[0.3.0] regression: loading a new image no longer removes the previous ones

[psobolewskiPhD]

I'm of two minds on this one:

• loading different images on top of each other as layers rarely makes sense in the napari model, so removing makes sense. It will also make it simpler to handle derivative layers like Shapes if one omero image is loaded at a time -- omero also doesn't let you view multiple objects at the same time.
• the user can manage their own layers and choose what they want loaded. Removing by default risks them losing derived/annotation layers without a warning.

[jo-mueller]

Hi @psobolewskiPhD ,

One thought about that: I think we discussed elsewhere ro replace the implicit loading of images through the selection of items in the TreeView. I think making this more explicit (Load button or doubleclick) would also solve this issue as it would give users more control about what exactly they'd want to load.

I agree that multiple images may not make always sense in thr napari model, but I do see applications. With an explicit loading scheme, users could change more freely what exactly they'd want to load and we could get rid of the functionality on the napari-omero side which has to keep track what is or isn't already loaded.

[psobolewskiPhD]

Yeah, good point about a load button helping with this.
I think my next priority would be to look at getting (basic) ROI to function. That would get harder with the current behavior of loading multiple images at once.

I'd probably lean towards reverting the change as unintended and then re-implement it in a followup with the load button.

[jo-mueller]

I think my next priority would be to look at getting (basic) ROI to function. That would get harder with the current behavior of loading multiple images at once.

I remember a discussion somewhere here about adding some OMERO metadata to the napari layer. This would require a rough metadata model that could tell us which shapes/labels layer belongs to which image layer as per referring to the same Omero image ID. When posting Shapes to OMERO, the plugin could then check whether the omero id of the shape to be posted and the selected image are actually the same.

[jo-mueller]

Having played with it a bit in the current state now, I think it's fine the way it is. More control over the image loading (e.g. via load button or doubleclick or whatever) would be desirable, but I think it's the right way to give users the freedom to control what they want to have opened (or closed).

[psobolewskiPhD]

Sounds good. We can revisit once we get better support for ROI/annotations in the viewer. Because then I think we may want to go back to 1 omero image open at a time to make annotations easier to handle.

[jo-mueller]

Yeah...if we leave it this way we definitely need to think about how to prevent a situation where you open too many images and ask yourself "Which image did I just annotate again?"

[psobolewskiPhD]

Layer groups would help a lot >.<

OMERO-web only allows viewing one image at a time right?
Same with QuPath omero extensions, so there is definitely some precedent for the old way.

[tlambert03]

😂

[jo-mueller]

OMERO-web only allows viewing one image at a time right?

Yes and no :)