Timer

[waxcylinder]

.. Are you (Peter) asking for a way to adjust the Timer Record stop time once you have started it?

No (though I can see that could be useful too)

What I am asking for is to be able to do in Timer Record mode all the things I can do in normal record mode: zoom in/out, change the track size, drop markers with Ctrl+B and Ctrl+M, use the sliders to adjust the signal, change the waveform display type, rename the track etc.

The underlying problem, I infer, is that whoever write the Timer Record assumed it was for "unattended recording" - if that was what it was intended to be then we should have called it "Unattended Record".

Use Case: I often use Timer Record while I am active on my PC so that I do not forget to start an FM capture from the radio (I'm using it right now in fact to capture Mike Harding's show on R2) - and that case I do want and need access to the tools.

Peter.

[waxcylinder]

And I'd like it to behave like a proper Windows window so that I can minimize it to the Applications bar.

I know I can do this by clearing the desktop of all applications - but then annoyingly it insists on making its screen presence felt as soon as I activate any other docked application.

Peter.

[Gale Andrews]

What I am asking for is to be able to do in Timer Record mode all the things I can do in normal record mode

I think your vote has been counted already .

I still say it's nothing directly to do with this topic, which is about accessing menus to turn a manual recording into a scheduled one, or making it easier to script Audacity remotely to stop a recording once started. It's worth a couple of votes on Feature Requests (Koz's and original poster's) I guess. But since it's "user changing mind" or "not realising Timer Record exists", it's hardly a burning priority.

Whoever write the Timer Record assumed it was for "unattended recording" - if that was what it was intended to be then we should have called it "Unattended Record".

There may be a case for not blocking any actions at all while Audacity is "waiting to start" Timer Record but it raises all manner of issues about what happens if user is in the middle of playing / exporting when recording is due to start.

All the above said, I would agree that in some ways Audaremote (which won't work with Audacity 1.3) was more flexible and convenient than Timer Record. Would you believe it will do what you are asking (you can start a manual recording in 1.2.6, launch Audaremote then set the stop time and walk away)

I've never figured exactly what the window change was in 1.3 that prevents it working.

And I'd like it to behave like a proper Windows window so that I can minimize it to the Applications bar.

I know I can do this by clearing the desktop of all applications - but then annoyingly it insists on making its screen presence felt as soon as I activate any other docked application.

Already at http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104.



Gale

[waxcylinder]

There may be a case for not blocking any actions at all while Audacity is "waiting to start" Timer Record but it raises all manner of issues about what happens if user is in the middle of playing / exporting when recording is due to start.

I don't see what the problem is - you can do all these things while Aydacity is recording "normally" - so it should be technically feasible to enable them while in Timer record mode surely?

I still say it's nothing directly to do with this topic ...

Yes, but you aske me the question ...

What I am asking for is to be able to do in Timer Record mode all the things I can do in normal record mode

I think your vote has been counted already .

And as the Irish say "Vote early, vote often..."

Peter.

[Gale Andrews]

There may be a case for not blocking any actions at all while Audacity is "waiting to start" Timer Record but it raises all manner of issues about what happens if user is in the middle of playing / exporting when recording is due to start.

I don't see what the problem is - you can do all these things while Audacity is recording "normally" - so it should be technically feasible to enable them while in Timer record mode surely?

I was considering the issue of setting a Timer Record a long way in advance to be sure you did not forget but then you are locked out of doing anything else in Audacity. Someone else remarked to me about that recently.

I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't adjust levels and drop labels while a scheduled recording is going on - you are not asking for any extra menu access in that case, whereas you are if you want to go from manual recording to Timer Record. OTOH we want a Timer Record Progress Dialogue and if it's to be modeless we have to be sure no more menu items are available than when during normal recording. Either this was more difficult for Vaughan to accomplish than you think, or the fact (for example) that you might want to adjust levels during the first few seconds of scheduled recording then walk away wasn't considered.

Reading between the lines I think you are suggesting people are dissuaded from using Timer Record when it might be more appropriate because it's less functional. Perhaps time for a new campaign "Proposal Timer Record Improvements" (for after 2.0)?



Gale

[kozikowski]

I was playing the part of the clueless, scattered, right-brain, creative user. I know the programmers consider Using and Timing to be two completely separate operating conditions, but trust me, the users don't see it -- or want it -- that way.

"I just got a call. They need me in the [Important location] for the next [large number of] hours and I can't stop the current recording. What tool can I use to get Audacity to stop for me at the end of the show....."

I completely understand the complexity of this. Temporal management is a pain in the butt, sorry, arse. The iCal program I use in one Mac is a user abomination, and I'm being kind. It's 'set and forget' only in the sense if I ever get it to work, I'm not changing it again until I scrap the computer. Forget it.

Koz

[waxcylinder]

Reading between the lines I think you are suggesting people are dissuaded from using Timer Record when it might be more appropriate because it's less functional. Perhaps time for a new campaign "Proposal Timer Record Improvements" (for after 2.0)?

Ok IC - I'll try to find some time to knock up a draft.

.... Temporal management is a pain in the butt, sorry, arse.

Glad to see that it's not just us in the UK that gets caught somewhat wrong-footed in the trans-atalantic verbal stakes. For future reference Koz try saying "pain in the bum" - your usage is generally taken as somewhat ruder here in the UK than your use of butt in the US

WC

[waxcylinder]

Reading between the lines I think you are suggesting people are dissuaded from using Timer Record when it might be more appropriate because it's less functional. Perhaps time for a new campaign "Proposal Timer Record Improvements" (for after 2.0)?

Ok IC - I'll try to find some time to knock up a draft.

I have made a start with a draft shell page (only bare-bones at present): http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/User: ... provements

On the talk page for that page I have been collecting notes from this thread and the relevant feature requests alraedy in the Wiki: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/User_ ... provements

@Gale: I note your point about Bug 104 http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104 relating to the ability to minimize the Timer record Window. But it only covers part of it. It does not cover the ability to use the window minimize button to send it to the task tray.

Do we (i.e. you) therefore need to raise a new bug for the inability to minimize the Timer Record window with the Minimize button?

Peter.

[Gale Andrews]

@Gale: I note your point about Bug 104 http://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104 relating to the ability to minimize the Timer record Window. But it only covers part of it. It does not cover the ability to use the window minimize button to send it to the task tray.

Do we (i.e. you) therefore need to raise a new bug for the inability to minimize the Timer Record window with the Minimize button?

No, all the known symptoms are in the bug report, but I widened the bug title to "Timer Record prevents Audacity being minimised" and updated your Proposal page.

Since this is in the Mac forum, can anyone on Mac tell us if you can minimise the main Audacity project window when either Timer Record dialogue is running? You can do so on Ubuntu.


Gale

[waxcylinder]

@Gale: thanks for the useful updates to my notes for the draft proposal - Peter.