Main window minimization animation
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For some reason, default Aero closing window animation is broken for the main window of f.lux. It looks like it just slides down. What's the reason of it? Looks ugly and non-consistent with other windows.
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Because that's the way it's designed. He wants it to be this way.
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It is non-consistent even with itself. About dialog closes normally, for example. Weird. I propose to remove this "feature".
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@Evgeny-Vrublevsky said in Main window minimization animation:
It is non-consistent even with itself. About dialog closes normally, for example. Weird. I propose to remove this "feature".
Sliding down is a visual indication or visual aid to those who might not be as computer-savvy that f.lux is still running even though its window isn't open, and it also helps them know where f.lux can be found. Most f.lux users aren't computer-savvy. You'd be surprised how many times I've seen people ask where f.lux is and why it's not running anymore simply because the f.lux window disappeared on them.
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We tried to split the difference between a "real" window that you could alt-tab to, and a tray icon that only appears when you click it. (There isn't a standard way to do this in Windows.)
It wouldn't be right for f.lux to stay open as a "real" app all the time, because it would just make clutter, but it also wouldn't be right for it just to disappear when it's still running.
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@herf a lot of programs allow close own main window and keep an icon in the system tray. And they don't introduce some new non-consistent animation for closing.
When the window is visible, you can alt+tab to it (and there is a visible button on the taskbar). When the window is closed, of course you can't alt+tab to this window.
Of course it is not critical. But it looks a bit weird.
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@Evgeny-Vrublevsky said in Main window minimization animation:
@herf a lot of programs allow close own main window and keep an icon in the system tray. And they don't introduce some new non-consistent animation for closing.
When the window is visible, you can alt+tab to it (and there is a visible button on the taskbar). When the window is closed, of course you can't alt+tab to this window.
Of course it is not critical. But it looks a bit weird.
Most of f.lux's users aren't very computer-savvy. So, this animation is a comforting reassurance for them that f.lux is still running, and it shows them where to look if they want to get the f.lux window back. If the window simply disappeared on close or on auto-close, then they would think that f.lux is no longer running because that particular animation is what is used for indicating that a program has been terminated. Downwards and upwards animations are used for indicating Minimizing and Restoring a window for a program that is running.
I think f.lux's particular animation is an attempt to do something similar to the Windows animation for when you minimize a window, but it's done in such a way that makes perfect sense for something that's in the Notification Area. It's a bit like a toast notification, and that's something that's consistent with what you expect to see from programs in the Notification Area.
So yes, if f.lux lived only on the Taskbar instead of the Notification Area, then yes it would be weird for it to slide down like that when closing. Since it lives in the Notification Area, it makes perfect sense for it to slide down and it's what should be expected for a program that you access and work with via the Notification Area. It's sliding up and down like a toast notification from the Notification Area. More than that, it's worth repeating that the animation reassures the user that it's still running when the window closes and it shows less computer-savvy users where f.lux is if they want to find it again.
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This might help clear things up:
Open the f.lux Window and then exit f.lux using either the f.lux menu on the window or the context menu of its icon in the Notification Area (choose "Exit f.lux"). You will see the standard animation for a closing window when you do this.
So obviously, the purpose of the sliding animation is to clearly indicate that f.lux is minimizing to the Notification Area. It's like it's saying, "Don't worry: I'm still running. I'm just minimized to the Notification Area." It wouldn't be good at all to use the standard window closing animation because the gut reaction less computer-savvy people would have is to go find it in the Start Menu or something so that they can open it back up! F.lux has hundreds of thousands of users. Many of them have come here to ask where f.lux went when they closed it, but I haven't seen that question come up since this sliding animation was added.
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As I already told, none of other Windows programs which live in system tray use this "sliding" animation for closing of the main window. And I've never heard that some users had any problems with it. If a program has an icon in the system tray, it is clear that closing of the main window doesn't mean closing an application. Right now I use 12 programs which live in system tray, but only one of them use this closing animation. It is really non-consistent.
