* tips for sizing source pane?

[DJY]

Hi,

I've been living with a frustrating problem with my source pane and I've finally decided to reach out for advice!

I always keep my source pane docked. In the 2 years I've been using FH, I've sometimes had it docked on the right (my preference) or at the bottom (a modification I did when something weird happened with FH update and the column widths of the source pane changed). Both locations have issues and I'm hoping someone has advice of some display setting or something that I need to change to make my world perfect!

First of all, I want all 3 panes on my display and I want the focus window wide enough that I can see the ID #s of the grandparents, which requires a focus window wide enough to display ID #s 5 digits long. I don't want to shrink the text further. I work off a laptop screen (15") and I like the font where it is. I also want my facts to display the full date and display some key info I put in the fact column, plus a clear set of symbols for media & note icons.

My problem with docking the source pane on the right is the source title gets truncated and I can't tell what my source is! See screenshot. If I try to drag the columns to compress the source #, it just snaps back in place. [And besides, I prefer to be able to read the source # for easy reference.] In some earlier version of FH7, I didn't have this issue but something happened in an update and this problem appeared. I then switched to a bottom dock.

I've fixed the truncated source title problem with the bottom dock (displays the full short title per my preferences). See screenshot. The problem with the bottom dock is that if I have a lot of facts for an individual, I can't scroll all the way through the list of facts in the source pane to select the facts at the bottom of the list. I couldn't get a good screenshot of this because I lose the pulldown list when I try to snip. I've tried making my Windows taskbar float, but that doesn't help; I still can't scroll (or page down or arrow down) to the bottom fact(s).

Any suggestions on how I can arrange it so I can see the full short title AND the full list of facts in the sources pane?

I really don't want to float the sources pane, so I don't consider that a viable option. [I would be open to that if FH had an icon next to media & notes in the facts window to indicate which facts have sources and which don't but without that functionality, I'm relying on the sources pane being docked so I can clearly see the source status when I click on a fact.]

[tatewise]

Yes, I sympathise that with a small screen size, it is difficult to fit everything in.

I see what you mean about the Sources For droplist that often extends off the bottom of the screen.
You should report that to CP via the http://www.calico-pie.com/osticket/open.php support ticket system.
BTW: You can capture such things by setting a Snip & Sketch / Snipping Tool delay to let you open the droplist.

See and Vote for Wish List Ref 593 Property Box, Facts tab, More column features that proposes a Source Citation yellow scroll icon in the More column to indicate citations.
See the Property window unsourced facts (21443) topic that explains an interim workaround that adds a symbol to each Fcat in the Facts pane to indicate whether they have citations or not.
Either of the above avoid the need to have the Source Citation pane displayed just to see if a citation exists.

There is a related discussion in Preserve and Hide/Show Columns (21457) regarding the width of the columns in the Source Citation pane.

Have you considered floating the Property Box and floating the Source Citation pane above it?
You can shrink the main Focus Window to about half the screen width and get a layout similar to your posted 2nd screenshot except the Source Citation pane is above the Property Box so the droplist is always fully visible.

[DJY]

Helpful as always, Mike. Thank you!

I was able to use your tip about the delayed snip to open a support ticket. Let's see what happens!

I voted for the enhancement to add a source symbol to the "more" column. Even if I choose to keep the source pane open, I still think that's a good idea for a quick status check. My "5" vote moved it from a score of 4 to 4.1.

Your idea to float the source pane and put it ABOVE the property box was genius! It allows me to use that useless space at the top of the program window, so it solves not only the problem with the source pulldown pane but also allows me to see more of the sentence output in the property box, which I normally had to scroll to see. I consider this a wonderful solution. (Though I still behind my vote!)

Thanks again!

[fhtess65]

I concur - Mike's suggestion is genius - gives me what I've been looking for as well. Is there any way to have those floating boxes open automatically? Or do we have to reset the view each time we open FH?

I have ticked Open Workspace Windows Remember Property Box State, but I don't think this helps with my question.

No big deal if I have to float the property box and source box each time I open, just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thanks

Your idea to float the source pane and put it ABOVE the property box was genius! It allows me to use that useless space at the top of the program window, so it solves not only the problem with the source pulldown pane but also allows me to see more of the sentence output in the property box, which I normally had to scroll to see. I consider this a wonderful solution. (Though I still behind my vote!)

Thanks again!

[tatewise]

Tools > Preferences > Workspaces lets you specify whether the Property Box is Floating or Docked with each type of workspace window and whether it should be open or not.

Tools > Preferences > Property Box lets you specify that the Ciation List Pane floats in a New Window.

FH should remember the size and position of the main window, floating Property Box window, floating Citation List Pane window, and floating Source Citation window, but sometimes you have to be persistent in slightly adjusting their size and position to get them to 'stick'.

[fhtess65]

Hi Mike - thanks! I have set things that way, yet when I opened up today, the Property box didn't open... Or do I not have it right?

Workspaces.jpg (212.63 KiB) Viewed 932 times

[tatewise]

Teresa, please read the Help page.
What does it say about enabling Open Workspace Windows Remember Property Box State?
If you have closed the Property Box in the Focus Window before closing FH then it will say closed.
So if you want the options above to always be invoked then disable that tick option.

[BillH]

Teresa,

Back when FH7 first came out I played around with trying to make it look like FH6. I used a floating property box and a floating Sources For window to do this. See viewtopic.php?f=32&t=19000#p113270 for a screen shot of what I was doing.

I was never able to get the Sources For pane to consistently open when starting FH when I used a floating Sources For pane. I did have the option unchecked that Mike refers to and it didn't help. I reverted back to using a docked Sources For pane.

That was quite awhile ago, so it may have been improved in later versions.

Bill

[tatewise]

Bill is correct that the floating Citation List Pane never opens automatically, but neither does the floating Source Citation window, the floating Media for Fact window, the floating Witnesses for... window, or any other floating window and you probably would not want them to.

[fhtess65]

Ah, but I haven't closed the property box in the Focus Window.

But yes, I admit I was bad and didn't read the Help, however read that tick box text to mean something different - it certainly wasn't clear language to me, so I shouldn't have ticked it without clarifying.

I will try again tonight at home and see what happens.

While I appreciate these situations can be annoying to super-users, please know we newbies don't actually do these things with the intent to irritate or because we're being negligent on purpose.

Teresa, please read the Help page.
What does it say about enabling Open Workspace Windows Remember Property Box State?
If you have closed the Property Box in the Focus Window before closing FH then it will say closed.
So if you want the options above to always be invoked then disable that tick option.

[DJY]

Just a quick update -- the FH team was amazingly fast in replying to my ticket. They have replicated the error with the pulldown list when the source pane is docked below the property box and will address it in a future update.

[Robert Jacobs]

When I open the Workspaces preferences window I do not see the citation list controls at the bottom (below the Disable Property Box Management and Restore Defaults button).

What settings control that display?

[tatewise]

As I said earlier, that is because they are in Tools > Preferences > Property Box and the screenshot is a munge of two tabs.

[Robert Jacobs]

Thanks, Mike. I missed that.

[fhtess65]

As I said earlier, that is because they are in Tools > Preferences > Property Box and the screenshot is a munge of two tabs.

That was my mistake - I should have explained what I'd done, but was working quickly and posted it without thinking how others might misinterpret the image