User Interface Usability

[Locutus73]

Hi, while thinking about some of my recent posts and about some topics I’d like to open, I noticed that they’re all usability related so, if Sorgelig doesn't disagree, why not consolidating all this stuff in a topic about “user interface usability”?

I start here with some new and old topics and ideas I’d like to share:

• File browser back button: while using the filebrowsers the 1/A button acts as selection (selects a file or enters in a directory), while with 2/B and OSD button we go back to the main menu. I think that it would be useful to use 2/B in order to go back to the upper directory, just like selecting [..]
• OSD button combo: this is old and Sorgelig dismissed it, but I repeat this idea here just for thread consolidation. I think that it could be useful to have the possibility to use a button combo (i.e. select+start) in order to open the OSD, just like in many software emulators.
• C64 core autoload: I think that an option aimed to automatically execute generic commands in order to load and run the first program in a disk when we mount a D64 image could be useful. i.e. automatically launching LOAD “*”,8,1 and RUN after mounting a disk, in order to “consolize” the gaming experience.
• Max folder length option: again, this is old and I report it here just for thread consolidation. An option in MiSTer.ini in order to customize the maximum number of files listed in a directory (default value 1000).
• MiSTer.ini with <LF>: ok, this is not strictly related to the user interface, but as an user editing MiSTer.ini it bothers me. MiSTer.ini uses <CR><LF> as line break, and, editing through ssh and nano you get unpleasant results. I think that standard Linux <LF> would be more appropriate (and perfectly editable in Windows with Notepad++).

Thank you in advance.
Best regards.

Locutus73

[Sorgelig]

[*]C64 core autoload: I think that an option aimed to automatically execute generic commands in order to load and run the first program in a disk when we mount a D64 image could be useful. i.e. automatically launching LOAD “*”,8,1 and RUN after mounting a disk, in order to “consolize” the gaming experience.

if you use JiffyDOS, then press Alt+ESC to launch this sequence.

[Sorgelig]

MiSTer.ini with <LF>: ok, this is not strictly related to the user interface, but as an user editing MiSTer.ini it bothers me. MiSTer.ini uses <CR><LF> as line break, and, editing through ssh and nano you get unpleasant results. I think that standard Linux <LF> would be more appropriate (and perfectly editable in Windows with Notepad++).

MiSTer supports both Unix and Windows line endings in ini. Convert your ini into Unix format in notepad++ and later you can edit it on linux.
Majority of users are Windows users, so MiSTer.ini is in Windows format by default.

[Locutus73]

if you use JiffyDOS, then press Alt+ESC to launch this sequence.

Thank you for the advice, I didn’t know JiffyDOS… you never stop learning.
Anyway, I have another usability idea I’d like to share.
I start with my usual disclaimer: I know MiSTer is open source and anyone can code the features he wants (and actually Main_MiSTer is one of the few pieces of MiSTer I could help coding)… but I think sharing ideas is useful too and I hope Sorgelig is starting to know me so that I can stop repeating this disclaimer.

Ok, I think that a “Keyboard macros“ feature would be very cool, let me explain:

1) New “Define keyboard macros” menu item in the Settings menu, near (or between) “Remap keyboard” and “Define Joystick buttons”: here we should be presented with a variable or fixed length lists of “keyboard macros”
2) During “Define joystick buttons” routine, we should be presented with the defined keyboard macros after the usual joystick buttons

Let me explain with an example: let’s say that “Define keyboard macros” has a fixed length of 5 macros. We enter in this menu and can redefine one of these 5 macros with strings or keystrokes sequences. Let’s say that we define macro n.1 with LOAD “*”,8,1<RETURN>, macro n.2 with RUN<RETURN> and macro n.3 with <SPACE>. Then we go in Define joystick buttons and we define all emulated joysticks buttons as usual (PRESS UP, DOWN, BUTTON1…), but, after the OSD option, we should be presented with PRESS KEYBOARD MACRO 1, PRESS KEYBOARD MACRO 2… we choose L1 button for macro 1, L2 button for macro 2 and Circle button (I’m using PlayStation button naming) for macro 3.
This way we could use L1 and L2 for loading games from disks on C64 core without touching the keyboard (a consolized experience) and, for example, I could play Amiga’s Xenon (joystick fire for firing bullets, and keyboard space for transforming plane into tank) only using the joypad.

Thank you in advance
Locutus73