UI: Change menu icons of single-choice enums to radio buttons #111796

Thomas Barlow · 2023-09-01T17:31:17+02:00

Thomas Barlow commented

2023-09-01 17:31:17 +02:00

Checkboxes are usually used when multiple choices can be made from
multiple options.

Radio buttons are usually used when only a single choice can be made
from multiple options.

Enum properties that do not have PROP_ENUM_FLAG can only have a single
chosen value, so this patch changes their menu icons from checkboxes to
radio buttons.

Affected UI primarily includes use of UILayout.prop_menu_enum in Python-
defined UI, such as View>Display Size in the Asset Browser and File
Browser, and the menu for changing a Brush's tool in the Brush Specials
menu.

It was questionable whether single-choice enums being displayed as checkboxes was considered a bug (#111768), but it turned out to be a single-line change, so I thought I may as well submit the change myself.

I don't know if there are any places other than UILayout.prop_menu_enum that this is used. The code mentions pie menus too, but I don't know of any enum properties displayed through pie menus that were displaying with checkboxes.

Before

After

Panel script

import bpy


class HelloWorldPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
    """Creates a Panel in the Object properties window"""
    bl_label = "Hello World Panel"
    bl_idname = "OBJECT_PT_hello"
    bl_space_type = 'PROPERTIES'
    bl_region_type = 'WINDOW'
    bl_context = "object"

    def draw(self, context):
        row = self.layout.row()
        ts = context.scene.tool_settings
        # Multiple-choice enum
        row.prop_menu_enum(ts, "snap_elements")
        # Single-choice enum
        row.prop_menu_enum(ts, "proportional_edit_falloff")

def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(HelloWorldPanel)


def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(HelloWorldPanel)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

Checkboxes are usually used when multiple choices can be made from multiple options. Radio buttons are usually used when only a single choice can be made from multiple options. Enum properties that do not have PROP_ENUM_FLAG can only have a single chosen value, so this patch changes their menu icons from checkboxes to radio buttons. Affected UI primarily includes use of UILayout.prop_menu_enum in Python- defined UI, such as View>Display Size in the Asset Browser and File Browser, and the menu for changing a Brush's tool in the Brush Specials menu. --- It was questionable whether single-choice enums being displayed as checkboxes was considered a bug (#111768), but it turned out to be a single-line change, so I thought I may as well submit the change myself. I don't know if there are any places other than UILayout.prop_menu_enum that this is used. The code mentions pie menus too, but I don't know of any enum properties displayed through pie menus that were displaying with checkboxes. ## Before ![image](/attachments/df0d05be-6722-4dce-a90b-fd20ffac9c56) ![image](/attachments/765bc8d9-3a33-4fc2-a0d7-a42e4614f60a) ![image](/attachments/7c25fef9-3975-4fdc-9bf8-1bc2faea7b62) ## After ![image](/attachments/b920a856-91ba-4f96-9b55-37f14ee221f0) ![image](/attachments/09b9f0d5-61bd-4edf-a94f-247378511497) ![image](/attachments/39e0ca97-4003-46e7-9d16-c0438cfc6508) ## Panel script ```py import bpy class HelloWorldPanel(bpy.types.Panel): """Creates a Panel in the Object properties window""" bl_label = "Hello World Panel" bl_idname = "OBJECT_PT_hello" bl_space_type = 'PROPERTIES' bl_region_type = 'WINDOW' bl_context = "object" def draw(self, context): row = self.layout.row() ts = context.scene.tool_settings # Multiple-choice enum row.prop_menu_enum(ts, "snap_elements") # Single-choice enum row.prop_menu_enum(ts, "proportional_edit_falloff") def register(): bpy.utils.register_class(HelloWorldPanel) def unregister(): bpy.utils.unregister_class(HelloWorldPanel) if __name__ == "__main__": register() ```

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👍 10 ❤️ 6

Thomas Barlow added 1 commit 2023-09-01 17:31:32 +02:00

bbc1a5393a UI: Change menu icons of single-choice enums to radio buttons

Checkboxes are usually used when multiple choices can be made from
multiple options.

Radio buttons are usually used when only a single choice can be made
from multiple options.

Enum properties that do not have PROP_ENUM_FLAG can only have a single
chosen value, so this patch changes their menu icons from checkboxes to
radio buttons.

Affected UI primarily includes use of UILayout.prop_menu_enum in Python-
defined UI, such as View>Display Size in the Asset Browser and File
Browser, and the menu for changing a Brush's tool in the Brush Specials
menu.

Pablo Vazquez added this to the User Interface project 2023-09-01 20:48:45 +02:00

Pablo Vazquez added the

Module

User Interface

label 2023-09-01 20:48:54 +02:00

Harley Acheson requested review from Pablo Vazquez 2023-09-02 18:15:35 +02:00

Pablo Vazquez approved these changes 2023-09-02 18:17:08 +02:00

Pablo Vazquez left a comment

Such a useful one liner. Thank you!

Harley Acheson commented

2023-09-02 18:19:28 +02:00

@Mysteryem

Love this!

However I can think of some ways where our current code could be incorrect regarding this flag. Can you go through each editor with this PR applied looking at each menu for anything that looks wrong? Obviously I am concerned about the possibility of showing a single item alone as a radio button because the ON state just looks like a filled ball.

If you find any errors they would just need to have some RNA_def_property_flag(prop, PROP_ENUM_FLAG); sprinkled here and there. I can certainly help if you need it.

@Mysteryem Love this! However I can think of some ways where our current code could be incorrect regarding this flag. Can you go through each editor with this PR applied looking at each menu for anything that looks wrong? Obviously I am concerned about the possibility of showing a single item alone as a radio button because the ON state just looks like a filled ball. If you find any errors they would just need to have some `RNA_def_property_flag(prop, PROP_ENUM_FLAG);` sprinkled here and there. I can certainly help if you need it.

Harley Acheson requested review from Harley Acheson 2023-09-02 18:33:28 +02:00

Thomas Barlow commented

2023-09-03 02:26:45 +02:00

I think an enum property that only has a single option and only allows a single choice would be a little odd with either checkboxes or radio buttons, mainly because that single option should always be selected and selecting it again will do nothing (technically for custom properties defined by addons, the current index can be set out-of-bounds which deselects that single option, but I'm not sure if that also applies for RNA enum properties).

Though, enabling PROP_ENUM_FLAG for enum properties that do not have the flag already would need some care because it would be a breaking Python API change. An enum property with PROP_ENUM_FLAG being exposed through the Python API as a set of str strings, and enum property without PROP_ENUM_FLAG being exposed through the Python API as a single str string.

I would anticipate that the only RNA enum properties that allow only a single choice and might have only a single option would be dynamic enums. A static enum with only a single choice and a single option would make more sense to be a read-only string property instead.

I've checked every use of prop_menu_enum that I could find in Blender's python-defined UI, and those enums all have more than one option.

I had a look at the C functions called by UILayout.prop_menu_enum too, but I couldn't find any other uses until the UI functions got generic, supporting any kind of property rather than only enums.

I think an enum property that only has a single option and only allows a single choice would be a little odd with either checkboxes or radio buttons, mainly because that single option should always be selected and selecting it again will do nothing (technically for custom properties defined by addons, the current index can be set out-of-bounds which deselects that single option, but I'm not sure if that also applies for RNA enum properties). Though, enabling `PROP_ENUM_FLAG` for enum properties that do not have the flag already would need some care because it would be a breaking Python API change. An enum property with `PROP_ENUM_FLAG` being exposed through the Python API as a `set` of `str` strings, and enum property without `PROP_ENUM_FLAG` being exposed through the Python API as a single `str` string. I would anticipate that the only RNA enum properties that allow only a single choice and might have only a single option would be dynamic enums. A static enum with only a single choice and a single option would make more sense to be a read-only string property instead. I've checked every use of `prop_menu_enum` that I could find in Blender's python-defined UI, and those enums all have more than one option. I had a look at the C functions called by `UILayout.prop_menu_enum` too, but I couldn't find any other uses until the UI functions got generic, supporting any kind of property rather than only enums.

Harley Acheson commented

2023-09-03 04:51:17 +02:00

@Mysteryem - I think an enum property that only has a single option and only allows a single choice would be a little odd...

Oh, sorry that I was not clear. I have no problems with your PR itself. My only concern is that our codebase might contain some errors that could be exposed by this. I'll do a quick check around to make sure.

Thanks for posting this PR. We should be able to discuss it very soon.

> @Mysteryem - I think an enum property that only has a single option and only allows a single choice would be a little odd... Oh, sorry that I was not clear. I have no problems with your PR itself. My only concern is that our codebase might contain some errors that could be exposed by this. I'll do a quick check around to make sure. Thanks for posting this PR. We should be able to discuss it very soon.

Harley Acheson approved these changes 2023-09-13 19:19:46 +02:00

Harley Acheson commented

2023-09-13 19:20:22 +02:00

Thanks for this!

Harley Acheson referenced this issue from a commit

2023-09-13 19:24:25 +02:00

UI: Change menu icons of single-choice enums to radio buttons

Harley Acheson merged commit 6dd3c90185 into main

2023-09-13 19:24:25 +02:00

Thomas Barlow deleted branch ui_enum_menu_item_radio_icons

2024-01-09 23:07:56 +01:00

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UI: Change menu icons of single-choice enums to radio buttons #111796

Before

After

Panel script