The Viewer
Though the viewer does not have all the features other comic readers have,
I don't miss much. Usually I try to code things that way that I don't need
the keyboard and do need as few mouse clicks as possible. To save mouse
clicks I wrote my own fileselectionbox:
This fileselectionbox is a fairly standard fileselectionbox. Folder can be
put per drag and drop into the bookmarks widget to the left. Right clicking
allows to delete or rename a bookmark. It is the same as in other programs,
e.g. as in Firefox.
It has a history list which contains the last ten visited locations, which
are NOT also in the bookmarks list, which I would regard as redundant.
It has an entry field for filenames/pathes, a list for limiting the
displayed file types (unfinished, currently fixed to rar, zip, cbr, and
cbz).
Of greater interest are the three buttons in the 'custom button' area:
- Open
Of course the open button does what its name suggest. If an archive is
selected and this button is pressed, the archive is opened. If it is a
folder, all images of the folder are put into the program's image list.
This button exists only if the button is created in read mode.
- Write
A new archive is written. This button exists only if the box is created in
write mode.
- Verify
This button is only active if one or more archives, but no folder is
selected. If pressed the selected archives are verified by the archivers
native verify routines. If the verification fails, the filename is cossed
out by a red line.
- Extract
If an archive is selected, the archive is extracted into a default location.
The newest addition to this fileselectionbox are two buttons for the
path inputline, which are labelled '+' and '-'. A text in the path inputline
can be selected (highlighted) with the mouse. If the selection is a number,
the + and - buttons become active and allow to increment or decrement this
number. For instance, if the text in the inputline is 'Duperman.0410.cbr'
and the 0410 is selected, the buttons allow to increment or decrement this
number. The same is possible using the mouse wheel. Saves some keyboard
input.
Whenever a fileselector box opens to read or write an archive it tries to
'guess' what the most logic folder for the operation is, i.e when
the box is opened in read mode, it opens in the same direcory,
from which the last archive was opened. If it opens in write mode,
it opens in the same directory where the last archive was written unless
it recognizes the group to which an archive belongs to.
This behaviour is part of the organising capabilities of ComicMaster.
See Grouping/Managing Titles
An archive can also be opened directly from the command line:
ComicMaster <somefile.cbr>
Though the viewer itself has no visible controls (I want to see comics and no
fancy menubars), is has quite a few 'invisble' controls.
- Keyboard
It is a bit hard to write about key combinations, since they are fully
configurable. Best way is to open the control center (default 'c' key) and
look into the key table in the config widget. :-)
- Mouse Gestures
The viewe has a few mouse gestures implemented. Mouse Gestures are done with
the middle mouse button.
- Middel mouse button pressed + up: toggle 2x zoom.
- Middle mouse button pressed + right: next page.
- Middle mouse button + left: previous page.
- Middle mouse button + up,right,down: delete page.
- Left mouse button + wheel: next/previous page.
Ok, the last one is not a mouse gesture, but I did not want to open another
category. ;-)
- Hot Click Spots
Some navigation can be done by double clicking.
- Double click upper edge of image: previous page
- Double click lower edge: next page
- Double click left edge: 2x zoom
- Double click right edge: unzoom
- Left Mouse dragging/Mouse Wheel
And of course the image can be dragged with the left mouse button if it is
larger then the visible display area. The mouse wheel scrolls vertically.
The controls are opened with the 'c' key, if it was not redefined.
Alternatively the control center (image below) can be opened by right
clicking somewhere within the display area. See Control Center
