Author Topic: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows  (Read 11040 times)

Offline Juan Conejero

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PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« on: 2010 February 20 18:21:27 »
Hi all,

The upcoming version 1.6.0 of PixInsight introduces a very important feature: top-level windows. This new feature is going to change (and improve) the way you work with PixInsight more than you may think at first sight. You can see an example below.



<Click here to enlarge>

A top-level window is not a subwindow of a workspace. However, top-level windows are children of workspaces in the structural/hierarchical sense, which means that each workspace owns its own set of top-level windows. When you select a workspace, only top-level windows pertaining to that workspace are shown on the screen.

In PixInsight 1.6, top-level windows are used for all process interfaces by default. On the screenshot above you see several standard PixInsight tools open as top-level windows. This feature allows you to use PixInsight with multiple monitor configurations much better than previous versions. You can distribute your tools on different monitors to avoid screen clutter and leave more free space available to images on the primary monitor. This obviously makes PixInsight a much more flexible and adaptable environment.

Individual top-level windows can be moved across workspaces, or made visible on all workspaces. Special compositing graphical effects such as window transparencies and shadows (as shown above) are available, along with new and very nice screen animations specific to top-level windows (which I won't disclose until the date of release, of course <g>).

I hope you'll like it. More pre-release information to come, stay tuned!
« Last Edit: 2010 February 20 18:26:42 by Juan Conejero »
Juan Conejero
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Offline Niall Saunders

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #1 on: 2010 February 21 03:35:01 »
Looking good Juan, you have obviously been 'busy' ^-^

I'd like to make the following suggestion here, rather than on the Wish List, simply because it is tied in so closely with multiple workspace/multiple monitor working.

Is there any chance you could incorporate the saving/loading/merging of PSM icons on an 'as selected' and a 'per Workspace' basis?

In other words, say a user has three PSM icons on Workspace02. These are the ONLY icons that they want to save. They select these icons only, and they save them in the normal fashion. They have not included any of the PSM icons from any of the other Workspaces, and they have only included those three PSM icons in Workspace02, even though others might be present.

When they come to reload these at a later date, they want to be able to decide which workspace the new icons should be loaded into - even if that decision is controlled purely by loading the icons into the currently active workpsace.

And they want to be given the option of either renaming the incoming icons (with the standard PI approach of incrementing suffix digits) or cancelling. In other words, MERGE is the default operation for PSM icons when they are loaded.

Loading and saving of PSM icons should be as intuitive as when working with images - for example, when you decide to load an image, it loads into the workspace that you are currently working in; it doesn't delete every other image already loaded in PI; and when you want to save an image, you don't have to save every image already open in PI.

Any thoughts folks?

Cheers,
Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, UK

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Offline Jack Harvey

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #2 on: 2010 February 21 06:55:18 »
agree
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Offline Jack Harvey

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #3 on: 2010 February 21 06:56:37 »
Juan a great addition!  Really look forward to cleaning up my workspace!
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Offline Juan Conejero

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #4 on: 2010 February 21 11:49:19 »
Thanks Jack and Niall.

What you ask for is already implemented in 1.6:



Asking for features, getting answers!  8)
Juan Conejero
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Offline Jack Harvey

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #5 on: 2010 February 21 12:09:39 »
Thats what I like about you, Results, not Reasons!
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Offline Niall Saunders

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #6 on: 2010 February 21 15:06:22 »
Hi again Juan,

Yep - it looks like we are heading in the right direction - yet again!!

And, as always, I defy anyone to name another piece of leading-edge software that is so finely tuned.

However, do NOT rush this release Juan. By all means drop these pre-release notifications to us via the Forum. Gauge our response, consider our feedback, tweak your interfaces, re-jig your algorithms.

Let's all make 1.6.0 a really special release. Not perfect - it will never be that, nor should it be. But just make it yet another big step forward.

Thanks in advance for all your efforts - on behalf of all of us.

Cheers,
Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, UK

Altair Astro GSO 10" f/8 Ritchey Chrétien CF OTA on EQ8 mount with homebrew 3D Balance and Pier
Moonfish ED80 APO & Celestron Omni XLT 120
QHY10 CCD & QHY5L-II Colour
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Offline Harry page

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #7 on: 2010 February 21 15:25:42 »


I can cope with perfect   >:D

Harry
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Offline Niall Saunders

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #8 on: 2010 February 21 16:48:30 »
No you can't Harry  ::)

Like me, you will be given 'perfect', and will (almost immediately) be posting a message along the lines of

Quote
"Fantastic Juan. Thanks. Really, really great, but . . . ."

Which is OK - because Juan doesn't mind us, not really ::)

Cheers,
Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, UK

Altair Astro GSO 10" f/8 Ritchey Chrétien CF OTA on EQ8 mount with homebrew 3D Balance and Pier
Moonfish ED80 APO & Celestron Omni XLT 120
QHY10 CCD & QHY5L-II Colour
9mm TS-OAG and Meade DSI-IIC

Offline mmirot

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #9 on: 2010 February 21 16:55:55 »
What other goodies does 1.60 have for us?


Max

Offline Cheyenne

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #10 on: 2010 February 21 18:46:54 »
Yea!!!!

Can't wait for 1.6 :)
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Offline Yuriy Toropin

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #11 on: 2010 February 21 23:23:42 »
If CUDA is not in 1.6 yet may be it will be the major thing and theme in 1.7? ;)
Even more, it could be released as add-in for extra cost, I'm ready to pay some extra money for super speed...

Besides that looks like new features are for good.  8)

Offline Jordi Gallego

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Re: PixInsight 1.6.0 - New Top-Level Windows
« Reply #12 on: 2010 March 06 02:22:52 »
Yea!!!!

Can't wait for 1.6 :)

Me too!! ;) ;) ;) ;)
Jordi Gallego
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