombra]

Hello again Karl,

Sorry, I fail to understand which parameter you have in mind?

I did reference to this key in wincmd.ini: MinLineHeight, (the minimum line height in file list) By default TC has a value of 0, the result is a very condensed list. IMHO a different value to 0 improve the readability a lot of.
Some examples: This test has been done with these icons: http://www.breto.net/temp/TC75/test-icons-spacingLine.zip

Example 1: List in TC with a fresh ini: http://www.breto.net/temp/TC75/line-spacing-TC-Default.png
As you can observe is impossible to distinguish where start and where end each icon. The line spacing in this case is equal to 0

Example 2: Lis in explorer (XP): http://www.breto.net/temp/TC75/line-spacing-WindowsXP.png
The line spacing in windows explorer is equal to 1 pixel. You can distinguish the shape of the icons.

Example 3: List in explorer (windows 7): http://www.breto.net/temp/TC75/line-spacing-Windows7.png
The line spacing is of 5 pixels.

IMHO TC should set a value for MinLineHeight different to 0 by default.

Oh, Aligned Extension=0 is not the default? Wink

Argh, sorry for my bad expression. I had in mind just the opposite. I meant Aligned extension=0 for show the extension directly after filename.

[Lefteous]

The line spacing is of 5 pixels.

But that's not detail view right?

[Sombra]

But that's not detail view right?

The screenshot was taken with the option "list view" on windows 7, I tested now with "details view" and in both cases the separation is 5 pixels. I changed to default windows 7 theme and same spacing line too, at least on my system.
In Windows Vista the spacing line is different (less than 5px), I tested it in Windows Vista time ago, but I don't remember the exact separation now.

[karlchen]

Hello, Sombra.

I did reference to this key in wincmd.ini: MinLineHeight, (the minimum line height in file list)

Thanks for explaining.

I remember that I had set MinLineHeight=-2 some time ago. But somehow the parameter must have vanished from my wincmd.ini and I had not noticed before you reminded me of MinLineHeight.

Cheers,
Karl

[Sam_Zen]

Icons touching each other is indeed a bit poor for survey, but I didn't mind too much about it, until this thread.
I checked my ini file, no key with MinLineHeight. So I added one with MinLineHeight=2.
Nothing changed. Wrong ini group, wrong value ?

[petermad]

2Sam_Zen

Positive values gives the exact height like 18 or 20.

Negative values gives the extra amount of space that has to be added to the current line height.

Try with -1 or -2

[Sam_Zen]

Thanks. This works fine. -1 is enough to get the distinction.

One comment though :
I wanted to add the ini key with the internal option "Change settings files directly".
Not only is this opened with the dreadful Notepad, but this "directly" suggests a realtime change, which is not the case.
I had to close and open TC again anyway to make this change true.

Knowing this, I could have used my regular method by doing the ini file with my own ascii editor and restart TC.

[AndrewCreator]

karlchen,

Thank you for the detailed suggestion description. I wonder why there is no Christian reaction. Does he think that better TC default view will not attract more users?

[ghisler(Author)]

It has been discussed many times. It's also a question of personal taste. For example, I dislike the "fluffy" hard to distinguish vista icons with transparency...

[AndrewCreator]

ghisler(Author)

Christian, thank you for the answer. Why not add the option? Do your really think that it will not attract more users?