Bug 91540

Summary: usability: use separate windows for tag and album trees
Product: [Applications] digikam Reporter: Michał Kosmulski <michal>
Component: Tags-ManagerAssignee: Digikam Developers <digikam-bugs-null>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: wishlist CC: caulier.gilles, jens-bugs.kde.org
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: unspecified   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In: 7.6.0
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Michał Kosmulski 2004-10-17 20:58:39 UTC 
Version:           0.7 beta 1 (using KDE KDE 3.3.0)
Compiler:          gcc 3.3.4 
OS:                Linux

While tagging my photo collection after moving to digikam 0.7 branch, I noticed that current layout of the main window makes tagging images by drag and drop somewhat inconvenient.
The problem is that both the album tree and the tag tree are displayed in the same window. I have quite a large album tree, so in order to display the tags, I have to scroll the window down and only then can I drag my images onto tags. But then I realize I want to add another tag. I right click on some tag in order to create a child tag, but this also moves me out of my album, into the virtual album with all images marked with that tag. Now I have to scroll the window up, find my album, find the image I was tagging last, scroll the left window back down to display the tags again and I can continue tagging. This can be frustrating.
My suggestion is to split the window on the left into two windows, the upper one containing albums and the lower one containing tags, like this:
+--------+-------------------+
| albums + thumbnails        |
|        +                   |
|        +                   |
+--------+                   |
| tags   +                   |
|        +                   |
|        +                   |
+--------+-------------------+

This would allow the correct scroll positions for both albums and tags to be preserved when moving around in the other tree. It would also make sense for the right click on a tag to only pop up the context menu and not open the tag's virtual album and only the left click on a tag to do so.
Comment 1 Richard Taylor 2004-10-18 08:53:30 UTC 
I would agree with this report. I too find myself scrolling up and down the album/tag list all the time whilst tagging my photos. You can use the RMB for tagging but somehow the drag&drop method 'feels' better. I am not sure that Michał's solution is the best one, but currently it is a useability issue getting in the way of one if digikams's best features.
Comment 2 Tom Albers 2004-10-18 09:38:35 UTC 
'Yep, me too.'
Just to shoot some ideas: maybe it is an idea to have a tag 'unknown' which holds all images which don't have a tag on them. This way the part with the album parts can be collapsed while tagging.
Or maybe reduce the space the albums take by disabling the thumbnails next to an album for a while.
Or maybe it is possible to have the albums on the left, thumbnails in the middle and the tags on the right.
Or maybe it is possible to disable the albums section and choose the album via a combo box in the toolbar. 
Just some ideas.
Comment 3 Paulo Eduardo Neves 2005-02-21 19:09:00 UTC 
*** This bug has been confirmed by popular vote. ***
Comment 4 Jens 2005-03-25 21:03:10 UTC 
See also Bug 91372 ... changing the tag UI to a non-tree view (buttons instead) will solve the other issue as well.
Comment 5 Gilles Schintgen 2005-04-02 14:28:16 UTC 
It would be cool if the different views could be rearranged freely, just as in k3b. (This has been suggested by Jens, I just thought I'd put it here, too.)
Comment 6 Tom Albers 2005-06-21 19:14:31 UTC 
This is implemented, and will be available in digiKam 0.8. You have the albums on the left and the tags on the right. Makes assigning tags a lot easier!