Allow disabling Group Colors in animation editors via preference #82134

New Issue

The bone group colors in the animation channel list are often distracting:

These colors can be turned off, but that has to be done per editor (and are on by default).

This task: Move that option to turn off group colors to User Preferences. That way the colors can be enabled/disabled globally, and this needs to be done only once.

This is intended to be a stop-gap measure until #81744 (Improve usability of Group Colors in animation editors) provides a better solution. At that time the user preference will likely stay, but Blender working better will hopefully entice people to enable the group colours again.

Proposed approach

Add a new field short animation_flag to struct UserDef
Add a new enum eUserpref_Anim_Flags to hold animation-related flags, with one flag USER_ANIM_SHOW_CHANNEL_GROUP_COLORS.
Add versioning code (does that exist?) for the new field, to have the default value set to USER_ANIM_SHOW_CHANNEL_GROUP_COLORS. This mimicks Blender's current behaviour in tha t it shows the group colors.
Add RNA field use_anim_channel_group_colors that exposes the flag.
Remove the eGraphEdit_Flag::SIPO_NODRAWGCOLORS enum value, which is used by flags in both the dope sheet and graph editor.
Remove the show_group_colors properties from the SpaceDopeSheetEditor and SpaceGraphEditor RNA definitions, and their corresponding menu items.

The downside to this approach would be that people who have disabled group colors in their files, will now actually see group colors again, and the place where they know it can be turned off will have been removed.

The bone group colors in the animation channel list are often distracting: ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F9109700/image.png) These colors can be turned off, but that has to be done per editor (and are on by default). This task: Move that option to turn off group colors to User Preferences. That way the colors can be enabled/disabled globally, and this needs to be done only once. This is intended to be a stop-gap measure until #81744 (Improve usability of Group Colors in animation editors) provides a better solution. At that time the user preference will likely stay, but Blender working better will hopefully entice people to enable the group colours again. **Proposed approach** - Add a new field `short animation_flag` to `struct UserDef` - Add a new `enum eUserpref_Anim_Flags` to hold animation-related flags, with one flag `USER_ANIM_SHOW_CHANNEL_GROUP_COLORS`. - Add versioning code (does that exist?) for the new field, to have the default value set to `USER_ANIM_SHOW_CHANNEL_GROUP_COLORS`. This mimicks Blender's current behaviour in tha t it shows the group colors. - Add RNA field `use_anim_channel_group_colors` that exposes the flag. - Remove the `eGraphEdit_Flag::SIPO_NODRAWGCOLORS` enum value, which is used by flags in both the dope sheet and graph editor. - Remove the `show_group_colors` properties from the `SpaceDopeSheetEditor` and `SpaceGraphEditor` RNA definitions, and their corresponding menu items. The downside to this approach would be that people who have disabled group colors in their files, will now actually see group colors again, and the place where they know it can be turned off will have been removed.

Changed status from 'Needs Triage' to: 'Confirmed'

Added subscribers: @dr.sybren, @LucianoMunoz

Added subscriber: @JulianEisel

Added subscriber: @antoniov

The eGraphEdit_Flag::SIPO_NODRAWGCOLORS flag is also used by Grease Pencil mode of the dopesheet, so I wouldn't mind some feedback on this from the #grease_pencil module.

@antoniov What do you think of this proposal? Are channel group colors even a thing in the Grease Pencil world?

The `eGraphEdit_Flag::SIPO_NODRAWGCOLORS` flag is also used by Grease Pencil mode of the dopesheet, so I wouldn't mind some feedback on this from the #grease_pencil module. @antoniov What do you think of this proposal? Are channel group colors even a thing in the Grease Pencil world?

This issue was referenced by ad85256e71

This issue was referenced by ad85256e71081016fe7b4009f8a0c0cd7e18dafe

Added subscriber: @pepe-school-land

I don't see problems to disable color from Dopesheet, but I think @pepe-school-land has used more the Dopesheet and I would like to hear his opinion.

Anyway, this option can be disabled, so you can get the colors again.... an option could be add 2 Userprefs modes Dopesheet & Dopesheet Gpencil, but it could be too much ;-)

Another option could be to add a hotkey for this to allow a fast change.

I don't see problems to disable color from Dopesheet, but I think @pepe-school-land has used more the Dopesheet and I would like to hear his opinion. Anyway, this option can be disabled, so you can get the colors again.... an option could be add 2 Userprefs modes `Dopesheet` & `Dopesheet Gpencil`, but it could be too much ;-) Another option could be to add a hotkey for this to allow a fast change.

They dont exists since they're created based on the Bone Group Colors, so they live only in the armatures.

In #82134#1044873, @LucianoMunoz wrote:
They dont exists since they're created based on the Bone Group Colors, so they live only in the armatures.

You're right in the sense that this is one way that these colors can be set, and that this is likely to be the only way they're used by character animators. However, since they can be adjusted by Python code as well, they could have much wider use. Who knows what kind of add-ons out there actually use these?

> In #82134#1044873, @LucianoMunoz wrote: > They dont exists since they're created based on the Bone Group Colors, so they live only in the armatures. You're right in the sense that this is one way that these colors can be set, and that this is likely to be the only way they're used by character animators. However, since they can be adjusted by Python code as well, they could have much wider use. Who knows what kind of add-ons out there actually use these?

In #82134#1044840, @antoniov wrote:
I don't see problems to disable color from Dopesheet, but I think @pepe-school-land has used more the Dopesheet and I would like to hear his opinion.

Me too :)

Anyway, this option can be disabled, so you can get the colors again....

The old option had some negations going on, with the UI showing it as "Show Group Colors", but it was stored as a "Hide Group Colors" flag, and then in the code inverted again to see if these colors had to be drawn. The new user preference is actually implemented in a positive way, so when enabled you see colors.

an option could be add 2 Userprefs modes Dopesheet & Dopesheet Gpencil, but it could be too much ;-)

We could do that when we actually have proof this would be in high demand ;-)

Another option could be to add a hotkey for this to allow a fast change.

Is there any precedent for this? As in, is there any other user preference that's bound to a hotkey?

> In #82134#1044840, @antoniov wrote: > I don't see problems to disable color from Dopesheet, but I think @pepe-school-land has used more the Dopesheet and I would like to hear his opinion. Me too :) > Anyway, this option can be disabled, so you can get the colors again.... The old option had some negations going on, with the UI showing it as "Show Group Colors", but it was stored as a "Hide Group Colors" flag, and then in the code inverted again to see if these colors had to be drawn. The new user preference is actually implemented in a positive way, so when enabled you see colors. > an option could be add 2 Userprefs modes `Dopesheet` & `Dopesheet Gpencil`, but it could be too much ;-) We could do that when we actually have proof this would be in high demand ;-) > Another option could be to add a hotkey for this to allow a fast change. Is there any precedent for this? As in, is there any other user preference that's bound to a hotkey?

@dr.sybren I have a doubt... if you disable the channel color in Userprefs, I guess we must disable also the color option in the side panel. If we don't, the user can see this as bug if he changes the color and nothing changes,

@dr.sybren I have a doubt... if you disable the channel color in `Userprefs`, I guess we must disable also the color option in the side panel. If we don't, the user can see this as bug if he changes the color and nothing changes, ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F9133850/image.png)

It would make sense I guess.

@antoniov Good point. How does this look? I've updated D9391 for this.

@antoniov Good point. How does this look? I've updated [D9391](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D9391) for this. ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F9169588/image.png)

@dr.sybren For me it's perfect. Really good idea add the warning in the panel.

@antoniov if it's perfect, could you accept D9391 for me?

@antoniov if it's perfect, could you accept [D9391](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D9391) for me?

Changed status from 'Confirmed' to: 'Resolved'

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Allow disabling Group Colors in animation editors via preference #82134