TC9.0 RC4 does not respect default file associations (JPG)

[the_vj]

Latest TC suddenly uses Windows Photo Viewer to open JPG files, regardless of the default application configured for that file type in Windows 10.

This is definitely NOT ok.

If somebody does not like Photos (default app for JPG in Windows 10), then he/she can change the Windows settings - it will bring the desired behavior to all other use-cases consistently and TC does not need an arbitrary hard-coding. TC has no right to be "smarter" than the system settings, especially when this does not even seem documented.

The fact this hack can be disabled via a hidden wincmd.ini option ReplacePhotoApp=0
makes even less sense - I just lost 2 hours of my life trying to solve what I thought to be a Windows 10 problem, until accidentally finding a comment about this in German part of this forum.

If it is felt this "feature" has a value, add an option like "Force Windows Photo Viewer" in TC Configuration dialog, by default UNchecked - and yes, the ugliness and arbitrary character of such an option does represent its true nature... There is no point in it in the first place.

Please, fix the bug and _honor_ the default file associations for ALL types.

[redfox]

It may be a Windows 10 issue - it often reverts to the default file association after a Windows update.

[Dalai]

This is not a bug but a design decision:

05.09.16 Fixed: Windows 10: Instead of the useless photo app, open the old Windows Photo Viewer if it is installed. It allows to switch through all images in a folder even when called from other programs than the Explorer (32/64)
05.09.16 Added: wincmd.ini [Configuration] ReplacePhotoApp=0 turns off replacement of photo app by Windows Photo Viewer (32/64)

Regards
Dalai

[the_vj]

It may be a Windows 10 issue - it often reverts to the default file association after a Windows update.

Nope, i don't believe so.

File Explorer uses the default app (which in my case is simply Photos, double- and tripple- checked and re-associated) - it is just fine.

TC used to honor the default app until some of the recent RC (?) builds.

The fact an option for wincmd.ini exists (see my original post) to disable this TC behavior is another indication this is "intentional bug"... err... "feature" - but certainly very, very undesirable, at least in the way this has been introduced currently.

[the_vj]

This is not a bug but a design decision:

05.09.16 Fixed: Windows 10: Instead of the useless photo app, open the old Windows Photo Viewer if it is installed. It allows to switch through all images in a folder even when called from other programs than the Explorer (32/64)
05.09.16 Added: wincmd.ini [Configuration] ReplacePhotoApp=0 turns off replacement of photo app by Windows Photo Viewer (32/64)

Regards
Dalai

As a software architect, I would not say this decision has anything to do with "design".

This is an arbitrary decision of somebody who may have an issue with one application (calling it "useless" is not exactly an unbiased neutral statement of technical facts, is it?)...

Fair enough - I don't claim Photos are a marvel viewer...

But instead solving one's dislike of Photos in the way it is supposed to be solved (=simply changing file associations in Windows level), there is an arbitrary hack added to a TC...

[Lefteous]

2the_vj

As a software architect, I would not say this decision has anything to do with "design".

Beside the fact that the issue presented here has nothing to do with software architecture you have a point here (it's more a UX issue called 'conformity with user expectations'). TC should behave just like Explorer when performing the open using system association action.

[Dalai]

Yeah, well, what's less painful?

• People complaining that they can't cycle through the files in a directory after double-clicking a picture in TC, but you can after double-clicking in Explorer* or
• people complaining that TC doesn't respect the file association (in this particular case)?

No matter how you do it, you do it wrong in some people's view. That's what the setting in wincmd.ini is for, I guess.

*) There are already quite a lot of threads in the forum about that.

Regards
Dalai

[ghisler(Author)]

Yes, this is a decision I made because of the many complains I got regarding the malfunctioning photos app. I reported the bug to Microsoft many months ago, but never got a reply, and it was never fixed.

[tetardd]

The Photo app does display animated Gif, the old photo viewer does not, a reason why some people are puzzled/upset by the design decision.

[gepl]

If you insert "ReplacePhotoApp=0" into wincmd.ini, you can't browse between photos by pressing right and left arrow buttons within default Windows 10 Photo app. Only if you double click on JPG file within Windows Explorer, you can!

I think it is about time to drop the old and obsolete Windows Photo Viewer as the native TC viewer for JPG and other similar graphics file types. On high res monitors (3840×2160) photos are rendered quite terribly!

[ghisler(Author)]

Sorry but Microsoft still didn't fix their photos app. Nobody seems to care about bugs there.

[gepl]

Could you please at least fix the browsing bug within TC that I described in the first sentence? Thank you.

[ghisler(Author)]

If you mean this one:

If you insert "ReplacePhotoApp=0" into wincmd.ini, you can't browse between photos by pressing right and left arrow buttons within default Windows 10 Photo app.

This is exactly the bug I reported to Microsoft, but they don't care. It works with Explorer, that's all they care about.