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 Workspaces Redundant

11clock

Member
The idea of a workspace sounds nice, but because each window pretty much takes up the whole workspace area, and you cannot overlap windows, it kind of renders the workspace setup redundant and actually pretty obnoxious, since you can only see one window at a time. This seems more ideal for a 4K monitor than the standard 1080P. Yes I know that you can zoom out, but then the text becomes too tiny to properly work.

My suggestion is to simply allow for windows to overlap each other again.
 

MilesThatch

Member
We've already had that discussion. Multiple times actually..

NOT liking the infinite dimensions of work-spaces.
IDE too crowded?
Workspace ..am I the only one?
Workspace camera controls need work
Workspace
Workspace workflow


A DPI option was discussed to be implemented into the next update (hopefully) that will scale the icon and text sizes to free up more space. I'd suggest to continue working on it and give it a bit more time to get used to. I was extremely frustrated with it but the more I worked the more I adjusted from my 1.4 habits.

The workspaces start making sense when you are working with a multi-monitor setup. This type of a setup is extremely common in multimedia development, be it 3D, animation, Game Dev or anything else media related. Work-spaces deal with resource management. I've recently proposed an idea to be able to rename work-spaces to some key title that will make GM open a specified resource type in that work-space right away. We'll see


So... not gonna really dig into any arguments for or against here, just going to put out the how and why.

IN 1.x you were stuck with overlapping windows, this was a terrible experience and meant you only ever had a couple of scripts and objects open at once - max. Any more, and they were utterly lost in a sea of over lapping madness. I constantly found myself having to close everything to find anything. This sucked.

The workspace lets you lay everything out, or at the least, lets you open much more than 1.x could ever manage and still find your way around. Even if you only opened 3 objects (which isn't much by 2.x standards) you were still ahead. I usually have 10 or more objects open and then use the scroll wheel to shift them all up and down. This started out as "zoom" on the scroll wheel, but this was a horrible experience and we swapped it to scrolling. Sine they open up on top of each other, a vertical scroll is very natural, even if you only have 2 objects open, they are laid out clearly and easy to get to.

The code editor can either be window based, or fullscreen based. If you want to maximise your workspace, then putting code into a fullscreen tab and Using F12 (or the icon at the top) to hide the docks really gives you as much space as you need. If you do find you need more, then ripping these workspace tabs out and maximising your monitors lets you spread your work around.

While the resource tree does work as a "go to" resource we have added in shortcut navigation using the cursor keys, bookmarks so you can bookmark anything at any time, and the ALT-T thing to jump directly. All this is WAY more than 1.x ever had, and again after you opened a couple of windows, you were just stuffed.

The IDE is utterly customisation to us, it's written from the ground up and we can change anything in it if we feel the need is there. Currently, I'm not persuaded by the 1.x window on window argument. I used it extensively to build projects and it showed up windows my annoying flaw. Interestingly, windows 10 has also moved into this "workspace" idea (as Mac and Linux have had for years) with it's multiple desktop. They recognise - as we do, that 1,000,000 windows on top of each other is just horrible. Multiple desktops let you put apps that your are working with into logical spaces together. I have my browser, email and the like on one, then VS, source control on another .

You can do just the same with 2.x using workspace tabs, you don't have to pack them all onto one space and scroll around. stick things that youwork side by side with on the same tab an either flick between them or rip them off onto another monitor. I'd also encourage you to try the fullscreen code editors - and the various preferences to adjust your workflow to suit.

Changing workflow is hard, and I'm under no illusions that everyone will come to like it - just like not everyone liked the dated 1.x workflow. And while I will always monitor how users are doing, and if there is anything we can do to smooth things out, I'm pretty resistant to going back to 1.x overlapping window hell. But, find a middle ground, and I'm all ears.

Lastly... the room editor is kind of a half way house right now. Having parts of it in the dock is not the final layout, but we didn't get time to fully complete it. This will be finished over time (as we do everything else), and that will also help maximise space.

Actually...really lastly. We also have a new preference coming, DPI override. This lets you shrink or grow the layout to suit, and while it's been added as an accessibility aid (for those who struggle to see everything clearly), I've actually come to love it when I shrink everything - just a bit. Normal (100%) DPI is 96, and 75% is 72. I now sit mine around 80 and find this is a really nice look. We may well be able to do a skin that helps shrink the chrome and gives this kind of effect - although the DPI override does do this nicely.

So...as I said, just my how and why....

The work-spaces seem way less intimidating on larger resolution screens. For laptop users it is unfortunately means that they need to connect an external monitor if their own doesn't support it.
 
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spacerobot

Member
I think for me I would like all items to open in their own windows like they did before, but keep the chaining and linking. I really love hitting f1 on a script and having it chain link open next to it. Then maybe let me minimize them to a dock or something, keeping the ctrl-tab to switch between items. basically just get rid of the locking items to the workstation surface.
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
You can rip a "tab" from any text editor and put it anywhere you like. Full screen tab, a separate workspace editor, add it to another objects text window even.
 

GMWolf

aka fel666
You can rip a "tab" from any text editor and put it anywhere you like. Full screen tab, a separate workspace editor, add it to another objects text window even.
At this point, would it not be worth having a full screen window only mode?
you can only see one window at a time.
That is most defenetly true. Yes you can move around and see a couple windows, but when coding, adding events etc, I find myself scrolling left from my code window to reach the event tab. Its increadibly slow!
On a single, 1080p monitor, there is no way you can have two windows on screen and work on them both.

Navigating the workspace is definetly slower than using tabs. Yes you can alt+t, but ifthat is what you recomend we use, what does this say about the workspace system?
I do think the workspace is cool, But it just doesnt work for GM: It provides NO extra information, and does not make navigating from one resource to another any faster. In fact, the information it provides can be very misleading:
What does a chain event mean? Is it ownership, relationship? It neither really... Its just the oredr in which you click things. hardly usefull at all if you ask me.

I understand that YYG have based the entire system around this chain system. But with so many people questioning its utility, it could be worth reconsidering this design choice. Either make it work by introducing ne concepts that would make GM a better fit for the workspace system (unlikely), Or give us the option to use the much requested tab system.

The tab system has many of the same advantages the workspace offers, with none of the drawback, such as splitting windows to display multiple scripts. It does not waste space with its extra borders, or time with is less than optimal navigation system.
 

nesrocks

Member
I simply think that new objects/assets/sprites/etc should be openened in the "desktop" workspace instead of closed inside a virtual workspace. That would fix everything. Open them as popups on top of everything without scrolling things away. Like normal windows.
 

GMWolf

aka fel666
I simply think that new objects/assets/sprites/etc should be openened in the "desktop" workspace instead of closed inside a virtual workspace. That would fix everything. Open them as popups on top of everything without scrolling things away. Like normal windows.
Then you get the GMS:1.4 nightmare all over again.
I really dont see why YYG is so against the idea of having all windows be full screen, like scripts can be. It would save a lot of time and space.

I must admit i was quite excited by the new IDe, thinking it made Parakeet and other IDE's worthless. But now im starting to see thats not the case. Im used to the workspace now, and still dont see the benefit.
Even if it does work on lager monitors, i think a simpler, tabbed window system would still work better.
 

11clock

Member
Look in preferences before you post topics! General Settings -> Workspace - Allow workspace chains to overlap
This doesn't fix that windows still open next to each other rather than overlapping each other on open, so you have to drag them on top of each other manually and that gets annoying.
 

MilesThatch

Member
This doesn't fix that windows still open next to each other rather than overlapping each other on open, so you have to drag them on top of each other manually and that gets annoying.
We've already had this discussion a dozen times. Don't be lazy, you're not makings any new arguments here. Look through the threads I posted above, all of your arguments have already been addressed.
 
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