Simplifier only needs one instance

Each time I press F8 it generates a new instance of the Simplifier.

I can't see any advantage in this; in fact it would be more consistent with the behaviour of other windows such as Train List if pressing F8 simply Restored the window if it is hidden (unless it was closed).

Likewise it would be appreciated if all SimSig windows remembered their previous location and dimensions for the duration of the session (even better, between sessions) after being closed and reopened.

Thanks.

I'm sorry but I really do think you are just trying to find things to pick and complain about, and I for one are frankly getting tired of it.

off topic but a more debatable point. would it be possible to provide a print function for the simplifier, so when i open it and select a location,it willl allow me to print the next two hours of trains there? dont know if anyone else would find this a useful function.

off topic but a more debatable point. would it be possible to provide a print function for the simplifier, so when i open it and select a location,it willl allow me to print the next two hours of trains there? dont know if anyone else would find this a useful function.

joe

Likewise it would be appreciated if all SimSig windows remembered their previous location and dimensions for the duration of the session (even better, between sessions) after being closed and reopened.

This really is unrelated to your objection that you find multiple instances helpful; it's more about presenting a consistent interface design.

Headshot119 wrote:
Quote:

I'm sorry but I really do think you are just trying to find things to pick and complain about, and I for one are frankly getting tired of it.

While I appreciate your feedback here, this last sentence is uncalled for. I don't see anything wrong with complaining about a feature, otherwise the developers might believe we're all entirely satisfied with their design. You don't seem to be able to understand that when I start a thread to point out an issue, it's not just for my own benefit; it's to open up a discussion to see whether others find it an issue too, and what the pros and cons are. That's what this forum is for. Otherwise I might just as well have PM'd the developers about it.

I'm posting whenever I see where change might be beneficial, not just for me but for all you guys, including the great silent majority. And if you want to know, I created a macro to take care of this problem a week ago. It worked so successfully that I thought the whole lot of you might benefit from the change - that's why I decided to post it, not as a Feature Wish List item, but as an Issue, as you'll see below.

The topic of this thread is obviously not an issue for you either, with your four monitors, though you forgot to mention this. I can barely find the screen real estate for one Simplifier, let alone three, on my single monitor. (In fact, I partially hide it behind the Show Timetable window since their functions are so similar.)

But there's more to this than I first mentioned. The behaviour of SimSig's windows is inconsistent, though most of you probably don't realize it and accept it. When we want an extra View window, we click Show > New View. Likewise, the customary way to offer the user a new Simplifier window should be consistent with this, i.e., Show > New Simplifier (or maybe New Simplifier as a Timetable option under Simplifier, with its own hotkey, e.g., Shift+F8). Click a berth and the new timetable overwrites the old one. Press F2 after minimizing the Train List and it springs back to life without opening a new instance of itself. Likewise, the user should expect that pressing F8 will Restore the Simplifier rather than create a new instance. This really is unrelated to your objection that you find multiple instances helpful; it's more about presenting a consistent interface design.

Frankly it didn't occur to me that there might be those who find more than one instance of a Simplifier handy. But that's what this forum is for. Although the developers may correct me here, my impression is that the multiple-instance behaviour of the Simplifier was not really planned, but more of an oversight, since it differs so much from that of others. No problem. It appears to be another undocumented feature, just like the Find Train window I stumbled over the other day when I accidentally began typing a description into the Trains list on the Timetables tab (F8).

These remarks should in no way be regarded as devaluing the hard work put into SimSig by its developers, simply to highlight certain areas that may need attention.

(added) Aurora has pointed out another example of inconsistency here. Let's face it - the Simplifier is fairly new to SimSig and is still maturing into a stable feature, so we should use what works well, be prepared for some rough edges and not be afraid to mention them politely.

Likewise it would be appreciated if all SimSig windows remembered their previous location and dimensions for the duration of the session (even better, between sessions) after being closed and reopened.

I for one think F8 opening multiple windows makes sense and I would not like to see this removed.

1) When F8 is pressed while the Simplifier is displayed, a further instance of it is displayed. This behaviour is undocumented and inconsistent with the behaviour of other SimSig windows such as the Train List and View Window.

3) However, this is a bonus based on its multiple-instance property, which appears to me to be accidental rather than deliberate. If it was deliberate, it would certainly have been advertised in the forum and Wiki when the Simplifier was first introduced, as well as mentioned somewhere in the Control window menu.

4) Rather than leaving it to the user to stumble upon this property himself, a more appropriate way to advertise this feature is to include it as a separate menu option, such as Show > New Simplifier, or Timetable > New Simplfier, with a dedicated hotkey similar to the original F8, such as Ctrl+F8 or Shift+F8, or even just a menu mnemonic.