[Solved] How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

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porg
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[Solved] How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by porg »

General First Feedback

I am currently using the trial version to evaluate whether Graphic Converter suits me and my intended applications.

My compliments: I used Graphic Converter in the late 1990ies, and then not for over 20 years. Already back then a highly sophisticated and powerful software. Now coming back, I see a lot of contemporary functionality (cloud drives, AI stuff like face detection, etc) got integrated. Wow!

My specific problem
  • In the Browser in all views I cannot tell at a glance which item is of what file-type (JPG, PNG, WEP, …).
  • Only for the selected file the "Image" tab in the "Preview" panel shows me the attribute "File Format:" and the value of it (JPEG, PNG, …).
  • It is crucially important for me to tell files apart at first glance. Especially if I do format conversions into the source folder. To not confuse original and conversion, and wasting a lot of time with guesswork, or a lot of consecutive "click then look at side-panel".
  • In the List view Graphic Converter shows all kinds of image attributes (creation date, modification date, image dimensions, file size, etc) but not the file type. If you have extensions hidden, you cannot know which file is of what type.
My attempts to customize the shown image attributes
  • Main menu > View --> No ad-hoc options which image attributes to show/hide
  • Context menu --> No ad-hoc options which image attributes to show/hide
  • Preferences -> Browser --> "Thumbnail Metadata" allows which attributes to show, but file type is not among them. And there is no section in the preferences for "List View".
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

Hi,

the file format is normally directly indicated by the filename. So, just display the filename (which is on by default) and you know the file format.

Also, you can filter for formats with the filter menu:
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 16.41.21.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 16.41.21.jpg (214.48 KiB) Viewed 2485 times
You can even sort by the extension (format). Just use the sort popup:
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 16.41.32.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 16.41.32.jpg (69.61 KiB) Viewed 2485 times
I hope that solved your issue.

Thorsten
porg
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by porg »

1) Then I seem to have a bug or misconfiguration (Graphic Converter 11.6 on macOS 11.6.5)
Because some of my files show an extension and others not.
Also if I go to the Finder, change the extension visibility for all files in that folder to be visible.
This should ideally already propagate to GC's Browser view (object oriented notification).
At latest if I navigate away to another folder, and back to my folder of interest, a refresh should take place.
But none occurs. It stays in this mixed suffix visibility state.
UPDATE: Just found out it is even worse than that. Navigating away and back again to your folder of interest does NOT refresh.
You need to explicitly select the folder in the tree pane > right click > "Refresh". This feels like classic macOS 🙁 not very contemporary.
Is there any setting which guarantees instant or more frequent updating of folder contents?

2) To rule out another misconfiguration: What influences whether the extension is shown or not in Graphic Converter (GC)?
a) Does it respect Finder's "Show extension" on a per-file-basis?
b) GC > Preferences > Save > General > Finder > Hide extension : I set this to ON.
Because in general I prefer to have my extension hidden in Finder. Because if I care for content (icon view) I usually do not care for technical details, and if I care for technical details I go into list view, and there the column "Type" tells me the file type. I hope that this does not influence the display behavior of extensions in GC of files that were not created/touched by GC at all.
c) GC > Preferences > Preferences > Use localized Display Name (if available): Is ON by default. Don't know whether this also affects the Finder show/hide extension feature.

3) User Experience of displaying file type only via file suffix in all views is not optimal.
- You jump all sorts of hoops to indicate file format, e.g. in the rename dialog > Label > you can assigned Finder color/labels based on file extension.
- So the efficient identification of file format seems to be important in GC.
- Would be really great to just add one more attribute "file format" for icon and list views, which you can toggle on/off in customization. GC is anyhow so highly customizeable. What do you think about that?
- The advantage of an attribute is that it is always at the same position when quickly skimming through an icon/list view. Whereas the file suffix Y-position varies greatly depending on filename length.
Last edited by porg on Tue Apr 05, 2022 5:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

Hi,

1) Normally the Finder sends a refresh on any change and GraphicConverter does refresh.
Where is the folder located?

2) GraphicConverter does always show the extension.

3) Thanks for your suggestion. No user requested this during the last 30 years. I add it to the todo list.

Thorsten
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by porg »

Ad 1: The folder in question is locally and nested within my home directory. Totally normal and unspecial.

Ad 2: As reported in my case GC does not simply always display the file extension. Instead it shows it according to the "show/hide extension" attribute the file has in Finder.

Maybe you just assume that GC always shows the extension, b/c you or most users simply have Finder set up to show the extension mostly, and therefore you did not notice that differentiated behavior?

Now that auto-refresh (nr.1) ain't working the reliability/comfort is decreased: So even if I change the extension visibility for all files of my working directory, I need to manually refresh.

I would appreciate extension showing/hiding in GC is independent from the Finder, but an own preference within GC.

Ad 3: Yes it's not a high priority request. But in certain situations gives you way more efficiency and certainty, as in mine, where I save exports nearby the originals and hence want to differentiate them quickly. A clear distinguishment option would release the mental load. See for example how Resize Lite does it:
File format as file attribute eg Resize Lite.png
File format as file attribute eg Resize Lite.png (91.33 KiB) Viewed 2476 times
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

1)
Which macOS do you use?
What happens if you trash the prefs with our First Aid tool?
https://www.lemkesoft.info/files/graphi ... st_aid.dmg
Please make a backup of the prefs first.
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

Please download the latest BETA:
http://www.lemkesoft.org/beta.html

I added now the file format to the list view.
Screen Shot 2022-04-06 at 06.462.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-04-06 at 06.462.jpg (217.56 KiB) Viewed 2472 times
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Re: How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

I rechecked your extension report.

The Finder setting doesn't matter:
1.jpg
1.jpg (93.97 KiB) Viewed 2472 times
But the individual file setting:
2.jpg
2.jpg (124.21 KiB) Viewed 2472 times
is respected if you enable the display of the localized file name:
3.jpg
3.jpg (195.96 KiB) Viewed 2472 times
So, just uncheck that option to get always the complete filename.
porg
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Re: [Solved] How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by porg »

Cool, so we actually uncovered a real usability problem! And you have already fixed that in your Beta.
Namely as I suspected that the label "Localized name" also encompassed the "Extension visibility".
As visible in your screenshot and also when running GC 11.6.1 (5465) locally the label got improved to reflect this, and is now: "Localized or Extension-Hidden Name".

Now some updates from my side regarding experiences in GC 11.6 (5393) and your newest GC 11.6.1 (5465):

1) Toggling "Use localized Display Name (if available)" or "Localized or Extension-Hidden Name" as it is now labeled in GC 11.6.1 only takes effect after a GC restart or an explicit "refresh" in the context menu of the parent folder in the tree. From then on the view preference sticks, and if ON Finder changes propagate immediately. I assume that my experience has fallen into this mixed/non-applied state. Maybe improve this to take effect immediately or if technically not possible at least give a hint that a GC restart is required.

2) Also renaming/adding/removing files in Finder meanwhile is immediately is propagated to GC's browser view. Regardless of the "Use localized Display Name (if available)" setting, and regardless of whether this was changed and had a refresh or subsequent restart or not. I do not know whether it was causally related at all. But it was really bad. When I deleted a file from within GC, then a blank icon remained (although in Trash meanwhile in reality), and when selecting it the detail-pane showed blank. And also files added/renamed in Finder was not reflected. Let's forget about it and hope this does not occur again.

Great support: A response AND a fix within half a day. Wow! 👍
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Re: [Solved] How to display the file format (file type) as an image attribute in Icon / List / Small List view?

Post by forum_adm »

1+2) I can't reproduce this here.
I get a direct update of the folder content.

Which macOS do you use?

What is the complete path to the folder?
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