Move some export preferences into export interface

[steve]

Currently we have: "Preferences > Import / Export > When exporting tracks to an audio file"

• Always mix all tracks down to stereo or mono channel(s)
• Use custom mix
• Show Metadata Editor prior to export step

I would like these options to be expanded and moved to the Export dialog (and "Export Multiple").
One way this could be done would be to add two new multi-choice widgets. Here is a mockup:

Click on image to expand

Export Options.png (76.5 KiB) Viewed 1115 times

The options would be something like:

• Mixdown:
  • Mix to mono or stereo (Auto)
    Default. Same as the current default
  • Mix to mono
    The project is mixed to mono
  • Mix to 2 channels (stereo)
    The project is mixed to 2 channels (may be 2 channel mono)
  • Use custom mix
    Same as current "Use custom mix" option
• Metadata:
  • Show Metadata Editor
    Same as current default
  • Hide Metadata Editor
    Same as turning off the current "Show Metadata Editor prior to export step" option. Metadata is still written if present.
  • No Metadata
    No metadata is written to the file

The Export dialog will recall its last used settings.
The Export Multiple dialog will recall its last used settings.
The Export dialog settings may be different from the Export Multiple dialog settings.

[Edgar]

Does the switch to wxWidgets 3.0 give us sufficiently robust, cross-platform, file requesters to allow for adding these widgets? Obviously, the Export Multiple dialogue can have these added easily. I am +1 for the concept.

[waxcylinder]

I'm +1 for this concept too

Does this mean you could/would remove these settings from Preferences Steve?

Peter

[steve]

Does this mean you could/would remove these settings from Preferences Steve?

I've not tried it yet, I'm just polling opinion on the concept at this stage. (Obviously I think it is a good idea, and it would resolve a couple of long-standing feature requests).
Assuming that it works, then yes, these settings in Preferences would become superfluous and would be removed,

[waxcylinder]

Assuming that it works, then yes, these settings in Preferences would become superfluous and would be removed,

+1

[Gale Andrews]

I'm fine with this. We do want a more discoverable way to set the mix and a more convenient way to not write metadata for Export Multiple.

Does the mix to mono do the same averaging as Tracks > Stereo Track to Mono?

Otherwise my old bugbear http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=551 still exists. Do you think Export Multiple should have a checkbox to show Metadata Editor only for the first track, then pass through the data to the other tracks, or should that be in your dropdown for Export Multiple only?

What about whitespace options in the export dialogues? I think those issues are more common than not wanting any metadata at all.


Gale

[steve]

Does the mix to mono do the same averaging as Tracks > Stereo Track to Mono?

Yes.

Do you think Export Multiple should have a checkbox to show Metadata Editor only for the first track, then pass through the data to the other tracks, or should that be in your dropdown for Export Multiple only?

I've not really considered the pros / cons of "passthrough data" as I rarely use metadata.
Can't they just add metadata to the project before exporting? How often do users want the same track name in the metadata for differently named consecutive files?

What about whitespace options in the export dialogues?

I think that would be better as a "Preference" because I don't expect that many users will want to change the behaviour once set the way they want it. Remind me again what the use case is for not starting the file export from time = zero unless the track start time is less than or equal to zero. (I've never found the current behaviour useful or intuitive).

[Edgar]

Does the switch to wxWidgets 3.0 give us sufficiently robust, cross-platform, file requesters to allow for adding these widgets?

I dug into the wxWidgets 3.0 documentation and find that the Mac version of its file dialog does not allow adding widgets. See:
http://docs.wxwidgets.org/trunk/classwx ... 7c6334b527

bool wxFileDialog::SetExtraControlCreator ( ExtraControlCreatorFunction creator )
Customize file dialog by adding extra window, which is typically placed below the list of files and above the buttons.
SetExtraControlCreator() can be called only once, before calling ShowModal().
The creator function should take pointer to parent window (file dialog) and should return a window allocated with operator new.
Supported platforms: wxGTK, wxMSW, wxUniv.
Since 2.9.0

if this is even possible on Mac, we would (continue? - sorry, I do not have the any GIT code handy at the moment) to need to roll our own file dialog code.

[steve]

I dug into the wxWidgets 3.0 documentation and find that the Mac version of its file dialog does not allow adding widgets.

I don't think that is a problem because we are already using a custom file dialog (see Exporter::CreateUserPane https://github.com/audacity/audacity/bl ... Export.cpp) so it looks to me that we can just add the new controls to the bottom of that.

[Gale Andrews]

Do you think Export Multiple should have a checkbox to show Metadata Editor only for the first track, then pass through the data to the other tracks, or should that be in your dropdown for Export Multiple only?

I've not really considered the pros / cons of "passthrough data" as I rarely use metadata.
Can't they just add metadata to the project before exporting?

Of course they "can" - but the whole point of the bug is that process is almost undiscoverable, hence the frequent complaints. First, they must find the Import / Export Preference so as to hide the Metadata Editor (so your change will solve that part of it).

Then they have to realise that you must do the reverse of what is expected (add metadata before exporting). Finally, they have to find File > Edit Metadata... .

How often do users want the same track name in the metadata for differently named consecutive files?

Mainly of course they don't (but if they do want some fields but not others to be common to all exports, it would be much easier if Audacity passed what they typed through to subsequent screens). That was part of my suggested fix.

The much greater problem is people who want all fields to be common except for the autogenerated Track Title and Track Number. Because of the "undiscoverability" above, users have to press OK on every single metadata screen when they only need to set the common metadata once.

What about whitespace options in the export dialogues?

I think that would be better as a "Preference" because I don't expect that many users will want to change the behaviour once set the way they want it.

If we add options for whitespace between clips might they want to change it on the fly?

Remind me again what the use case is for not starting the file export from time = zero unless the track start time is less than or equal to zero. (I've never found the current behaviour useful or intuitive).

Probably because you can then intentionally or accidentally move tracks after zero that are not part of a mix and still get an export without unwanted leading space. For example, import some files for CD burning into the same project, then align them end to end because you don't want to hear them playing on top of each other or want to see each without distraction from tracks above and below.

Clearly users do this sort of aligning because they are finding the http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1199 Export Multiple issue.


Gale