More Suggestions Wanted!

[PicaLoader]

Hi all,

I'm working for version 2.0, the main upgrade in the works include:
1. Rewrite whole User Interface, make PicaLoader more user friendly.
2. Support download Media file (e.g. movie, flash).

I had already got many great suggestions, here is some:
carlzyg

The monitor window of this softwares seems too small or you can say too narrow...

dbhome

what I would like is to be able to do is set the thumbnail size...
what about a option that would make a playlist file of any media and a bookmark file to beable to download other files manually...
It would be handy to have an option "open in web browser" for pictures and task URL...
I've noticed that once you hit pause a wait dialog appears but only has a cancel option and no way to undo the action at all...
When previewing it in full screen it would be nice to set it to real time or delay mode while downloading...

subzero

Access to the forums from picaloader toolbar or help menu ...

BigBrother

Single click for system tray icon.
Drop box transparency option.
Toolbars customizing option.
Zoom in and out option for viewer.
Log option in Report pane for duplicate files.
The option for changing the size of tumbnails.
What about skins? Picaloader needs some new looks.

picapica

Apply the change in options when the "task" is running; there is no appy button & it does not seem to be applied when i change the options...

Fred

Perhaps setting tasks to start on a timer?

Big_Fan

Why can't you delete a project inside PL from the menu options...
Enable the Queue Browser to opened in a new window so you can copy to clipboard and paste into a filter without having to keep closing and opening the Queue Browser...

And I need more! especially suggestions about User Interface, if you have, please post a reply to this topic!

Thanks,
PicaLoader[/quote]

[BigBrother]

Hi Picaloader,
First thanks for starting this topic for improvment of our great software. I think its time to change the whole interface with these great features.

Ability to search the popular websites or entire web with a specific keyword and get the results in thumbnails.
Picture downloading is old method now you can improve picaloader to get galleries from specific website or from built-in websites database. you can aslo improve this ability by listing categories for users to choice from it. For example a section for Adult categories, a section for Arts categories, a section for Wallpapers categories and some other sections for every one.
ability to download only galleries structure first then user can decide which gallery to download and which one to skip. You can aslo improve this ability by grabbing the first thunbnail of the selected galleries.
more improve log options where user can redownload the missing picture from galleries.
Ability to skip the picture, Gallery or website in real mode.
database Option for users to manage their downloaded pictures category wise, its useful for picaloader to rememberd once download a gallery from specific website.
Need some improvements for viewer, like zoom option, thumbnail customizing, and some other minor options suiteable for viewer.
hope you will work hard again.
I will come back soon with new suggestions.
"Don't trust me but love me if you can....................honey"

[iostream]

I wish to echo BigBrother's thanks and to endorse his suggestions. I must apologize right away for not having suggestions geared specifically towards the user interface as I have always found the GUI attractive, logical in it's layout, and comprehensive regarding the 1.X feature specification. My impression from reviewing the "Feature Suggestions" thread of this forum is that, like myself, PicaLoader users discover expanded ways to utilize the program as they become more intimate with the application.

I was going to publish a "list" like everyone else, but I started to notice that many of the feature requests were already implemented in some excellent, available freeware that I use in combination with PicaLoader to enhance it's use. PicaLoader could either incorporate the features demonstrated by the following programs or call them via a plug-in interface. So, here we go:

FILE SELECTION & MANAGEMENT:
NetTransport - Downloads any file type including streaming media. Built in site browser with file selection, project management, download scheduling, and LOTS more. AWESOME FREEWARE (freeware with once-per-session nag screen, $24.95 to register and add RN5/NTLM support)
GRAPHICS VIEWING, EDITING, CONVERSION
IrfanView - Will do everything with image or media files that I have seen posted in this thread. I dumped a $70 ACDSee program in favor of IrfanView. FREEWARE
MY SUGGESTIONS:
SHELL EDIT/OPEN - This option should be configurable in the PicaLoader Options Dialog instead of using the current Windows association.
PICTURE PROPERTIES - Dialog needs to be resizable so that file path or name can be seen in it's entirety. Also, the ability to copy the contents of the dialog to the clipboard or a text file. This could apply to either all fields collectively or each field individually.
NEW PROJECT/TASK WIZARD - A screen-by-screen wizard to walk the user through (a) creating the top-level project and assigning top-level URL, project, and picture directories, (b) adding multiple task types to the project including "browse & select" option for the target URL to avoid downloading unwanted directories or files, and (c) scheduling the initial run and future refresh/update automated schedules.
PROJECT/TASK PROPERTIES - Add the ability to fully edit all parameters of a project or task including the option to move or copy the project to a new location.

[dbhome]

OK what about

Max and min image area setting
Option to save each task in a separate folder keeping site Dir structure
Option to re download customized list of duplicates

[moreclubs6]

what if there was an option to download letters sequentially, like numbers.

picaaa - piczzz, much like pic000 - pic999.

That would be great.

And BigBrother reminded me, the ability to skip thru the log by page, instead of having to go thru every single page sequentially.

[deejay]

It would be nice to be able to batch download
for example the following 10 URLs:

http://domain/01/folder/01.html
http://domain/02/folder/02.html
...
http://domain/10/folder/10.html

So situations where one and the same sequence number
occurs SEVERAL times (allow any number of times) in the same URL.

I encounter such sequences more and more....

Thanks a lot!

[deejay]

It would be nice to be able to batch download a url sequence
where the substitution sequence is provided by the user in a text file
(separated by commas, or by new lines)

So besides the implemented sequence 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ....
the user may set up himself a substitution sequence list
like for example: sequences of strings:
zero, one, two, three, four, five, ...
or
red, yelow, blue, green, pink, ....
(note that the strings need not have equal length)

I encounter more and more URL sequences of the type

http://domain/zero.html
http://domain/one.html
...
http://domain/fifteen.html

(where "zero", "one" ..., "fifteen" often occur in languages other than english).

I imagine that picaloader reserves a folder containing such
batch sequence text files: the user simply has the option
(from a context menu) to select, for each occurence of a
sequence numbering (eg, [01-10] in the actual version of picaloader),
the substitution sequence desired.
Collections of substitution sequences may be distributed with
picaloader, or downloaded separately from the website
(or from forum posts?).

Maybe a sequence substitution text file could be of the form

01 one
02 two
06 six
10 ten

So [00-10] in the url specified to picaloader
stands no longer for the sequence
00,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,10
but for
00,one,two,03,04,05,six,07,08,09,ten

I think you get the idea...

Thank you!

[deejay]

* picture preview frame(ie window) is too small. Most pictures are not "landscape"
but "portait": make the preview frame "portrait".

* Put the preview window/fram on the RIGHT and the
thumbnail window on the LEFT.

* multiple instances of the (resizable) preview window:
so you can preview several photos at once.

* double click on a task to start it.

* remove the task/profile frame: put them under one of the
menus (under the "Project" menu)? this frees space for the preview window.

* when previewing in full screen mode (and jumping from
photo to photo with the mouse wheel): indicate discretely
the name/number of the foto AND the number of the latest photo
downloaded (so you can follow as new photos get downloaded).
For example: when downloading 50 pictures it may say:
"03 of 12 ..." (meaning :
-I am looking at photo 03, and
-12 photos have been downloaded sofar, and
-the download (of 50) has not yet terminated ("..."))

* fit the photo to the screensize when looking in full screen mode
(last time, the photo was (displayed) larger than the screen)

* thumbnail pages: allow not only pages of a fixed number of thumbnails
but also allow each downloaded (deepest) folder to be presented into
one page (of varying numbers of thumbs).

* make it possible to remember the task options and project options
-- independently of any particular task/project ---
(they don't change so often; so I'm sick and tired of
going through them again and again for each new project/task
as in the actual implementation they get reset at each time).
More generally: enable to create a new task with the
SAME options (except the specified URL) WITH A MINIMAL
NUMBER OF MOUSE CLICKS!!!!! (very important I think)

* automatic creation of task/project names if the user did not specify them.

* exportation of a list of all downloaded urls to a text file

* exportation of a list of all downloaded files (with their
urls) to a text file

* Spider option: don't download the photos; only create an (exportable) list of files found for download

* downloads of other file types (without preview):
(Very usefull I think !!!!!!!!!)
midi, movies, pdf, mp3, zip
and USER DEFINED extensions: *. xyz
(with a filter on the filesize: or: ask user if filesize smaller/greater than
user-specified bound)
Instead of a preview propose for each downloaded file
a button that will open it (with the program associated to its type
in the users windows settings)

* use vertical space more economically:
the "picture-search-report-option-monitor" tabs under the preview frame
can be moved up to the same horizontal line as the
button bar: "new task - remove task - start - ...-properties - view thumbnail - view detail - about - help"
Remove some buttons from the button bar to create more space.

There is also some space left on the menu bar:
"project-task - profile - picture - view - help":
use that space first before introducing a new (tab) bar

What about the top most window-title bar: "picaloader 1.47":
that is one complete bar with little functionality for its size:
can you move the lowest bar (status bar?) inside the top most bar?

* dock/undock option: allow the preview frame and the thumbnail frame
to be opened as separate windows: the user can undock the frames
into separate windows and dock them back as he pleases
(see for example the p2p program winmx).

Thank you for having created picaloader!

[WinteR]

There are no scheduling function currently or [start download] parameter currently...
Also PL can't download automatically when it starts...

I can't download picture when i am sleeping...usually i will wake up my computer in bios and start download at night ~

Its a very good picture download program compare with Internet Pictures Finder, PicDownloader, webimage, Teleport Pro, etc. (i have tried these these software... but PL is the best ) 請加油 ~!

[Ninjaborg]

Hello! Great program! I love it! But, I do have a few suggestions that I think would make it much more attractive, and more versatile. First off:
How about a full-featured tool-bar for Internet Explorer, , that can be used with, or without invoking the main programs' GUI? 1ClickPicGrabber has this, and it's awesome.
How about a "Vacuum" ability? ; From the above mentioned tool-bar, simply click the Vacuum button, and be able to "vacuum" all the pictures off that page, and any pictures that page links to, instantly creating, naming, and launching a new project, and/or task, using a set of user-set defaults. All without ever having to launch the main program GUI, thereby using less RAM.
Along with the above mentioned posts, about Timed downloads, make sure to enable it to also close connection at a set time, as well. I run the S.E.T.I@Home screensaver, and I like that it automatically gets online to deliver it's finished work-loads. But I hate that it then leaves your computer online!!!! I miss all my calls, until I happen to discover that I'm still connected to the web.
A right-click menu option that allows you to ban a url by right-clicking a thumbnail and selecting an option, something like "No more pictures from "www.WhateverURL.com" " That would be GREAT!
And, finaly, for now, how about an instruction manual that's a LOT more helpful? There ARE intsrtructions on the site, true. But they're VERY difficult to make any sense of, unless you are already familiar with the program! Also. There is a problem with alot being lost in translation. Sentences are mangled, all over the site. They are all in English, but not worded the way they should be. Take, for example, the very first sentence on the home page. :"PicaLoader - Award-winning Picture Downloader for find, view, download and manage millions of pictures from the web easily."
Now, it should read: "PicaLoader - Award-winning Picture Downloader for finding, viewing, downloading and managing millions of pictures from the web easily."
There are many other places that are like that throughout the site. It may not sound like a big problem, but little things like that, when you're trying to tell a newbie how to use your program can become confusing instead of instructional. Towards correcting this problem, for the new version, and the website, I offer my proof-reading services!
Why not include a "step-by-step" Project wizard, to help set up each project exactly the way the user wants. (Speaking of which, why is it, that some jobs start right up, and work fine, and others fail, without even downloading one picture?)
Well! That's it, for now! I'll be back with more at a later time! Thanks, for giving all your many fans a place, and an opportunity to put their two cents in! Later!

[xmike]

Hello
some suggestions

list of downloaded pictures (history)
picture sites updates their collections, if you have enough memory (in head) you can update your collections (after downloading all old pictures with PicaLoader) by browsing sites and downloading new pictures, but it is possible, if you want to be up-to-date only in 5-10 sites, but if you have to update pictures from 50-100 sites this is not the best method

redownloading of errors
i always have a problem, that i need to redownload whole site to download some pictures, that didn't downloaded at first time
it is not a problem to download 20 crashed files using "error log" by browsing, but if they are 200

Thank's anyway! PicaLoader is better than any other programm!

[Kevmate]

It seems that PL cannot distinguish the "ß" character in URL's, and causes an error message. Any chance this can be fixed in a future release.

Refer to http://www.picaloader.com/forum/How-do- ... -t392.html.

Keep up the good work.....

[simpleton]

How about making it so the URL format can take more complicate sequences. For example:

[00-10,2] = 00,02,04,06,08,10
[$x:00-10] = Declare x and use it here
http://a.b.com/[$x:00-10]/page[$x]/[00-10].html

Perhaps simple script support:

[$x:00-10:f1($x)] = x goes from 00 to 10, is passed to a function f1, and result of function is used.
http://a.b.com/[$x:00-10,2:f1($x)]/page[f2($x)]/[00-40,2].html
http://a.b.com/[$x:00-10]/[$f2($x)]/index.html

[basiscoder]

I'm not entirely sure how your duplication checking works, however if it is signature (CRC / fuzzy / etc) based, it would be nice, if you could add an option to retain these signatures even for images that have been removed. I often go through and delete images that I don't want, however when crawling a frequently updated site, I will re-download those images. If the duplication signature was retained, then ideally it would not redownload them.

[simpleton]

I think it would be nice to be able to specify different filters for different link levels, with 0 being the entered url, 1 being the first linked page or picture, etc.