View Options floater: Problem and Solution

[stridey]

Now, I know it's kind of cheap to plug yourself, but I think fixing the Finder is an important enough issue that it's worth it.

On my personal blog, I've written what I think is a succinct and direct explanation of exactly what is wrong with Finder's View Options floater, and (more importantly) exactly how to fix it. I think that it's really important for the community to continue to murmur and stamp their feet about Finder's problems, and this specific issue bugs me all the time. My article can be found here.

I ask that you at least give it a read; the more people who speak up about the design problem in Finder, the more likely it is that we get listened to.

 

[varmit]

Now, I know it's kind of cheap to plug yourself, but I think fixing the Finder is an important enough issue that it's worth it.

On my personal blog, I've written what I think is a succinct and direct explanation of exactly what is wrong with Finder's View Options floater, and (more importantly) exactly how to fix it. I think that it's really important for the community to continue to murmur and stamp their feet about Finder's problems, and this specific issue bugs me all the time. My article can be found here.

I ask that you at least give it a read; the more people who speak up about the design problem in Finder, the more likely it is that we get listened to.

I would have to say your problem is more of user error. If you are changing the size of your icon for one particular folder, wouldn't you click to change just the particular folder first, before making the icon size change. What are they suppose to do about this, prompt you with a hey did you really want to do this. Most people just have their Finder One way or the Other, not mixing and matching icon sizes, icons or list view. Most set it one way and leave it that way. The only thing they might do different is the desktop, which is a different set of settings, so they don't disrupt the finders settings. I feel this is just personal, and someone makes software to do it, I see no reason for Apple to do it. It just makes it more complicated, which is not what they do. Think iMac remote, not Windows Media player remote.

 

[mduser63]

I completely agree with you. At the very least they could make it so that View Options defaults to "This Window" instead of "All Windows."

 

[PlaceofDis]

i just want the finder to remember if i want list, icon, or column view for what folders....

applicaions folder is fine as icons, as is my home folder... but my documents folder i would want to see in column view.... and it never remembers!

 

[stridey]

I would have to say your problem is more of user error. If you are changing the size of your icon for one particular folder, wouldn't you click to change just the particular folder first, before making the icon size change. What are they suppose to do about this, prompt you with a hey did you really want to do this. Most people just have their Finder One way or the Other, not mixing and matching icon sizes, icons or list view. Most set it one way and leave it that way. The only thing they might do different is the desktop, which is a different set of settings, so they don't disrupt the finders settings. I feel this is just personal, and someone makes software to do it, I see no reason for Apple to do it. It just makes it more complicated, which is not what they do. Think iMac remote, not Windows Media player remote.

Of course, you're right: my problem is a user error. But it's a user error caused by an unintuitive (some might even say unMaclike) design. It's an issue of scope: The view options for each window simply shouldn't have the power to change the OS's default settings.

i just want the finder to remember if i want list, icon, or column view for what folders....

applicaions folder is fine as icons, as is my home folder... but my documents folder i would want to see in column view.... and it never remembers!

Yeah, your issue would be dealt with by my proposed solution as well. I think it's ridiculous that there's no UI for changing those prefs. BTW, the way to change it is to open the folder in a new window, change the prefs to be the way you want them, and then close the new window. Be warned though, column view is "sticky": once you go into a folder whose default pref is column view, leaving the folder doesn't switch back. grrr.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Of course, you're right: my problem is a user error. But it's a user error caused by an unintuitive (some might even say unMaclike) design. It's an issue of scope: The view options for each window simply shouldn't have the power to change the OS's default settings.

Yeah, your issue would be dealt with by my proposed solution as well. I think it's ridiculous that there's no UI for changing those prefs. BTW, the way to change it is to open the folder in a new window, change the prefs to be the way you want them, and then close the new window. Be warned though, column view is "sticky": once you go into a folder whose default pref is column view, leaving the folder doesn't switch back. grrr.

i agree with you that is mainly a design flaw, one that could be worked out much much better....

and i know that it sticks when the folder is opened in a new window, but isn't that rather uninuitive as well? it doesn't seem to hold all the time either.

 

[stridey]

and i know that it sticks when the folder is opened in a new window, but isn't that rather uninuitive as well? it doesn't seem to hold all the time either.

Yeah. Unintuitive, inconsistent, virtually impossible to discover on your own, and with absolutely no feedback telling you if you've succeeded or not.