Total Commander

Many times I've stumbled upon the same problem described in this topic (tl/dr: you can’t sort files by custom fields when in thumb/brief view) and nobody offered an intuitive user-friendly solution while I think the general idea is quite obvious. One way or another, columns and view modes should be selectable independently. Currently they are slapped together so you can’t have custom columns without the spreadsheet-like view. Here is how it can be implemented:

Image: https://postimg.cc/8j9fhQwh
Option A: Total Separation. View modes no longer control which column sets are displayed, only sort order and other remaining options. Selecting any view mode in the context menu affects nothing but the way files are displayed. On the other hand, selecting any column mode also affects nothing but the way the tabstops header looks – the way the files are displayed stays the same.
Pros: gives most flexibility.
Cons: some optional connectivity between view & column modes is still preferable for UX. Currently, the default view modes have automatic column behavior (like when columns evenly spread out in brief view) and I’m sure we shouldn’t change that. However:

Image: https://postimg.cc/KKvbj4LQ
Option B: Flexible View Modes. It would be nice for custom view modes to have separate “view” and “columns” menus to choose from. Beside the custom modes, the menu may contain both “brief” and “full” default column modes, as well as “unchanged” option so the switching to the view mode wouldn’t affect currently selected column mode.

Image: https://postimg.cc/PNdWxjFJ
Option C: Flexible Column Modes. Alternatively, when creating a custom column mode we could have “view mode” menu with 4 default options (brief/full/comments/thumbs), as well as “unchanged” option so the switching to the column mode wouldn’t affect currently selected view mode.

I miss the option to say no change from the current behavior.

Horst.Epp wrote: 2024-05-19, 14:17 UTC I miss the option to say no change from the current behavior.

What for? Except that the author could be against it, so as not to waste time on implementation. For others, such optionality will not cause any problems.

Horst.Epp wrote: 2024-05-19, 14:17 UTC I miss the option to say no change from the current behavior.

Then vote B or C, they aren't supposed to affect the way it works now. (Not without your direct intervention, that is.)

2Mindstone
I didn't understand your answer. Isn't A optional? It won't affect default behavior either.
B and C will aggravate the fast switching. I would prefer the column display toggle cm_ command for the current view. For me, it would be easier than looking for options in the menu.

2Fla$her
It depends on the implementation, I guess. Option A gives more granular UI control, but now you have to manage columns separately. On the other hand, in B the custom view modes are supposed to behave the same way they do now - you need to set different column mode for them to function differently. (Same goes for C.)
Column toggle command is a must, I agree.

2Mindstone
And why did you divide the vote into three options if they can coexist? Only the selection of a set of columns should take precedence over the view mode for the directory, regardless of the connection order.
Option A is good because it can be used regardless of settings B and C. I would often use a command like em_SwitchBriefFullCustomColumnMode.

2Fla$her
I've setup a poll for to see people's preferences. You obviously prefer option A. I'd be happy to see all options implemented, I just expect most choices being rejected. That's why I made a variety of them in the first place. I'd be content with any option available.

2Mindstone
I'm sure that as soon as one of the options appears, people will ask why there are no other two. I don't see the point in separating them, especially since these are not alternatives, but only ways to invoke brief mode for custom columns.

2Fla$her
We'll see how it goes. I'm flattered to hear that.