let me manage the window sizes

Using SkyTools 3 Pro last night filled me with mixed feelings. It is incredible software, all things considered. But there are some significant frustrations with it too.

I greatly dislike how the chart views, the Interactive Atlas, Overhead Sky, Naked Eye, and the "Scope/Binocs" three-panel view, automatically go to full screen. It really bothers me.

This appears to happen regardless of how the view is selected, whether you choose a view from the list screen, by right-clicking, or switch the view from within the chart window.

Invariably, I do not want these views maximized. So I "Restore Down" the window. Of course, there's no "history" for the window size so it is still very large. Then I drag the window title bar to shift it slightly left. I used to move it a lot but have trained myself not to do that now. And it is probably an unnecessary extra step that I should reconsider anyway. I might be doing this so to get a better "angle" at the window's edge or frame. Then I resize the window, reducing it very slightly. Which often "goes wrong." In that, while trying to avoid clicking the Close Window button at the top right, I tend to shy away, and 50% of the time, click outside the border edge, into the Desktop or a background window! Argh! Finally, after successfully sizing, I drag the chart window back so to be fully visible on the screen. And often I need to resize it again, a smidgen, touching it up.

In the end, this is because I like to see the "main" list window, so to switch to it, with the mouse. Sure the Windows fast-switching technique with Alt-Tab works. Although the chart window icon shows as a generic one. And there's no specific icon to select for the Object Information "window" nor the Content Viewer "window;" somehow these are treated differently and don't show (in XP). Therefore, the only practical, direct way to choose a specific panel or window in ST3P, is visually, by mouse.

Also, if I display the Content Viewer at a decent size for the eyepiece view, and the Interactive Atlas is really large too, sometimes the centre portion of the IA view is covered. When the IA window is not maximised, it allows for the window to be sit off-centre from the screen display. Typically, I have the IA a bit left, and the Content Viewer on the right. Works very well this way. I can preview an area of the sky, stay zoomed out or wide field in the atlas display, while keeping tabs on the eyepiece presentation in the Viewer window. And, of course, I can move or pan eyepiece region in the atlas, dragging the field of view indicator. This is important when hopping, confirming the field of view, when searching and scanning, and when imaging to change the camera orientation.

I so dislike this behavior in SkyTools, realising I waste time at the computer—while trying to observe—fiddling with it, that I'm starting to avoid changing views! And that's not good. Most of the time, I'm working in the Interactive Atlas. But there are times when I want to peek at the all sky view or telescope view. Last night, several times, I wanted to use the telescope view, to verify what I was seeing in the finder scope. But I resisted.

(It occurred to me to build a new "eyepiece," but for the finder, that I can select within the IA. Ha. Workaround...)

Boiling away, in the back of my mind during all this, is that it is due ultimately to a decision by the developer. Greg decided, thou shall use the chart views full screen. When this should be, in the end, something each user decides. I'm a power user. So maybe I don't represent how most people use the software. Still, I believe these types of decisions belong with the end user. Most Windows applications I use support this: when I choose a window size, the app keeps track of it. The status and the size. This can be easily handled as an option in the preferences, with a simple checkbox: "Always maximise chart windows on open."

I guess I'll submit this as a feature request...