I don't think that you actually need to do the comparison in MATH. If you have the version string - your "Platform" something - you can actually use the CUT directly (syntax: CUT(key:dflt:conversion)).
It should work similar to this:
{{CUT(^aTVversion:CUT:=CUT|6.0=)}}
Seems to work well. I tried changing the "6.0" to various numbers like 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.1, 7.0, etc and everything behaved as expected.
https://github.com/tallerthenyou/PlexConnect/commit/eb2958dd4cbf9a7a840a28b71fa08771f818df80
Any chance of a screen where the progress bar is only shown for partially watched episodes?
I have a feeling it might look much cleaner.
I was just about to post the same thing: I think it should only be present on partial-watches.
What do people think of the version with progress bars only on partially watched episodes vs on any watched episode as well?
Personally I like it with progress bars on both, but if I'm in the minority I'm happy to write it with only partially watched progress bars.
If you have the version string - your "Platform" something - you can actually use the CUT directly (syntax: CUT(key:dflt:conversion)).
It should work similar to this:
{{CUT(^aTVversion:CUT:=CUT|6.0=)}}
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around parts of the CUT command.
Out of curiosity would it be possible to set a maximum version using something like {{CUT(^aTVVersion::=|6.0=CUT)}} or something?
I think having it on all watched episodes looks much better. In this case you can clearly see what unwatched episodes are left and you could leave the normal watched/default sign out
I think it looks much better when it only shows for the partially watched, especially as it ha easier to see what episode you are at. It looks cluttered otherwise.
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around parts of the CUT command.
Out of curiosity would it be possible to set a maximum version using something like {{CUT(^aTVVersion::=|6.0=CUT)}} or something?
Yep, exactly...
Or do a {{CUT(^aTVVersion::=|6.0=CUT|6.1=)}} to cut it only between 6.0 (inclusive) and 6.1 (exclusive)...
I agree with f00b4r that it looks better with just the partially watched episodes. It bothers me that in netflix they have it for all finished episodes.
Devils advocate: Make it an option to have it display for both or just unwatched? :-)
Too many options, especially for every little thing, is bad design. It is better to make the right decision.
Too many options, especially for every little thing, is bad design. It is better to make the right decision.
True, forgot to say my preference would be for it to only display if it is part watched and not displayed otherwise.
Ideally, the UI shouldn't have redundant elements, which we're sort of going to get here with the progress bars in addition to the blue dots. In my mind, the best solution would be to indicate the most information possible with the fewest UI elements.
You could do this without even having the blue dots: Fully watched = no progress bar; Partial watched = progress bar; Unwatched = Empty progress bar.
This way, all the information is present, but as you go through a series you're eliminating the bars, which is great from an OCD perspective :) and also mirrors the way the blue dots currently work.
But removing the dots entirely (if even technically possible) would be a disconnect from the rest of the ATV, so is probably not desirable overall.
In the end, I think the best compromise will be to leave the blue dots as-is, which provide the base amount of information, and then supplement it with percentage-progress bars on only the partials.
Ideally, the UI shouldn't have redundant elements, which we're sort of going to get here with the progress bars in addition to the blue dots. In my mind, the best solution would be to indicate the most information possible with the fewest UI elements.
You could do this without even having the blue dots: Fully watched = no progress bar; Partial watched = progress bar; Unwatched = Empty progress bar.
This way, all the information is present, but as you go through a series you're eliminating the bars, which is great from an OCD perspective :) and also mirrors the way the blue dots currently work.
But removing the dots entirely (if even technically possible) would be a disconnect from the rest of the ATV, so is probably not desirable overall.
In the end, I think the best compromise will be to leave the blue dots as-is, which provide the base amount of information, and then supplement it with percentage-progress bars on only the partials.
Another option, although I'm not claiming it's better, is to have the full blue dot for unwatched, the progress bar for partially watched, and nothing for fully watched. It's basically the same as your last suggestion, but without the partially watched blue dot.
Ideally, the UI shouldn't have redundant elements, which we're sort of going to get here with the progress bars in addition to the blue dots. In my mind, the best solution would be to indicate the most information possible with the fewest UI elements.
You could do this without even having the blue dots: Fully watched = no progress bar; Partial watched = progress bar; Unwatched = Empty progress bar.
This way, all the information is present, but as you go through a series you're eliminating the bars, which is great from an OCD perspective :) and also mirrors the way the blue dots currently work.
But removing the dots entirely (if even technically possible) would be a disconnect from the rest of the ATV, so is probably not desirable overall.
In the end, I think the best compromise will be to leave the blue dots as-is, which provide the base amount of information, and then supplement it with percentage-progress bars on only the partials.
Completely agreed.
Another option, although I'm not claiming it's better, is to have the full blue dot for unwatched, the progress bar for partially watched, and nothing for fully watched. It's basically the same as your last suggestion, but without the partially watched blue dot.
That wouldn't be terrible. :)
But I'm leaning toward thinking that if the dots are going to stay at all, they should stay with the normal (and expected) behaviour.
I’ll put together a collection of screenshots tonight to help visualize the various options.
That's really helpful, thanks!
Gotta say I like the overall feel of #2 there the best — I think the vertical alignment you get as a result of removing the dots is slick, and having all the bars down the right is nice and consistent.
One more combo that I don't see there that might be nice: No dots, progress bars only on partials & unwatched.
What's everyone else think about the dots/nodots thing? Is it uncool to remove them? I was originally thinking it'd be going too far away from "stock" ATV OS, which you don't want to take lightly — it's a major feature of both ATVPlex and PlexConnect that they don't wander off into a UI shitshow like XBMC and such — but maybe this is a case where the extra benefit (of more information density and less clutter) is worth it. I dunno! :)
(My second-favourite is the one that matches my earlier description, #6.)
I agree completely with your assessment. I really like the look of having progress bars on all of them and no dots at all. It has the added benefit of not having any duplicate UI that communicates the same information.
Here's the other style you described
Also worth noting is that Netflix matches style #4 pretty closely (No dots, bar on watched and partially watched only). Here's a shot of Netflix on my AppleTV
Interesting! I don't use Netflix, so didn't realize that this was actually an indicator style that was already present elsewhere on the system. No blue dots there, so I think if we figured they weren't necessary in the PlexConnect views, there'd be decent justification for that.
I still don't like that the Netflix-style bars are inverting the show/hide behaviour that we're used to with the dots — completing a thing should remove it, because you're done with it. Those completed bars draw a ton of visual attention, but they're exactly the episodes we don't need to pay attention to any more.
(That last style example — with no dots and no completed-bars — might be my favourite now, for that reason. It also mimics exactly the blue dot behaviour we're all familiar with, except with a more informative "half dot".)
