Library Override - Outliner UI/UX #95802

WIP

This task gathers the planned changes to the Outliner UI/UX regarding library overrides.

It is partially related to #95707 (Library Override - System override IDs).

There are three main identified tasks:

NOTE: A third Favorite view mode is also planed for the Outliner, see #95816 (Library Override - 'Cherry-Picked' Properties) for details.

Overrides Properties View Mode

The current Outliner's 'flat' view of overrides should be moved into its own 'mode', and extended to show UI widgets for each overridden RNA properties.

The focus of this view mode is the access to the actual (user-defined) overridden data of each ID.

In that mode, new SystemOverrides data-block would not be visible by default (filter option), just like existing 'system override' properties (for ID pointers) are already hidden by default. Using the same option for both should make sense.

Some common operations over overrides will be added in a contextual menu.

Mockup:

Tasks

Move current code/view into this new view mode.
Add the RNA widgets.
Context menu
List collection items and modification indicator (e.g. list modifiers and modified properties, and indicate which modifiers were added/removed). - d2a30abff0

Further tweaks:

Show UI name of properties (with full RNA path in tooltip?) - d2a30abff0
Group individual path segments? (E.g. instead of {nav Objects > Beam2 > animation_visualization.motion_path.show_frame_numbers} show {nav Objects > Beam2 > Animation Visualization > Motion Paths > Show Frame Numbers}) - d2a30abff0
Disable blue highlight property buttons (redundant since it just indicates overriden properties, which they all are) - D14416
Remove redundant override icons for individual properties.
Remove Overrides listing from ViewLayer view - D14411
Remove Current File base element and external libraries from the Properties view mode - D14410
Display icons for Objects, Materials, Images etc. base elements?
Handle RNA widgets for array properties with length > 3 better (matrices, quaternions, etc.)
Don't display empty base elements (e.g. "Collections" element if there are only system override collections) - a6214ce7ac
Don't stretch icon toggle-buttons over the entire column: Use the standard icon button size.
Make button column resizable, with minimum width for first column

Overrides Hierarchies View Mode

That new view mode will focus on showing and helping manage the override hierarchies, i.e. the relationships between IDs.

As such, only 'root overrides' (and those who are not part of any hierarchy) will be shown at the first level (typically, collections).

System Overrides will be shown in that mode. An button icon on the right will allow to toggle them to actual 'user' overrides.

Some advanced management/fixing operations could also be added in a contextual menu, such as removing and override from a hierarchy, or moving it to another hierarchy. Those could be useful to fix broken cases.

Mockup:

Tasks

Add the new basic tree view. - D14440
Add the right column of system vs user overrides. - 994da7077d
Add/hook-up various hierarchy-related operations (set/change/clear root ID, set/clear system overrides, etc.).
Also add the hierarchies for indirect library overrides (library overrides within linked libraries/IDs). - D14440
Make warning display work for Hierarchies mode (in fact, generalize it to be supported anywhere). - f1df685f57, 6feca52349

Refine Allowed Operations, Integrate System Override IDs and Root IDs

This is mostly a lot of smaller tasks (new operators, refinement of poll/execution checks of existing ones, etc.). It should also include/take advantage of the new hierarchy root ID pointer, and system overrides concepts.

Tasks

Rename 'Override' to 'Override Single', ~~and move it after the 'Override Hierarchy' option (make this one the most visible/obvious option).~~ Better not break muscle memory, at least for now.
Revise existing ID operations (e.g. override collections should not be allowed to be single-deleted; Only root override collections should be allowed to be moved around; etc.).
Add operators to control root IDs and SystemOverrides (advanced, useful to debug and fix broken cases).
Revise how warnings (the triangle with ! to the left of the items) are handled, make it more generic. - f1df685f57

Outdated Mockups

WIP -------------------- This task gathers the planned changes to the Outliner UI/UX regarding library overrides. It is partially related to #95707 (Library Override - System override IDs). There are three main identified tasks: NOTE: A third *Favorite* view mode is also planed for the Outliner, see #95816 (Library Override - 'Cherry-Picked' Properties) for details. Overrides *Properties* View Mode **** The current Outliner's 'flat' view of overrides should be moved into its own 'mode', and extended to show UI widgets for each overridden RNA properties. The focus of this view mode is the access to the actual (user-defined) overridden data of each ID. In that mode, new SystemOverrides data-block would not be visible by default (filter option), just like existing 'system override' properties (for ID pointers) are already hidden by default. Using the same option for both should make sense. Some common operations over overrides will be added in a contextual menu. [Mockup](https://design.penpot.app/#/workspace/a7414a30-82b8-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f/e4f33230-82a9-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f?page-id=e4f33231-82a9-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f): ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12952526/image.png) Tasks ------ - [x] Move current code/view into this new view mode. - [x] Add the RNA widgets. - [ ] Context menu - [x] List collection items and modification indicator (e.g. list modifiers and modified properties, and indicate which modifiers were added/removed). - d2a30abff09b Further tweaks: - [x] Show UI name of properties (with full RNA path in tooltip?) - d2a30abff09b - [x] Group individual path segments? (E.g. instead of {nav Objects > Beam2 > animation_visualization.motion_path.show_frame_numbers} show {nav Objects > Beam2 > Animation Visualization > Motion Paths > Show Frame Numbers}) - d2a30abff09b - [x] Disable blue highlight property buttons (redundant since it just indicates overriden properties, which they all are) - [D14416](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D14416) - [ ] Remove redundant override icons for individual properties. - [x] Remove Overrides listing from ViewLayer view - [D14411](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D14411) - [x] Remove *Current File* base element and external libraries from the Properties view mode - [D14410](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D14410) - [x] Display icons for *Objects*, *Materials*, *Images* etc. base elements? - [ ] Handle RNA widgets for array properties with length > 3 better (matrices, quaternions, etc.) - [x] Don't display empty base elements (e.g. "Collections" element if there are only system override collections) - a6214ce7ac - [ ] Don't stretch icon toggle-buttons over the entire column: ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12942527/image.png) Use the standard icon button size. - [ ] Make button column resizable, with minimum width for first column Overrides *Hierarchies View* Mode **** That new view mode will focus on showing and helping manage the override hierarchies, i.e. the relationships between IDs. As such, only 'root overrides' (and those who are not part of any hierarchy) will be shown at the first level (typically, collections). System Overrides will be shown in that mode. An button icon on the right will allow to toggle them to actual 'user' overrides. Some advanced management/fixing operations could also be added in a contextual menu, such as removing and override from a hierarchy, or moving it to another hierarchy. Those could be useful to fix broken cases. [Mockup](https://design.penpot.app/#/workspace/a7414a30-82b8-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f/e4f33230-82a9-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f?page-id=e4f33231-82a9-11ec-9027-96385a0e391f): ![image.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12952524/image.png) Tasks ------ - [x] Add the new basic tree view. - [D14440](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D14440) - [x] Add the right column of system vs user overrides. - 994da7077d4a - [ ] Add/hook-up various hierarchy-related operations (set/change/clear root ID, set/clear system overrides, etc.). - [x] Also add the hierarchies for indirect library overrides (library overrides within linked libraries/IDs). - [D14440](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D14440) - [ ] Make warning display work for *Hierarchies* mode (in fact, generalize it to be supported anywhere). - f1df685f570b, 6feca523496b Refine Allowed Operations, Integrate System Override IDs and Root IDs **** This is mostly a lot of smaller tasks (new operators, refinement of poll/execution checks of existing ones, etc.). It should also include/take advantage of the new hierarchy root ID pointer, and system overrides concepts. Tasks ------ - [x] Rename 'Override' to 'Override Single', ~~and move it after the 'Override Hierarchy' option (make this one the most visible/obvious option).~~ *Better not break muscle memory, at least for now.* - [ ] Revise existing ID operations (e.g. override collections should not be allowed to be single-deleted; Only root override collections should be allowed to be moved around; etc.). - [ ] Add operators to control root IDs and SystemOverrides (advanced, useful to debug and fix broken cases). - [x] Revise how warnings (the triangle with `!` to the left of the items) are handled, make it more generic. - f1df685f570b ----- ## Outdated Mockups ![liboverrides_datablock_view_mode.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12868413/liboverrides_datablock_view_mode.png) ![liboverrides_dependency_view_mode.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12868416/liboverrides_dependency_view_mode.png)

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

Added subscriber: @mont29

Added subscriber: @RedMser

Added subscriber: @JulianEisel

Pushed some first changes to a branch temp-library-overrides-outliner. It does most work needed for displaying the buttons to edit the overridden properties in the Outliner. Looks like this: Main TODO I see is handling longer arrays and matrices better. You can't really squeeze more than 3 items into the right column. In that case I think we should add the components as children again, like the Data API display mode does it.

Worth noting for design evaluations, I decided to add the right column so that the left column can be scrolled independently, like we do it for the restriction toggles in other display modes.

This differs from the Data API mode, which just adds the column behind the width of the visible items, so you may have to scroll right to see the entire column: Plus, it attaches the column weirdly to the left in wider layouts: So I prefer the other solution.

Added subscriber: @Gabi_love

Pushed some first changes to a branch temp-library-overrides-outliner. It does most work needed for displaying the buttons to edit the overridden properties in the Outliner. Looks like this: Main TODO I see is handling longer arrays and matrices better. You can't really squeeze more than 3 items into the right column. In that case I think we should add the components as children again, like the Data API display mode does it.

I don't think that you should have multiple of the same icons in the bottom of the hierarchy (if all of them are overriden). Sorry for the jankey way it looks I did it in paint just for demonstration. You don't have to pick this icon just something with less visual clutter

@Gabi_love agreed, this is something I wanted to address anyway. There's no need for icons at all there, it's just redundant and adds visual noise. But that would be a separate change, I'd like to do such polishing in master once the main usability features are there.

Added subscriber: @satishgoda1

One thing to check:

Agreement was to remove the Current File base element and external libraries from the Properties view mode. But should it be added for the Hierarchy mode? It seems like this is useful info that should at least be somewhere.

In #95802#1327238, @JulianEisel wrote:
One thing to check:

Agreement was to remove the Current File base element and external libraries from the Properties view mode. But should it be added for the Hierarchy mode? It seems like this is useful info that should at least be somewhere.

Yes I think it should definitely be in the hierarchy view, there you want to know whether your overrides are linked from a library (and which one), or if they are actually local. And whether you need to resync those linked files or not.

In the 'properties' view we don't need it because linked overrides should not be listed there (since they are not editable in any ways).

Removed subscriber: @Gabi_love

This issue was referenced by 1ff853a3f0

This issue was referenced by dcb520a7af

This issue was referenced by 0c6dc7c59e

Added subscriber: @GeorgiaPacific

Added subscriber: @AlexeyAdamitsky

Added subscriber: @Emi_Martinez

Changed status from 'Confirmed' to: 'Resolved'

Think we can consider this task as done, at least in the liboverride project context. Further improvements obviously remain possible in the future..

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Library Override - Outliner UI/UX #95802

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Outdated Mockups