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[UX Issue]* How To Synchronize Time In Multiple Windows (Discussion 1)?

If "Synchronize Times in All Windows" is turned on, then opening a new viewer window causes the time to jump to a new time seemingly unrelated to either the time in the original window or the time the viewer is opened.  Time flow rates are also changed. See the snapshots below:

The time in the first window is the same as the window above. 

I could understand that the time in all windows might be changed to "Now", but even that would mean resetting the time in the first window to the original value.  Think of this in terms of finding the conditions for Venus to transit the sun by looking at the solar system from the north ecliptic pole, then opening another viewer to see the transit from someplace on earth. The only way to do that is to turn off time synchronization, open the new viewer and then turn it back on from the first window. 

 

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6 comments

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    Keiron Smith Official comment

    DevOps reference: https://starrynight.unfuddle.com/a#/projects/7957/tickets/by_number/9855

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    Keiron Smith

    Hi John, 

    Why would you not just open 2 windows first and then sync the time?  Why opt to sync the time, with only one window open, before opening the second window?

    I see the issue you are reporting, but I'm not sure I follow your workflow.  

    Thanks!

  • 0
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    Ron Blackwell

    Hi Keiron,

    I just gave you the simplest scenario to re-create the problem.  Actually I had 3 windows open and sync'ed: the first was the inner solar system from a point on the north celestial pole, the second a view of Venus transiting the sun from the sunny side of earth, and the third was a view of the earth from the same position.  When I opened the fourth viewer to go to a location on the earth to see the transit, everything got screwed up.  The window were all sync'ed to a strange time and I had to start all over to reset the time to see the transit (which isn't all that easy since the year can't be overtyped).  

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    Keiron Smith

    Hi Ron, 

    I understand what you saying.  But, again, I would ask, why don't you open ALL windows first BEFORE syncing time across all the windows?

    Please consider what I am suggesting, as I believe it works like this.

    Thanks!

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    Ron Blackwell

    Hi Keiron,

    I was exploring the mechanics of Venus transiting the sun, so I had one viewer looking at the solar system from the ecliptic north direction, another looking at the sun from the sunny side of the earth with time sync'ed in both.  When I found a possible transit, I thought it would be nice to open a couple more windows: one to look at the sunny side of the earth and pick a location to view the transit and the second to go to that location and have a look.  That's when the time got screwed up and since I couldn't overtype the year it took a lot of time to find the transit again.  That's how I discovered this problem, but I really don't think the time should jump to something incomprehensible just because you open another viewer.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Keiron Smith

    Hi Ron, 

    We will have a look a this.  But, as is the case with many software issues, sometimes the best fix is going to be the workaround.  

    So, in this case, knowing how to synchronize time in multiple windows, by:

    1. Opening all windows first, then syncing, and...
    2. Not opening another window after having synced multiple windows...

    ...will keep you, me and everyone else, out of trouble for sure.

    Again, I'll look at making your preferred workflow viable in the future.  

    But, for now, let's just work with the app instead of against it.

    Thanks for reporting this issue, Ron!

     

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