View Issue Details
| ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0009691 | ardour | features | public | 2024-04-21 09:13 | 2024-04-21 09:13 |
| Reporter | Shuffle777 | Assigned To | |||
| Priority | normal | Severity | feature | Reproducibility | N/A |
| Status | new | Resolution | open | ||
| Product Version | 8.6 | ||||
| Summary | 0009691: Custom naming scheme for output files (Export dialog) | ||||
| Description | Having readily available checkboxes and comboboxes (session/snapshot, label, revision, etc.) to build up the output file name is quick and convenient, but also very static. I would like to be able to set it up in a more flexible way. A common solution to this is to make variables available and let the user input a template in a textbox. An example of variable names could be: %n -- session name %p -- snapshot name %r -- revision number (still needs the current spinbox to input the value) %s -- timespan name %d -- date (should keep the current combobox to select the date format) %t -- time (should keep the current combobox to select the time format) %c -- channel name (for mono splits) %% -- a literal percent sign This way, the user can build a string that matches the current naming scheme, e.g. "%n labels are still entered literally %r %s %d %t", or provide their own custom template, e.g. "%n %r %d (another literal label)". If you deem the percent sign followed by a single letter problematic for some reason, feel free to come up with another convention, I am not particularly attached to that... although it is common practice (the dollar sign is another common example) This new feature would make the "Current (approximate) filename" feature absolutely essential, because those variables would be expanded there, providing immediate visual feedback to the user. The only downside I see to this approach is that the list of variables has to be readily available somewhere, because users cannot be asked to (and will not) remember that. I suggest either showing it in a two-columned fashion between the "Build filename(s) from these components:" label and the (newly added) textbox for the template, OR a button that triggers a dialog where they are listed and explained (which is less convenient but much more compact on the Export dialog and allows for extended details if needed). The user-set template should be stored in the .ardour session file to avoid setting it again every time the project is reopened. Additionally, a default template (modifiable from the Preferences dialog, perhaps in the General > Export section?) could be stored in Ardour's 'config' file to have a default for new projects. | ||||
| Additional Information | If you think this would be too complicated for some (or most) users, please consider adding it anyway and allow the user to choose between the 'classic' mode and this new 'advanced' mode, for example using two radio buttons. The 'classic' mode can be emulated using the 'advanced' mode, as stated in one of my examples above, so it is possible to unify them internally ('classic' mode feeds the input of 'advanced' mode) to avoid having two parts of code doing the same thing (produce output file names). This is a win in terms of code maintenance. | ||||
| Tags | export, export audio, feature request, GUI, improvements, settings, ui, usability | ||||
| Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | New Issue | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: export | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: export audio | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: feature request | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: GUI | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: improvements | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: settings | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: ui | |
| 2024-04-21 09:13 | Shuffle777 | Tag Attached: usability |
