Bug 182269

Summary:	Usability issue in setting themes: between "Desktop Theme Details" and "Appearance Settings"
Product:	[Applications] systemsettings	Reporter:	Sandeep <sandys>
Component:	general	Assignee:	Andrew Lake <jamboarder>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED
Severity:	normal	CC:	kdedevel, scott
Priority:	NOR
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Ubuntu
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Sandeep 2009-01-29 10:19:19 UTC

Version: (using KDE 4.2.0)
OS: Linux
Installed from: Ubuntu Packages

I have had to face this problem and I have had the chance to help out many people on IRC and otherwise on this issue.

There are two problems:
1. System Settings -> Advanced -> Desktop Theme details
This gives you the option to install themes, but the "Apply" button is always grayed out.
Under certain conditions, the "Apply" button becomes active, but on clicking it, gives the message

"To change your desktop theme to "(Customized)", open
Desktop Settings and select "(Customized)" from the droplist."

At this point people start getting confused. I have had to point out to a lot of people to right click on desktop, choose "Appearance Settings" (note, not "Desktop Settings") and then select the theme.
Incidentally, you can choose to install a new theme via this method.
This is highly confusing - both the places should point to the same configuration program running. Both places should not have different ways of going about things as well as having useless button which dont do anything

2. Cant install an on-disk theme package
How do I do that? On Gnome, I can fire up Appearance setting, choose a tar.gz (downloaded from, say, gnome-look.org) my theme is installed and shows up in the list.
Click apply and we are done.

3. The "Desktop Theme Details" window is not very usable.
Deleting a theme is hidden under "More", the list of themes is a drop down list rather than a plain visible list.
I understand that you needed to have a way to show the "Theme Item" and "Source" for every theme that you selected, but it is better that you make it like a wizard than this.

regards
Sandeep

Comment 1 Sandeep 2009-01-29 10:20:36 UTC

umm.. i dont know how it got included in Digikam. I am pretty sure I selected systemsettings.

Very sorry about this

-Sandeep

Comment 2 Scott Martin 2009-01-30 20:00:03 UTC

I just encountered this. My basic suggestions would be:

1) Change "Appearance Settings" to "Desktop Settings" in the context menu for the desktop.
2) Provide a button or hyperlink in the Desktop Theme Details area that directly opens the Desktop Settings dialog.

I'd actually go further than this - IMO:

3) Desktop Settings should be one of the panels in the Desktop section of System Settings, maybe titled "General". Selecting Desktop Settings from the desktop context menu should open System Settings with this panel visible. 
4) Desktop Theme Details should be moved out of the "Advanced" area to become another panel in the Desktop section, as above.

As it stands, the current layout of various desktop options being scattered so far apart is very confusing, even to a long-term KDE user like me, and I imagine it would be extremely difficult for a new user.

Comment 3 Simon St James 2009-01-30 20:01:24 UTC

Re-assigning to Andrew :)

Comment 4 Andrew Lake 2009-01-30 20:30:29 UTC

The string used in the desktop right-click menu originally said "Desktop Settings" but we were already in string freeze before the Desktop Theme Details module could be updated.  There's already a FIXME identified in the code to fix this as well as a couple other UI issues.

The Get New Themes button will be removed.

Perhaps if/when a general plasma settings module gets created we can revisit and find a better place to put this.  

Now that trunk is unfrozen some UI improvements that have been on hold (e.g. Apply actually changing the theme instead of telling the user to change it)will start to get addressed for the 4.3 release.

Comment 5 Andrew Lake 2009-02-14 07:51:54 UTC

The actual bugs associated with this report have been commited to trunk and the 4.2 branch. Any necessary UI improvements will be addressed seperately for 4.3