[PIVOT-878] Show FileBrowserSheet while Initializing

• Type: Wish
• Status: Open
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Affects Version/s: 2.0.2
• Component/s: wtk-terra
• Labels: Browsing File FileBrowserSheet performance responsiveness wtk wtk-terra
• Environment: All (Mostly Windows)
• Assignee: Roger Lee Whitcomb
• Reporter: Ronald Thomas
• Created: 15/Oct/12 03:20
• Updated: 20/Jun/14 15:45

Description

If the list of file roots returned by http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/java/io/File.html#listRoots() includes more than a few network drives (primarily on windows where each mapped drive is its own "file system root"), or if the initial path on the FileBrowserSheet maps to a device that takes a while to "spin up", the FileBrowserSheet may not appear on the screen for several seconds making the Pivot app appear unresponsive. It would help if there were some indication of activity immediately after the call to the FileBrowserSheet.open() method. The FileBrowserSheet could be displayed in a "loading" mode and then switched to its normal display mode once the potentially long-running initialization has completed.

In this case, the long running code is around line 936-947 of the 2.0.2 release source file at wtk-terra\src\org\apache\pivot\wtk\skin\terra\TerraFileBrowserSkin.java

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create a Pivot application that opens a FileBrowserSheet using a button.
2. Map about 6 network drives or connect external hard drives to drive letters on a machine running windows
3. Wait enough time for the power-management "spin down" on some or all of the mapped or connected drives
4. Run the Pivot application and click the button that opens the FileBrowserSheet
5. Nothing appears to be happening for several seconds (far too long) while the JVM collects the results of File.listRoots() to populate the "driveListButton" listData.
6. Finally after several seconds, the FileBrowserSheet appears.

Issue Links

• is part of: PIVOT-796 TerraFileBrowserSheetSkin: improve user experience with slow drives
• is related to: PIVOT-656 FileBrowserSheet seems frozen while browsing network folders