[Usability] Stepping back through menus (2 Viewers)

Benoire

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    Hi,

    The menu system in MP seems a little annoying, by this I mean that when you step back through the menus it will step back all the way through any previously opened menu's. This means, for example, if you've going through all the settings you have to press esc quite a number of times to go back out.. Same as any other menu really... What would work better is simply the tree structure of stepping up the tree once, i.e. pressing escape three times in settings would step you back to the home screen rather three previous screens.

    Is this possible, or have I just set MP up wrong?
     

    Benoire

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    Hey MM.

    Sorry I wasn't sure whether this was a bug or an MP design issue... I tend to use the guide button a lot so don't really use the back key... If it is a current MP design situation then oops my bad! as it might actually be an improvement suggestion to MP and not just 1.3... feel free to move :)
     

    Dadeo

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    Hi Benoire - I'm not sure where to movie this thread yet since I am not sure exactly what your issue is. You refer to 'if you've going through all the settings" so I am not sure if your issue is 'global' or specifically related to the new 1.3.0b Settings screens in GUI?

    MP does not 'step back through menus' so I assume by menus you mean previously opened windows? (which in the case of Settings may look like menus ;))

    Sometimes this is controlled by a plugin/extension (if it has more than one window)

    In MP to get back to the Home screen you simply press the Home button, or H on a keyboard.

    So if you can provide a bit more info - ideally steps to reproduce what you mean, that would be helpful to me. Thanks!
     
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    kiwijunglist

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    Generally the back key will still step back through the tree because the only way to get up the tree is to go up in a step wise fashion.

    The only situation I can think of where the escape key will not step back through the tree is where you jump to a screen using a shortcut button in this case it will go back to the previous screen rather than stepping down the tree.
     

    Benoire

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    Hey Dadeo,

    I guess this issue is a current MP design choice so it should be moved to 'improvement suggestion'? My issue is that the 'windows' if that is what they're called internally do not logically step backwards when using shortcuts! My fellow Kiwi above understands :) I don't suppose there is anyway for MP to know how many window levels/layers there are and when you jump to one using a shortcut it knows the way back to the homescreen without back tracking through other opened windows that where outside of the current tree... Perhaps I'm just being anal about things flowing (imo of course) neatly :)

    Anywho, if you think there is any merit in this, shift it to the right place otherwise more than happy for you to lock it and throw away the key :)
     

    kiwijunglist

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    I made a mistake there are actually 2 situations where the back button will not step down the tree
    1. Where you have used a shortcut button on the remote to jump to a different window id
    2. Where you have navigated to multiple items within the same window id

    Current situation is good, for example:
    I am in the now playing screen enjoying some music, I press tv guide on my remote to check the tv guide, now to get back to the now playing music screen I can press the back button. If you implemented this feature then pressing the back button after being in tv guide would bring me into the main tv menu, rather than returning to the music screen.

    I can however see that the back button can be frustrating if you jump from multiple items within the same menu tier, then pressing the back button brings you back to previous item rather than stepping down the tier. But I think this is the lesser of the two evils.

    I suppose you could make both situations work with the following logic:
    Pressing back button goes back to previous screen, however if Window ID of current screen = Window ID of previous screen, then step backwards through menu tier rather than going back to previous screen.

    This would be a definite usability improvement, however I don't think MP skin engine is aware of "trees/menu tiers" so would require a major rework, for only a small gain. Someone might be willing to do this, but I doubt it would be worth all the effort, as well as a rewrite for all skins

    -> Thread moved to Improvement Suggestions forum.
     
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    Edalex

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    actually mp is storing history of last 10 or 15 screens and going through them by clicking escape.
     

    Benoire

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    Thanks for moving it Kiwijungalist, I realised after the initial think after MM's reply that it was more of a usability issue than anything. If the work involved is considerable then I'm happy to forget about it, don't want to clutter things up for only minor usability changes!
     

    catavolt

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    To go back from any screen directly to home screen, press the Home button, or H on a keyboard, or select the Home button in topbar..
    So no need to put this in any extra thread ;)
    A lot of noise for nothing :p
     

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