Does this IrfanView feature (!!!??? #$^(*&(*&*&@#) make any sense to you?

[IliaPreston]

Hello everyone.
I am sure you are familiar with IrfanView.
It is really an amazing photo viewer.

However, it has a few issues that the creator INSISTS are ok, and they are so by design and that they are good !!!

For example, I would like to share with you my latest experience with reporting a bug (or feature *@!%^%^*@) and getting rejected:
Here is my initial email to IrfanView's creator:

Hello Mr. Irfan.

I have TWO monitors (instead of one) attached to my desktop computer.
I use IrfanView to view pictures on one monitor (for example on the left monitor), and do other things on the other monitor (for example play a youtube music video).

On the left monitor (running IrfanView), I use arrow keys (left arrow and right arrow) to move to previous and next pictures in the folder.
Then suddenly, I have to do something on the other monitor, for example the music video ends and I go to that monitor to play another youtube music video.
Then I want to come back to IrfanView (left monitor).
In order to come back to IrfanView (left monitor) I simply click on the picture that IrfanView is showing on the left monitor.
THIS is where the bug is:
If IrfanView is showing the picture in normal mode, there is no problem. No bug. Nothing wrong. I click on the picture, so that then any press on the left or right arrow keys will then take me to the previous or next picture. This is expected behaviour and perfectly correct.

But, if IrfanView is in Full-Screen mode, and I click on the picture that it shows, it will unwantedly move to the previous picture. It should NOT move to the previous picture. It should keep showing the current picture. This is a bug.

Can you please fix this problem for the next release of IrfanView?

Thanks a lot.

Here is his response:

Hi.
No bug in IrfanView ;-)

Fullscreen mode has own hotkeys/actions.
Left click in fullscreen means: load previous list file ... and this happened here.

IrfanView don't know what you really want to do, IrfanView just reacts on the message from your Windows ... and the left click was received.

Means, you must use another way to bring the fullscreen window fto foreground, like ALT+TAB ... this doesn't need/send a click ;-)

My response to the above:

Hi Irfan,

If I click on the picture, it is NOT the same as Left-Arrow key (keyboard).
But, IrfanView THINKS it is a Left-Arrow key pressed by keyboard

Please note:
I just click on the picture, and IrfanView goes to the previous picture!
Why?
I think It shouldn't go to the previous picture.

If you think that a mouse-click should cause IrfanView to go to the previous picture, then at least please add a setting (for example a checkbox) in the Options => Properties/Settings so that the user can turn that off.

Please advise.
Thanks.

And this is his final response:

Hi.
IrfanView doesn't think anything, it becomes the message from your system.

Read the Help file, Hotkeys page ... fullscreen mode:

Left button click = Load previous image in the folder/list

Right button click = Load next image in the folder/list

=> if your system send these messages to IrfanView, the problem is not in IrfanView.

This is not optional, these hotkeys are there since 25+ years.

Does this make any sense to you?

Please advise.
Thanks.

[jpbro]

I love Irfanview, it's always one of the first apps I install on a new machine. That said, I find the full-screen behaviour that you describe a bit weird and would probably like an option to turn it off myself (like you can with the Scroll wheel for image navigation). IrfanView has so many options that I'm surprised this isn't one, and surprised that Irfan would be against adding it, but c'est la vie with closed source stuff. In any case, I agree with the recommendation to use Alt+Tab to switch windows (it's what I do by second nature myself).

[si_the_geek]

I'm afraid in this case I agree with the creator.

The functionality described of the keyboard/mouse make sense, and the creator is right that the program cannot tell what your intentions were by clicking on the picture.

To work around it you could click on the picture with both mouse buttons in turn, or alternatively you could switch back to that program by using the Alt-Tab keys instead of the mouse.

[IliaPreston]

I'm afraid in this case I agree with the creator.

The functionality described of the keyboard/mouse make sense, and the creator is right that the program cannot tell what your intentions were by clicking on the picture.

To work around it you could click on the picture with both mouse buttons in turn, or alternatively you could switch back to that program by using the Alt-Tab keys instead of the mouse.

Thanks for your response.

the creator is right that the program cannot tell what your intentions were by clicking on the picture

I am not quite sure about that.
If the operating system's focus is on another application, and the user clicks on the IrfanView picture, then a switch to the application (by application, in here, I mean IrfanView) is taking place.
On the other hand, if the focus is already on the application (IrfanView) and the user clicks on the picture, then it is NOT a switch to the application. Rather, it is an action WITHIN the application.

A number of years ago, I posted a similar thread regarding how to achieve this in VB6, and some people suggested some good ways of doing it:
https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....urns-to-a-form
I guess IrfanView can similarly (or in a different way) programmically differentiate between the above two scenarios and act accordingly (do what it currently does if the user is RETURNING to IrfanView and NOT do that otherwise)

What do you think?

Thanks again.

[Arnoutdv]

I think it’s up to the author of the application whether they do something with the requests and or questions.

[wqweto]

Just take a moment for some self-reflection. What did you achieve with this short interaction by email with the author? Let me tell you: nothing of value to you. You just alienated the guy and now it will be close to impossible to persuade him to make some progress on your issue.

Instead of starting with your conclusion in all-caps that "THIS is where the bug is" can you just humbly assume that you are doing something wrong and/or cannot understand behavior/documentation and ask for some guidance from him?

It would have been later so easy to gently persuade him that the viewer needs yet another option to control if left-click goes to prev image to just focuses the app.

It's your life, do what you want with it but don't get too surprised when creators are "unresponsive" and "stubborn" and the whole world is conspiring against you and your goals.

cheers,
</wqw>

[Zvoni]

I would have gone for a compromise, requesting a Change/Feature (instead of reporting as a Bug).

In your scenario, where you switch back from your second monitor, IrfanView receives first the focus, THEN executes the Left-Click-Action in Fullscreen-Mode.

Compromise/Feature-Request (as an Option in settings maybe?):
"If IrfanView in FullScreenMode And GetsFocus/Activates back Then DoNotExecuteLeftMouseClick-Action"

[wqweto]

I would have gone for a compromise, requesting a Change/Feature (instead of reporting as a Bug).

In your scenario, where you switch back from your second monitor, IrfanView receives first the focus, THEN executes the Left-Click-Action in Fullscreen-Mode.

Compromise/Feature-Request (as an Option in settings maybe?):
"If IrfanView in FullScreenMode And GetsFocus/Activates back Then DoNotExecuteLeftMouseClick-Action"

Yes, this would be proper way to fix this but it's a PITA to detect if a WM_LBUTTONDOWN is in connection with/after receiving a WM_MOUSEACTIVATE. The latter has to be kept in current state (set a flag) in order for the click to be differentiated.

Anyway, even if this can be classified as a bug (an implementation bug) I would still not advice to report it immediately as a problem but ask if this is intended in first place.

cheers,
</wqw>

[Zvoni]

Yes, this would be proper way to fix this but it's a PITA to detect if a WM_LBUTTONDOWN is in connection with/after receiving a WM_MOUSEACTIVATE. The latter has to be kept in current state (set a flag) in order for the click to be differentiated.

Anyway, even if this can be classified as a bug (an implementation bug) I would still not advice to report it immediately as a problem but ask if this is intended in first place.

cheers,
</wqw>

Shouldn't that be additionally WM_ACTIVATEAPP
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...wm-activateapp

Sent when a window belonging to a different application than the active window is about to be activated. The message is sent to the application whose window is being activated and to the application whose window is being deactivated.

[OptionBase1]

Does this make any sense to you?

Yes.

If it bothers you that much, you can change Windows so that any window that your mouse cursor is over automatically gets activated. That way you can avoid having to click the full screen window to activate it.

Here's how to do it in Windows 11:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...f-3a0e96c6d50b

I believe it was possible in earlier versions of Windows as well, possibly requiring a registry change though.

[IliaPreston]

I tried to post a response to this thread, but as soon as I click on submit, it gives me an error:
https://i.imgur.com/jTCn46V.jpeg

I repeated many times, and got the same error.
Even clicking on "Preview" gives me the same error

[IliaPreston]

Shouldn't that be additionally WM_ACTIVATEAPP
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...wm-activateapp

Thanks for your response.

I tried many times and on different days to post a response, but as soon as I click on "Submit Reply" it keeps giving me this error:
https://i.imgur.com/jTCn46V.jpeg

So, I try a different way::

I sent this email to IrfanView's creator: (I have put it in this text file because I cannot post it in here):
https://www.mediafire.com/file/i19cu...il001.txt/file

And this is his response: (I have put it in this text file because I cannot post it in here):
https://www.mediafire.com/file/cs97j...il002.txt/file

Interesting !!!

[IliaPreston]

Yes.

If it bothers you that much, you can change Windows so that any window that your mouse cursor is over automatically gets activated. That way you can avoid having to click the full screen window to activate it.

Here's how to do it in Windows 11:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...f-3a0e96c6d50b

I believe it was possible in earlier versions of Windows as well, possibly requiring a registry change though.

Thanks for your response.

I actually don't think that activation upon hovering of the mouse feels good to me.
That' is of course just my personal taste, and other people may think otherwise.

However, I didn't know that such thing (activation upon hovering of the mouse) existed, and now that you mentioned it, I learned about it, which may be helpful in future.

Thanks again.

[IliaPreston]

My thanks go to everybody who helped and commented on this.