Different layout based on # of tables
#1
I realize your niche is right there in the name, stack and tile. But I'm only interested in tiling my tables and your program is very beneficial to me as well. What I wish S&T could do is to automatically switch between layouts based on the number of tables I currently am playing on.

Took some screen shots to make sure I can get my point across:
This is how I would like my tables to look when I'm playing on 1-4 tournaments: http://i.imgur.com/8e0pTbR.jpg
- 5-6 tournaments: http://i.imgur.com/isRdyq6.jpg
- 7-9 tournaments: http://i.imgur.com/DSMMZRP.jpg
10-12 tournaments: http://i.imgur.com/6NdKu0g.jpg

Now, ctrl+9(or just 'tile' from settings) works wonders on PokerStars. My problem is that I'm playing on at least 4 different networks at a time. I'm basically asking you to start doing what one of your possible key competitors claims to do(I can't get their stuff to work unfortunately).

Right now, it looks like I'd have to manually switch the layout. I think it would be a significant improvement if I could bind my layouts to my keyboard and have them switch by the press of a button. In a perfect world, S&T would look at my table count and change them automatically.
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#2
Although the name of the program is StackAndTile, like you see with the Tile only and Stack only options, I aim for this program to be versatile and work for many different table management setups.

Yeah, currently you'd need to set up your different layouts before hand, and then while playing do these steps to accomplish it:

1. press Stop
2. click File->Open Layout
3. press Start

I believe to have it change automatically would need some internal changes. I will look into the viability of this.

One thing that immediately pops out is that, while you may want layouts to switch at 5, 7, 10 tables, other people may want their layouts to change at when a different # of tables open. This is not too difficult to implement, however it would require some thought as to how/where this would fit into the user interface, and that is not a trivial issue. If you have suggestions as to where this would fit into the interface I'm open as well

I think one of the strengths of SaT compared to other softwares is the ease of use. That may just be my opinion but a few customers have said that as well. So even if I can add this easily, some thought would be required as to how to present this new feature to the users. Adding a hotkey to bind to a layout switch, which was one of your suggestions, is the easiest to do and doesn't clutter the interface. But that isn't a fully automated solution.
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#3
I did a comprehensive test run. Switching manually went as expected, no problem at all with the lower table counts, a little annoyed every time I had to switch to and from the 12-table layout.

One thing I should not is that I was a little bothered that every time I switched layouts, the numbers on my previous grid got (seemingly) randomized for the new one. When I made my layouts, I put "1" in generally the same position for all of my layouts so it would have been great if the "1" from my earlier layout stayed in the same spot for the new one.  I know nothing about coding but if you use the name of the tables then perhaps SaT can memorize the table list and keep track of it and put the same table in the same spot as it was the last time "Start" was pressed on SaT. From your side, this might conflict with how others are using the tool, so I'm not sure if there's anything you should do about it. If you close the table and open it back up again, I'm sure others would prefer that the same table went into where it's supposed to go on their grid, not necessarily "1".

Originally, I didn't think at all about how to implement my request into the interface. That type of thinking gets lost between the consumer-developer barrier. Played around with SaT and I couldn't think of anything. Putting it among the hotkeys doesn't seem too bad and won't overly clutter anything. With my fresh perspective, even that seems difficult enough now. The "Action" drop-down in the "Hotkeys" tab will have to be dynamic, in the sense that it would have to read user input on all the various layouts. Or you would have to use a rigid system that layouts can't be named and are "Layout 1", "Layout 2" etc, which would create problems with current users. Guess the dynamic would be the way to go.

But all of this is moot, at least for me personally. Tiling with a large resolution just strains my eyes too much so I'll have to try out other options(stacking and tiling surely being one of them).
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#4
(02-11-2016, 07:44 PM)binkthendrink Wrote: I did a comprehensive test run. Switching manually went as expected, no problem at all with the lower table counts, a little annoyed every time I had to switch to and from the 12-table layout.

One thing I should not is that I was a little bothered that every time I switched layouts, the numbers on my previous grid got (seemingly) randomized for the new one. When I made my layouts, I put "1" in generally the same position for all of my layouts so it would have been great if the "1" from my earlier layout stayed in the same spot for the new one.  I know nothing about coding but if you use the name of the tables then perhaps SaT can memorize the table list and keep track of it and put the same table in the same spot as it was the last time "Start" was pressed on SaT. From your side, this might conflict with how others are using the tool, so I'm not sure if there's anything you should do about it. If you close the table and open it back up again, I'm sure others would prefer that the same table went into where it's supposed to go on their grid, not necessarily "1".

Hrmmmm.

Currently the way SaT works is, if tables are already opened when you press Start, then all of those tables will be detected as New, and then follow the New Tables slot setting, and in this case just start occupying grid slots. But if a table is in the exact slot location (upper left corner) of an existing slot when you press Start, then the table will stay there and occupy that slot instead of going into a random one. Its not completely random, actually I believe it goes according to the z-order of the tables, however for all intents and purposes you might consider it random.

I suppose if I do offer a hotkey to "switch layouts", then I could also offer an option to 'remember' the table positions, so keep track of what table was in what slot number, and then when the layout switches, put each table in the same slot. This should be possible.

And if you close and table completely, and then re-open it, that table will then be detected as New, and just go to your New Tables slot, which in this case would be the next available grid slot in order. I don't think I would change this. If this table was previously in slot 1, and now a different table occupies slot 1, and for some reason you re-open this table, I think it would be very confusing to see it open up and move into slot 1, and then the previous table in slot 1 gets pushed out into another slot.

(02-11-2016, 07:44 PM)binkthendrink Wrote: Originally, I didn't think at all about how to implement my request into the interface. That type of thinking gets lost between the consumer-developer barrier. Played around with SaT and I couldn't think of anything. Putting it among the hotkeys doesn't seem too bad and won't overly clutter anything. With my fresh perspective, even that seems difficult enough now. The "Action" drop-down in the "Hotkeys" tab will have to be dynamic, in the sense that it would have to read user input on all the various layouts. Or you would have to use a rigid system that layouts can't be named and are "Layout 1", "Layout 2" etc, which would create problems with current users. Guess the dynamic would be the way to go.

Yep. Of course anyone can just add in xxx feature, but if the users can't find the feature, or can't understand conceptually how it fits into the goals of the software, many times it ends up going unused except for a minor handful of people who take the time to read the documentation. Almost no one reads the help files Smile

(02-11-2016, 07:44 PM)binkthendrink Wrote: But all of this is moot, at least for me personally. Tiling with a large resolution just strains my eyes too much so I'll have to try out other options(stacking and tiling surely being one of them).

Ok great. If you have any other questions just post. If you are not in immediate need, I will table the idea for now, until some more requests come in.
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