Ingredient Browser looses focus when item is added

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Bob57702
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Ingredient Browser looses focus when item is added

Post by Bob57702 »

I couldn't find anything about this in the posts. Whenever an item is selected the Ingredient Browser looses focus and BTP becomes the active program. I would like to see the Ingredient Browser to remain on top until I change the focus or I close it.

Thanks,
Bob
PC: I7-3770S CPU, Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit, 12 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1920x1080 HD touchscreen
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billvelek
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suggested fix

Post by billvelek »

Hi, Bob. I presume that you mean that when you start with a clean slate to create a new recipe, and you're going to have 3 or 4 grains, that you'd like to open the grain browser just once and select all of your grains before closing the browswer and coming back to the main BTP screen. Then you would click on each grain and set the quantity. Same for hops; if you are going to use two, or maybe three, then you'd want the hops browser to remain open until you pick your last one. Some folks, on the other hand, especially when just doing a modification of a recipe, prefer that the browser close once they've made their one selection. I think it would be best to be able to choose to do either, and my suggestion is that it strikes me that the easiest way is to have an additional button labeled "Add & Close". Clicking that button would add that single ingredient and close the browser. The existing "Add" button would add it to the list but NOT close the browser so that you'd be ready to make your next selection.

Other ways to accomplish what you want would be to add a dropdown menu on the right-click of the mouse (currently unused) that would permit selecting an ingredient without closing the window. There are lots of other ways to do this, too. Just some thoughts for Jeff and Lathe.

The bottom line is that I will second your suggestion that BTP somehow permit a user to keep the browser window open until all selections have been made. This is one of those things that we can all live with as it is right now, but certainly would add some polish to the program.

Cheers.

Bill Velek
Visit www.tinyurl.com/bvelek - portal to my brewing sites: 3,100+ members on 'Grow-Hops', and 1,350+ brewers on my 'BrewingEquip' group.
Running BTP v1.5.3 on WinXP 2005 SP3 w/AMD Athlon 64@3800+, 1GigRam, Res 1024x768
Bob57702
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Ingredient browser

Post by Bob57702 »

That's pretty close to what I was getting at. It's not that the browser actually closes it's just not the active program anymore. BTP becomes the active program. This forces the Ing Browser to the back. When creating from a clean session constantly having to bring the Browser back into focus is just a bit annoying although not earth shattering. When I'm modifying a recipe it's not as bad because then it's out of the way after selecting a new item. So long as I only want to select one item.

I wouldn't mind an additional "Add & Close" button but I can do that in two clicks if the browser would only stay the active program after selecting "Add". Otherwise I have to navigate a bit more to accomplish it.

I don't remember this being this way in the earlier revisions. Before 1.0.18 I believe.
Bob
PC: I7-3770S CPU, Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit, 12 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1920x1080 HD touchscreen
Brant
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Post by Brant »

I'm using XP, and it's worse that you describe on my PC. The Ingredient Browser windows does *not* lose focus when I click the Add button. However, it shuffles behind the BTP session window. Press the Tab key a few times and notice which window the "active" button goes through -- the Ingredient Browser window that is in the background. (This assumes your BTP session window is not too big that it completely hides the Ingredient Browser window). The Windlows taskbar shows the Ingredient Browser as being the active window, too. And what makes it worse is that my left hand tapping Alt-Tab once to try to bring the Ingredient Browser back in front of the Session window skips the Ingredient Browser and jumps to Firefox (or whatever other app I was using right before starting BTP).

The workaround is simple -- just click a spot on the Ingredient Browser window to bring it back front -- so I haven't been stressing over this. But since it was brought up, I thought I'd fill in some of the details that I've seen in case it helps Jeff. It seems to me that this started happening in the last update or two.
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billvelek
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Post by billvelek »

Brant wrote:Snip ... However, it shuffles behind the BTP session window. ... snip
Hi, Brant. I more or less assumed that shuffling behind the BTP window is what was meant by losing focus. Actually, when you think about it, it probably really doesn't take many more clicks one way or the other; to get the browser back, whether it is 'shuffled' or 'unfocused' or 'closed', just takes a click on "Browse" and another on the type of ingredient. This is just one of those SMALL things that might be slightly annoying that it isn't working the way one might prefer, but it's easy enough to work around and I'd probably give this matter my LOWEST priority for adding 'polish'.

By the way, it's brew day and I've got my kettle warming up my strike water; am going to brew an ESB. I have two batches to bottle, too, which will leave me with two carboys, but I just don't know if I feel up to brewing two batches today. Well, after I've gotten a few beers in me during the first one ... I'll probably proceed with a second. It'll take me all day. :shock: Have you ever listened to any podcasts by Graham Sander's (Oz Craftbrewing in Australia)? They start out with a song with lyrics that repeat "You're my favorite waste of time." :D

Cheers.

Bill Velek
Visit www.tinyurl.com/bvelek - portal to my brewing sites: 3,100+ members on 'Grow-Hops', and 1,350+ brewers on my 'BrewingEquip' group.
Running BTP v1.5.3 on WinXP 2005 SP3 w/AMD Athlon 64@3800+, 1GigRam, Res 1024x768
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slothrob
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Post by slothrob »

I think this might just be a previously unreported bug in the Windows version. The Mac version does not work this way. The Ingrdient Browser stays open and in front while you add as many ingredients as you want. It saves a lot of time and aggrevation compared to what's being described here.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
Bob57702
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Ing Browser hiding

Post by Bob57702 »

Brant is correct. It actually doesn't lose focus or is no longer the active window. It just wants to hide. I also think that Slothrob is correct. I do believe this is an undocumented feature (bug) in the Windows version. I believe it has something to do with when the added item is inserted into BTP bringing that program to the front in the process then not restoring the position of the Ing Browser. I also agree that it's not a huge problem but it is just one of those little details that will help make my brewing software of choice, BTP, the best available.

Aren't I agreeable?
Bob
PC: I7-3770S CPU, Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit, 12 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1920x1080 HD touchscreen
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