Window closing behaviour

[smiler]

Hello all,

I've been a long time Cog user, though I was aware of Play. Since the last time I tried Play, however, it's become far more usable and stable. But...

(First: I know this must've been discussed before, even though searching on the forum doesn't bring up a specific discussion about this topic. Please don't flame me — I'd like to open a discussion about this.)

When I close the 'main' window, Play quits. While I've only been using OS X for about a year now, this seems to go against the trend.

I'm not saying that this is against Apple's HIGs, merely what most other developers choose to do. Two points:

1. HIG = Human Interface guide,
2. even Apple break their own HIGs.

I say "'main' window" because, while Play is a single-window application, it's riddled with multi-document elements. For example: when you open the Dock context-menu, you have a 'list' of open documents, despite only ever having one window (or at least, I can't see a way to open another window).

In my experience, the only single-window applications which quit with the window are utilities. They're the applications you use to perform a single operation then will not want again in your current work-flow. i.e. System Preferences, Disk Utility, Software Updater. However, applications which perform an on-going task, where you might call on them again, will remain open and perform their task, even if you close the main window. i.e. iTunes, Transmission, NewsLife, Mail, iCal.

(Re: Mail — while it is technically multi-document, it is designed to be fully workable through a single window, only requiring another window when composing a new message.)

I propose that:

• Play does not quit when the window is closed,
• playback continues when the window is closed,
• an option is available to change this behaviour for people who expect it to be different.

If I really am in a minority (which I seriously doubt, given the number of applications which follow the behaviour I propose), then at least allow this as an option in the Preferences.

I hope this turns out to be a constructive discussion.

Regards,
smiler

[RonaldPR]

If you want Play to continue without displaying the window, did you try hiding the application? Hiding the application is the Mac way to do this since System 7 (1992?). Hide an application with command-H or by switching to another application while holding the option key.

[smiler]

If you want Play to continue without displaying the window, did you try hiding the application? Hiding the application is the Mac way to do this since System 7 (1992?). Hide an application with command-H or by switching to another application while holding the option key.

This is what I am doing at the moment, but it seems like the wrong thing to do to me. I have developed the habit of pressing ⌘W to close the active window — in any other application which performs a similar function, this does not quit the application.

Also, System 7 didn't have the Dock, which I would argue has radically changed how one interacts with applications in Mac OS X.

[smiler]

I happened to come across a link to Apple's HIG whilst searching on an unrelated issue, so I thought I'd read what it had to say about this.

In most cases, applications that are not document-based should quit when the main window is closed. For Example, System Preferences quits if the user closes the window. If an application continues to perform some function when the main window is closed, however, it may be appropriate to leave it running when the main window is closed. For example, iTunes continues to play when the user closes the main window.

I thought this might be of interest.