UI: Consistent Use of Chevron Disclosure Icons #116240

Harley Acheson · 2023-12-15T23:51:44+01:00

Harley Acheson commented

2023-12-15 23:51:44 +01:00

For icons that represent collapsible and collapsed content we use a
variety of icons: chevrons and closed triangles of varying
proportions. This PR makes everything use a chevron for consistency.

A nice way to compare is by looking at this 2-frame animated GIF full screen:

For icons that represent collapsible and collapsed content we use a variety of icons: chevrons and closed triangles of varying proportions. This PR makes everything use a chevron for consistency. --- A nice way to compare is by looking at this 2-frame animated GIF full screen: ![Disclosure.gif](/attachments/ae4fac22-3623-436c-b55f-1d92724566fb)

Disclosure.gif

173 KiB

👍 14 😕 1

Harley Acheson added 1 commit 2023-12-15 23:51:53 +01:00

3d80ee9d87 UI: Consistent Use of Chevron Disclosure Icons

For icons that represent collapsible and collapsed content we use a
variety of icons: chevrons and closed triangles of varying
proportions. This PR makes everything use a chevron for consistency.

Harley Acheson added this to the User Interface project 2023-12-15 23:52:05 +01:00

Harley Acheson requested review from Pablo Vazquez 2023-12-15 23:52:12 +01:00

Hadrien commented

2023-12-17 23:51:37 +01:00

First-time contributor

I like the consistency, but as someone who works with hierarchies a lot, I find the arrow to be a nice, bold, very visible indent indicator. If this chevron is a text character, can we please try turning it bold ? It doesn't affect the spreadsheet so much imo because there's never more than one hierarchy level.

❤️ 1

Harley Acheson commented

2023-12-18 02:46:13 +01:00

I like the consistency, but as someone who works with hierarchies a lot, I find the arrow to be a nice, bold, very visible indent indicator. If this chevron is a text character, can we please try turning it bold ? It doesn't affect the spreadsheet so much imo because there's never more than one hierarchy level.

It isn't a text character, but is an icon.

But it would helpful to take the image linked above (just the layer with the chevrons) into an image editor and play around with it until you have a size and width and boldness you like. You might be happy with something slightly smaller but with slightly thicker features, so some other combination. And then we could consider changing the icons.

> I like the consistency, but as someone who works with hierarchies a lot, I find the arrow to be a nice, bold, very visible indent indicator. If this chevron is a text character, can we please try turning it bold ? It doesn't affect the spreadsheet so much imo because there's never more than one hierarchy level. It isn't a text character, but is an icon. But it would helpful to take the image linked above (just the layer with the chevrons) into an image editor and play around with it until you have a size and width and boldness you like. You might be happy with something slightly smaller but with slightly thicker features, so some other combination. And then we could consider changing the icons.

thorn-neverwake commented

2023-12-18 17:31:44 +01:00

First-time contributor

I prefer the filled triangle to the chevron in places such as the outliner and the timeline, as it is graphically more dominate in a place where many characters of text and other various grid lines are also present.

Harley Acheson commented

2023-12-18 18:13:05 +01:00

I prefer the filled triangle to the chevron in places such as the outliner and the timeline, as it is graphically more dominate in a place where many characters of text and other various grid lines are also present.

You prefer if we used the filled triangle for all show/hide uses, or prefer a mix?

> I prefer the filled triangle to the chevron in places such as the outliner and the timeline, as it is graphically more dominate in a place where many characters of text and other various grid lines are also present. You prefer if we used the filled triangle for all show/hide uses, or prefer a mix?

thorn-neverwake commented

2023-12-18 18:39:20 +01:00

First-time contributor

The mix doesn't bother me too much, honestly - but, I can see why it would catch your attention. I think I've just gotten used to UI inconsistency in Blender (for better or worse.)

But of a goal with "ok, let's try and be consistent" - if I were to pick a single one, I would prefer the filled triangle. Blender is quite text-heavy with rows of text labels in a lot of ways, and the Chevron is... well, just more text. I think Filled breaks it up a bit, and visually presents as "UI element" vs "text label'.

The mix doesn't bother me too much, honestly - but, I can see why it would catch your attention. I think I've just gotten used to UI inconsistency in Blender (for better or worse.) But of a goal with "ok, let's try and be consistent" - if I were to pick a single one, I would prefer the filled triangle. Blender is quite text-heavy with rows of text labels in a lot of ways, and the Chevron is... well, just more text. I think Filled breaks it up a bit, and visually presents as "UI element" vs "text label'.

❤️ 4

Harley Acheson commented

2023-12-18 20:51:26 +01:00

It is always an option to use a filled triangle for all these show/hide uses, as long as we pick one. And then use the chevron for the other uses. Or use one for everything. I just hate having three types that we use in such an inconsistent manner.

Nika Kutsniashvili commented

2023-12-18 21:09:00 +01:00

I think filled triangles look better for almost everything, as it was pointed out it catches eye more and distinguishes from text. But chevrons look much better for panels, it would be shame to lose one.

So I propose this logic:

Use chevron when expanding panels. Chevron becomes a symbol of "properties under here", it indicates to user that something, panel, box, or whatever has more properties
Use filled triangle when expanding children/hierarchy. That becomes symbol of "children under here". So in dope sheet channels, tree view, outliner, where text is dominant we dont lose that symbol.

I think this makes sense and communicates icons well enough.

I think filled triangles look better for almost everything, as it was pointed out it catches eye more and distinguishes from text. But chevrons look much better for panels, it would be shame to lose one. So I propose this logic: - Use chevron when expanding panels. Chevron becomes a symbol of "properties under here", it indicates to user that something, panel, box, or whatever has more properties - Use filled triangle when expanding children/hierarchy. That becomes symbol of "children under here". So in dope sheet channels, tree view, outliner, where text is dominant we dont lose that symbol. I think this makes sense and communicates icons well enough.

👍 3

emkkla commented

2024-01-05 08:30:02 +01:00

First-time contributor

I would choose consistent filled triangles everywhere, rather than consistent chevrons.
Triangles are easy to spot, not looking like a font element, more self explanatory, standard in many other softwares.

I would choose consistent filled triangles everywhere, rather than consistent chevrons. Triangles are easy to spot, not looking like a font element, more self explanatory, standard in many other softwares.

Harley Acheson commented

2024-01-05 17:36:07 +01:00

I would choose consistent filled triangles everywhere, rather than consistent chevrons.
Triangles are easy to spot, not looking like a font element, more self explanatory, standard in many other softwares.

Yes, that is certainly a possibility too.

> I would choose consistent filled triangles everywhere, rather than consistent chevrons. > Triangles are easy to spot, not looking like a font element, more self explanatory, standard in many other softwares. Yes, that is certainly a possibility too.

slwk1d commented

2024-01-10 16:09:51 +01:00

First-time contributor

I also lean towards the filled in triangle and, if we want to keep both, also would use chevrons only for panels. To me, rather than the mix of chevron and triangle, is much more irritating the slight difference between the triangle in the outliner and the "fatter" one in the Spreadsheet/asset browser/animation editors.

Alexey Adamitsky commented

2024-01-16 21:40:01 +01:00

First-time contributor

Chevron for panels and menus is ok. Everywhere else where you can see direct parent child relationship, I would prefer triangles.

Of if we can choose only one, I would lean towards triangle everywhere.

Chevron for panels and menus is ok. Everywhere else where you can see direct parent child relationship, I would prefer triangles. Of if we can choose only one, I would lean towards triangle everywhere.

Harley Acheson added 1 commit 2024-01-28 23:32:12 +01:00

db970ff687 Merge branch 'main' of projects.blender.org:blender/blender into Disclosures

Pablo Vazquez commented

2024-01-30 19:43:24 +01:00

Approving this as agreed during the latest module meeting.

As it improves consistency and readability. To be combined with #117654

Approving this as agreed during the latest module meeting. As it improves consistency and readability. To be combined with https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/pulls/117654

Pablo Vazquez referenced this pull request

2024-01-30 19:46:39 +01:00

UI: TreeView Changes #117654

Brecht Van Lommel requested changes 2024-01-30 21:28:48 +01:00

Brecht Van Lommel left a comment

It looks like something went wrong merging main into node_templates.cc.

It looks like something went wrong merging main into `node_templates.cc`.

source/blender/editors/space_node/node_templates.cc Outdated

						
				@ -997,9 +991,6 @@ static void ui_node_draw_input(uiLayout &layout,

				              split_wrapper.decorate_column, &inputptr, "default_value", RNA_NO_INDEX);

				          break;

				        }

				        case SOCK_MENU:

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2024-01-30 21:28:01 +01:00

Merge error.

Harley marked this conversation as resolved

source/blender/editors/space_node/node_templates.cc Outdated

						
				@ -396,4 +395,1 @@

				      }

				      else if (dynamic_cast<const decl::Menu *>(&socket_decl)) {

				        item.socket_type = SOCK_MENU;

				      }

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2024-01-30 21:27:50 +01:00

Merge error.

Harley marked this conversation as resolved

source/blender/editors/space_node/node_templates.cc Outdated

						
				@ -24,3 +24,3 @@

				#include "BKE_context.hh"

				#include "BKE_lib_id.hh"

				#include "BKE_lib_id.h"

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2024-01-30 21:26:48 +01:00

Merge error.

Harley marked this conversation as resolved

source/blender/editors/space_node/node_templates.cc Outdated

						
				@ -943,3 +937,3 @@

				  if (dependency_loop) {

				    uiItemL(row, RPT_("Dependency Loop"), ICON_ERROR);

				    uiItemL(row, IFACE_("Dependency Loop"), ICON_ERROR);

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2024-01-30 21:26:28 +01:00

Merge error.

Harley marked this conversation as resolved

Harley Acheson added 2 commits 2024-01-30 21:35:06 +01:00

d754f364c8 Merge branch 'main' of projects.blender.org:blender/blender into Disclosures

473123a273 Updating to the current state of main.

Harley Acheson commented

2024-01-30 21:36:17 +01:00

@brecht - It should work now

Brecht Van Lommel commented

2024-01-30 21:42:05 +01:00

The diff still shows unrelated changes.

Harley Acheson added 1 commit 2024-01-30 21:57:10 +01:00

1764087379 Not sure where these unintentional changes came from...

Harley Acheson commented

2024-01-30 21:59:15 +01:00

@brecht - The diff still shows unrelated changes.

Yeah, that was weird. Not sure how those changes were hallucinated.

> @brecht - The diff still shows unrelated changes. Yeah, that was weird. Not sure how those changes were hallucinated.

Brecht Van Lommel approved these changes 2024-01-30 22:21:09 +01:00

Harley Acheson merged commit 8d48770418 into main

2024-01-30 22:35:25 +01:00

Harley Acheson referenced this issue from a commit

2024-01-30 22:35:26 +01:00

UI: Consistent Use of Chevron Disclosure Icons

Harley Acheson deleted branch Disclosures

2024-01-30 22:35:27 +01:00

emkkla commented

2024-02-01 23:47:38 +01:00

First-time contributor

I think that is quite strange that the chevrons were approved and merged when almost all the comments in this pull request stated they preferred filled triangles ?

👍 1

Jonas Dichelle referenced this issue from a commit

2024-02-08 17:29:06 +01:00

UI: Consistent Use of Chevron Disclosure Icons

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UI: Consistent Use of Chevron Disclosure Icons #116240