A little picking of nits:

HiBaller

19 Years of Trainz
//mild rant

Currently running TS2019 (build 114800). This and previous builds all used the "new" Surveyor menu with the GIANT icons. Firstly, I wonder why they are so doggone BIG? It is annoying to have to scroll for a while through 2" x 2" icons to get to the latter portions of the list of routes. Secondly is the annoying "return to the first route" syndrome when you delete a route near the end of the list. When I build on a route, due to the occasional CTD, I save a route every five minutes, giving it a new--numerically serialized--name. This creates a section on the horizontally-scrolling list of (a lot) of the same route, but one number higher. Since I save only the last three, each and every one I delete preceding those three will cause the entire list to shift back to the first entry in the list. VERY annoying. Now, I realize I could simply exit Surveyor and call up the CM and delete them there, and I sometimes do that, but for the most part, I do it in the list of routes.

Another annoying thing is viewing DLS content. The same thing happens if you select one of the entries to view. You are dumped into a page with all the content details (but nowhere discoverable that allows me to actually download it). Once I finish the page and want to go back to the list, I am dumped right at the beginning of the list once more and have to page-page-page-page back to where I was.

Both these interfaces need to be looked at and revised.

//end rant

Bill
 
That's true. it will do that. Still, not resorting the list would keep this from happening. Hey, I'm old and been programming since 1963, I can be grumpy about an inefficient UI. :hehe:

Bill
 
Yup. We were told this is still WIP. In other words, we've got the wooden frame and some wiring in place so we've got walls and lights, but there's no insulation, wallboard, and paint. (Snark as if you can't tell).
 
Not forgetting that nearly all browsers have now disabled FTP as it is apparently a security risk, you can use an FTP client to download from the Web DLS, or supposedly Edge will download FTP but in IE mode, Win 11 has kindly set the FTP Protocol to Edge which doesn't do anything apart from provide a blank screen. At a guess we are not far off Microsoft removing the FTP protocol. I prefer downloading with Content Manager anyway.

Regarding Manage Content, just untick show as thumbnails in the settings, you just get the list then and no large icons as with TS12 and before.
 
I didn't realize "show with icons" was in a menu somewhere. They keep shifting from version to version, so I don't know where they are.

Thanks, Malc.

Bill
 
That's true. it will do that. Still, not resorting the list would keep this from happening. Hey, I'm old and been programming since 1963, I can be grumpy about an inefficient UI. :hehe:

Bill

Hi Bill, you must be the 'Father of the game' :)

I can only claim to have been breathing in 1963!
 
I make use of the ability to have multiple windows open to deal with the resorting issue. I leave the DLS list window alone and use File>New Window>New Content Window to open a new window to look at local installed items. For example. DLS on one window and a new window listing Today's downloads helps me to preview new stuff to see if I want to keep it. I just overlap the windows and click back and forth.

William
 
I make use of the ability to have multiple windows open to deal with the resorting issue. I leave the DLS list window alone and use File>New Window>New Content Window to open a new window to look at local installed items. For example. DLS on one window and a new window listing Today's downloads helps me to preview new stuff to see if I want to keep it. I just overlap the windows and click back and forth.

William


I do this quite a bit, William. However, I take advantage of Windows 10 allowing multiple desktops and usually run with four. Main desktop for Trainz and such, Thunderbird in the second frdktop, Firefox in the third, and remote desktop to my server downstairs in the fourth. All desktops are separate unto themselves. If you have enough RAM you could have many more of them. You can also open something on one desktop and then move it to another with one click. The hotkeys of Ctrl+Windows+Right and left arrows move between them.

Bill
 
.....
Regarding Manage Content, just untick show as thumbnails in the settings, you just get the list then and no large icons as with TS12 and before.

This is for CM, not the in-game interface. Even with this unticked, I still get the 2" by 2" icons.

Bill
 
This is for CM, not the in-game interface. Even with this unticked, I still get the 2" by 2" icons.

Bill

That's what I thought when I saw that post. I knew what you meant, but sadly there's no adjustment for that. It would be nice if the icons were smaller; I'm glad we're not using 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 displays!
 
//mild rant

...I save a route every five minutes, giving it a new--numerically serialized--name. This creates a section on the horizontally-scrolling list of (a lot) of the same route, but one number higher. Since I save only the last three, each and every one I delete preceding those three will cause the entire list to shift back to the first entry in the list. VERY annoying. Now, I realize I could simply exit Surveyor and call up the CM and delete them there, and I sometimes do that, but for the most part, I do it in the list of routes....

//end rant

Bill

Bill I create and save routes using pretty much exactly the naming protocol you describe (routename_yymmdd_a then _b _c etc) and suffer exactly the frustration you describe when deleting all but the last couple. I generally have several routes on the go at any one time, but my tendency is to work on one particular route for several days/weeks/months before weariness sets in and I move on to one of the others. Exactly because of the frustration you describe I have taken to prefixing the route name of the route I am currently working on with 'aa' (aa_routename_yymmdd_a) . That puts the oldest version of the current route at the left-hand end of the list, deleting it simply moves the highlight to the next-oldest etc etc. When I move on to another route, removing the 'aa' prefix in CM takes moments....

Andy
 
Good idea, Andy. I've since discovered that if I put a unique portion of the name into the Search bar this also helps to keep the list short.

Bill
 
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