P: Folder Favorite Setting Cannot Be Changed

Hi,

Now consider the following...

I'm working with a dual display configuration with the LR main window on the main screen and the secondary window in Grid mode on the secondary display. With this configuration, as I have explained in my "steps to reproduce" post, I can have contradictory information about the "favorite" status of a given folder. It can appear as a favorite on one display in the folder tree and as a "not favorite" on the other in grid mode when opening the the drop-up menu at the bottom of the grid.

I filed a separate bug for the right-click behavior Patrick identified:
https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/lightroom-right-click-mark-favorite-in-folders-panel-creates-two-favorite-groups

I honestly don't think any UI designer or programmer would consider that selection behavior "as-designed".

This misbehavior of right-clicking is a separate issue from the original subject of this topic, the perceived inability to unmark a folder as a favorite.  The two favorite groups created by Patrick's recipe can be unmarked as favorites just like any other favorite groups.

Long experience in these forums shows that it's important to separate concerns in different topics -- otherwise, Adobe will miss the buried issue.

It could be considered a bug but I also think that is an example of an extremely poor design.  You should have to actually SELECT two folders to create a group.  Selecting a folder and then just right clicking another folder without selecting it should not create a group.  I know how it works now so just use the dropdown for removing from favorites and it works.  Im also careful of what is selected when I create favorites.  This system really needs an overhaul to make it more useable but I don't see that happening any time in the near future.  I decided to just deal with the foibles of the design as it is something I rarely change.

Merging with bug report specific to this behavior.

Please reference the new conversation here: Merging with "Right-click Mark Favorite in Folders panel creates two favorite gro...

Thanks Robert for explaining highlighting this obscure behavior and providing a link (it's new to me!). I agree that what most people are experiencing here is "as-designed" behavior of a confusing user-interface design. However, Patrick has identified a bug in right-clicking selected folders.  I'll  summarize the design first, and then explain that particular bug.

A "favorite group" is a set of one or more folders that a user has marked as favorites. A folder may be in one or more favorite groups. You can see the current favorite groups by clicking on the source indicator in the filmstrip:



Note that I've created seven folder groups, using all possible combinations of three folders A, B, and C.

To create a favorite group, select one or more folders in the Folders panel, right-click one, and do Mark Favorite(s).To delete a favorite group, select all the folders in the group, right-click one, and do Unmark Favorite(s).

When you right-click a folder selection, if the selected folders do not comprise a current favorite group, then Mark Favorite(s) appears in the menu. If the selected folders do comprise a current favorite group, then Unmark Favorite(s) appears.

If a folder is in at least one favorite group, there will be a star on its icon in the Folders panel. Note that after doing Unmark Favorite(s) on a folder, the star on its icon will still be present if the folder is still a member of another favorite group.

This design is logically consistent. But its user interface is confusing, because favorite groups are usually hidden in the user interface (in the filmstrip pop-up), and because the star icon can remain after doing Unmark Favorite.

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Here are the steps in Patrick's bug:

1. Start with no favorite groups defined.

2. Select folder A.

3. Right-click folder B and do Mark Favorite.

4. Observe in the filmstrip's source-indicator popup that there are now two folder groups, Folders: A, B and Folder: B.

Only the group Folder: B should have been created in step 4. 

Other parts of LR have strange behavior with right-click context menus.  In the Keyword List panel, if you select multiple keywords and right-click, some of the context-menu commands apply to the current keyword and some to all the selected keywords.  There are similar inconsistencies with right-clicking thumbnails in the filmstrip.

Here is some documentation for "favorite groups" that is as poor as the user interface for favorites.  I find that I have to go tho the dropdown above the filmstrip to actually see what is in groups or not.  It took a lot of experimenting to figure out what was going on but now I have no issues.  As I said above, this an extremely poor design and not even close to being intuitive.

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/lightroom-classic/help/create-folders.html 

What is a "group" concept?  How do I mark/unmark favorite folders?  Is this some sort of cutting edge idea that can't quickly be fixed?

Patrick
I used your "steps to reproduce" and got your results but if you consider the "group" concept it is the correct behavior.  I have not had any issues setting and removing favorites now that I understand how it works.   I originally thought this was a bug and was one of the first posters in this thread but have since changed my mind that this is just a EXTREMELY POOR design and not well documented and needs to be overhauled.  I have no interest in debating the design as it is working for me now.

Robert,

Sorry, but you are wrong. The behavior I described in my "steps to reproduce" is not consistent even if we consider your "favorite group" theory. First, depending on how you access your favorites, you get different results. This is a bug. Please re-read my post. Second, there's no mention of any favorite group concept in the documentation. When program behavior doesn't match the documentation, this is also a bug. Third, if you right-click a folder that is already marked as a favorite and get the "Mark as favorite" command in the menu, this is a bug.

I thought this was a bug a long time ago but I think it is just a poor design.  The main issue everyone is having is it is not very clear that a folder can be a favorite by itself and also part of several groups.  I can duplicate what Patrick Philippot shows as a bug but it is not a bug but just that the A and B folders are in groups.  The only sure way to know what is going on is to do the unmarking and marking in the dropdown above the filmstrip.   

For instance, unmark ALL the favorites and then select both Folders A and B and mark as a favorites.   A and B is a favorite GROUP.  You can STILL mark A and still mark B as separate favorites.  This is not a bug.