New batch paradigm - Process or Skip

[tomczak]

The improved batch makes a lot of sense and brings more flexibility, I think. A few comments:

- Experimenting, I inserted the Process or Skip right after Open File List and right before the final Export. The batch pauses on the first one, and displays the Open File list as well, but the Open File functionality is disabled. Maybe it should be, but is there a reason why it is displayed at all?

- When the batch reaches the second Process or Skip, it also pauses (this time File Open dialog box does not appear), but the spot it is inserted at happens to be close to the bottom of a longish branch and it is hidden in the Browser. The browser scrolling is disabled at this point. The reason I mention that is that I intuitively wanted to know at which point the batch paused, but couldn't scroll it to see it.

- The batch seems to pause on each instance of Process or Skip by default. Setting a breakpoint on it has a counterintuitive effect of bypassing the Process or Skip. Given that the logic of all the other transformations is that they proceed automatically if there is no breakpoint on them, perhaps the functionality could be reversed (but perhaps setting the breakpoint on Process or Skip by default as it is its major functionality).

- While there is an option in Process or Skip selection box to Disable All Breakpoins prior to hitting Process Remaining button, I have to choose it 'proactively'. In other words, if I decide to Process Remaining and forget to disable breakpoints, the processing will pause at every breakpoint for each image to be processed. I was thinking that it may be useful to be able to then disable the breakpoints and finish the batch automatically, but I don't seem to be able to do that as the Edit menu is disabled when the batch pauses at a breakpoint.

- The new 4-choice selection in Copy transformation is great, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it in the batch as a decision making point as it is top-level transformation. I was doing something similar before, inserting Compare with a breakpoint into a branch, which gave me a binary choice between Image A and Image B which I could preview and then choose for further processing.

[jsachs]

- Experimenting, I inserted the Process or Skip right after Open File List and right before the final Export. The batch pauses on the first one, and displays the Open File list as well, but the Open File functionality is disabled. Maybe it should be, but is there a reason why it is displayed at all?

- When the batch reaches the second Process or Skip, it also pauses (this time File Open dialog box does not appear), but the spot it is inserted at happens to be close to the bottom of a longish branch and it is hidden in the Browser. The browser scrolling is disabled at this point. The reason I mention that is that I intuitively wanted to know at which point the batch paused, but couldn't scroll it to see it.

I removed the File Open transformation dialog box during Process or Skip for the next release. It is also changed to set the image browser to the current image which brings it into view.

- The batch seems to pause on each instance of Process or Skip by default. Setting a breakpoint on it has a counterintuitive effect of bypassing the Process or Skip. Given that the logic of all the other transformations is that they proceed automatically if there is no breakpoint on them, perhaps the functionality could be reversed (but perhaps setting the breakpoint on Process or Skip by default as it is its major functionality).

Setting a breakpoint on a transformation such as Process or Skip which has no transformation dialog box and no settings to edit does not make sense and will be disallowed for the next release.

- The new 4-choice selection in Copy transformation is great, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it in the batch as a decision making point as it is top-level transformation. I was doing something similar before, inserting Compare with a breakpoint into a branch, which gave me a binary choice between Image A and Image B which I could preview and then choose for further processing.

It make no difference that it is a top-level transformation -- this is a side effect of having no main input image, just auxiliary inputs, similar to Layout or Stack Images. Just add whatever transformations that would normally follow it and recalculation will work normally, kind of like a vertical word wrap.

[tomczak]

Thanks. I noticed that when the batch pauses on Process or Skip, the current preview image can be zoomed in and out with the mouse's scroll wheel. Great, as it helps culling (or skipping) the images in the batch. Can the preview be also grabbed and moved around somehow? Although, zooming alone centers on the pointer and can be used to quickly zoom out and in to hop around the image easily enough.