Helix Editor needs a right side scroll bar to be used on small screens

[tjontheroad]

Helix Editor needs a right side scroll bar to be used on small screens. If you take a look below at the command center, you can not get to all the parameters at the very bottom with my 13 inch Macbook (see attached). Forget about using a small Win10 touch screen tablet like a Nextbook. You can't even see the whole page :(

[tjontheroad]

Ideascale here. Please vote up thanks.

 

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Helix-Editor-right-side-scroll-bar-for-improved-small-screan-use/831964-23508?submitted=1

[milduramark]

This is a definite fault and not an idea.

You should be able to see all parts of the screen.

I have a 15" laptop and cannot edit in the Command Center.

Please rectify.

I have been able to use my wifes 27" screen to do some editing but alas my points are now spent.

Cheers

Mark

[DunedinDragon]

Yep...this is definately a MAJOR oops.  It does the same thing on my Windows laptop/tablet.  Given the popularity of these smaller tablet pc's this is something that should have been caught in testing/QA.  Shame on you guys!!!  A really novice bug....

[tjontheroad]

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a bug. Nothing is broken per say. It's an access and functionality issue. Small screens are getting popular. The editor has some wasted real estate in the bottom frame due to the use of sliders instead of dials. Sliders are not used on Helix itself. The 6 below the screen dials on the unit make for fast and low profile UI design. If the editor is designed to mimic the Helix unit itself, the sliders should be replaced with dials. A full set of dials could take the same real estate as just one slider. 

 

Small screen issues occur at the most extreme within the editor's Command Center as shown in my OP. Here, I think there isn't a great need to exactly mimic the Helix screen. A smaller representation would save screen real estate and avoid the need for scrolling all together. As is now, the editor's Command Center screen frame does have a small scroll bar for that frame. However it's very very tiny when using a 13 inch screen and not even accessible on smaller Win10 tablet type screens. A larger full right side screen scroll bar would at least allow for access to those parameters. 

 

Another small yet big improvement to the editor UI would be to have lighter colored skins available. Please vote that idea up here;

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/pmd/743863-23508?pageOffset=1&notification=1

[DunedinDragon]

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a bug. Nothing is broken per say. It's an access and functionality issue.

 

Oh, it's undoubtedly a bug.  Checking visuals on various screens and resolutions has been a staple requirement of any Windows or Mac test plan for almost 20 years.  Someone dropped the ball big time on this one.

 

Fortunately I'm not really affected since I only use the editor for doing backups, but it truly affects my perception of the quality level of testing being done at Line 6.

[duncann]

Lol. It's a bit ironic because the editor for the HD had a lot of complaints about the interface being too small and not resizable. Guess they went a little too far in the other direction for the Helix editor.

 

The slider versus dials: at first I didn't like the sliders, but after using them, they really are leagues better than dials. Maybe they don't have to necessarily be so chunky and tall, though, which would condense some screen space.

[tjontheroad]

Lol. It's a bit ironic because the editor for the HD had a lot of complaints about the interface being too small and not resizable. Guess they went a little too far in the other direction for the Helix editor.

 

The slider versus dials: at first I didn't like the sliders, but after using them, they really are leagues better than dials. Maybe they don't have to necessarily be so chunky and tall, though, which would condense some screen space.

 

It's still not resizable. That would also be an acceptable solution. 

[duncann]

The window is resizable. In fact, you can make it small enough (439 pixels high) so that everything below the signal chain display can be cut off, which is the problem. Adding a right side scroll bar for this situation seems like it would work but would make it a bit difficult to actually work with. Realistically, it seems like they should have limited the height resizing to 640 pixels minimum, which would leave one slider control still in view, although the command center would still be a problem (as mentioned above) to access at that height, which needs about 750 pixels, or 640 pixels and a scrollbar.

 

I don't think it's a bug, maybe an understandable oversight. They probably didn't anticipate anyone running the Helix editor on such small resolution screens. I didn't even realize they still make such low resolution devices in 2016.

[tjontheroad]

I guess resizing isn't the correct word. Re-scaling the windows frames is a better definition. 

[duncann]

I guess resizing isn't the correct word. Re-scaling the windows frames is a better definition. 

 

Ah. So that all the elements in the window will scale when resizing the main window below a threshold, making a right-side scrollbar not needed?

 

Or having the ability to move a horizontal split vertically? A split between the block and detail/bypass assign/controller assign/command center views?

[phil_m]

Isn't there a right scroll bar for the parameters? I'm not in front of the computer I have the editor installed on at the moment, but I could swear that on my Windows 10 machine, there was a scroll bar to get to all of the parameters, at least in the home view. Or is this only an issue when you go to the Command Center?

[duncann]

Yea, there's a scroll bar for the parameters. The command view is missing a scrollbar though. But the problem is when you make the entire application window too small, everything below the signal chain can become cut off with no way to access. So an overall scroll bar that would scroll both the signal chain and parameter view would fix that.

[mileskb]

I'm thankful the browser came out, but there are actually several, what I would consider basic navigation conventions that have been altered.  

 

I get the "theory" of the sliders, much easier on tablets, but then again...  and EQ with "horizontal" sliders?  That's rough.

 

Also... having knobs or small "vertical" sliders isn't really that big a deal... As example on some software when you press on the slider, it becomes a larger slider easily moved with your finger.  When you take your finger off, it reverts back.   Using a mouse, it doesn't need to change, so it doesn't.  This seems pretty standard for remote mixing consoles which frankly  you need access to sliders faster than you would ever need on a guitar in normal circumstances.

 

If it were me...  Using knobs in software now is a piece of cake.  Again remote mixers do it all the time.  You just press the "knob" and slide your finger up/down/left/right to make the changes as appropriate for gain or pan etc..   Same with EQ settings... just touch the knob and move your  on the screen.   These also work especially well with mice that have a roller or a trackball as again, you just click and slide... no having to track along a fixed point.

 

Finally, while the display area where it shows the blocks is nice... that should scale.   As long as you can distinguish the icons to click or press, anything more is a waste of precious real estate.

 

I am NOT complaining...   Just thought I would share how I would have done it.   Honestly, they had a fairly short timeframe to pull this off with what I'm sure are limited resources.   Afterall, an editor would be hardly of use without the Helix.  Than again, with major updates like 2.01 not sure how "modular" and other design might be.   

 

Maybe now that 2.01 is in the wild, I really can't imagine too many "major" changes to the interface so maybe they'll get a chance to tweak up the editor a bit, if they want to.

[tjontheroad]

Isn't there a right scroll bar for the parameters? I'm not in front of the computer I have the editor installed on at the moment, but I could swear that on my Windows 10 machine, there was a scroll bar to get to all of the parameters, at least in the home view. Or is this only an issue when you go to the Command Center?

 

Yes, there's a scroll within the bottom frame. Issue becomes where the entire window pane is too large at the max screen available resolution to be seen. The Command Center, being the largest bottom frame, becomes the greatest problem. In my MacBook 13 inch widow, the Command Center frame takes almost all the available resolution at the bottom (see OP screenshot). Only the MIDI channel selection is visible. The scroll in the bottom frame is almost impossible to access as it takes a space less than the size of a single character. On my 10 inch Win10 Netbook, you can't access it at all.

 

Solution I'm advocating for is an entire window pane right side scroll that encompasses both the block screen and bottom parameter screen. 

[HonestOpinion]

I doubt it will ever happen but I would like to see the Helix Editor use other screen elements like pulldown lists and switches rather than wide colored scroll bars for everything. This would allow everything to fit on one screen. Scroll bars on the right side of the screen would become unnecessary and their visibility on various devices or operating systems a moot point.

[flynvgtr1]

I can barely see the left side menu with my Surface Pro 3. The text is tiny. Any ideas?

[duncann]

 

 

I doubt it will ever happen but I would like to see the Helix Editor use other screen elements like pulldown lists and switches rather than wide colored scroll bars for everything. This would allow everything to fit on one screen. Scroll bars on the right side of the screen would become unnecessary and their visibility on various devices or operating systems a moot point.

 

This certainly won't ever happen, but your idea gave me the idea of a skinnable interface, and with the ability to move the component parts of the UI around however you want.

[daacrusher2001]

I can barely see the left side menu with my Surface Pro 3. The text is tiny. Any ideas?

Is there any hope for fixing this problem? I can't use the editor effectively on my Surface Pro 4. The text is tiny and the app doesn't give you any options to resize the text. 

 

It's actually really bad.