Bug 413499

Summary:	Make it impossible to manually re-order icons when not in manual positioning mode
Product:	[Plasma] plasmashell	Reporter:	Ivaylo Atanasov <givbra>
Component:	Desktop icons & Folder View widget	Assignee:	Eike Hein <hein>
Status:	CONFIRMED ---
Severity:	wishlist	CC:	ftefrjbhfvasf32, nate, openmail+kde, parth.27, plasma-bugs-null
Priority:	NOR	Keywords:	usability
Version First Reported In:	master
Target Milestone:	1.0
Platform:	unspecified
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Ivaylo Atanasov 2019-10-27 05:36:17 UTC

SUMMARY:
Desktop (Folder View) -> Icons -> Sort By -> Name/Size/Type/Date mode gets modified (turns into Unsorted) every time some icon is moved in some other place on the desktop whether by accident (drag and drop by mistake) or be it intentionally ...

It would be better when selecting some form of sorting to be always that (constant and automatic, not allowing manual interactions; if manual is wanted, Unsorted should be selected to allowed to make custom reordering).

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:
1. Desktop in Foldew View
2. Right click on the desktop, choose Sorting By Name/Size/Type/Date
3. Move an icon in some other place on the Desktop
4. Check again what is the sorting mode right now -> changed into Unsorted. 

OBSERVED RESULT:
Desktop (Folder View) -> Icons -> Sort By -> Name/Size/Type/Date mode gets modified (turns into Unsorted) every time some icon is moved in some other place on the desktop whether by accident (drag and drop by mistake) or be it intentionally.

EXPECTED RESULT:
It would be better when selecting some form of sorting to be always that (constant and automatic, not allowing manual interactions, if manual is wanted, Unsorted must be selected to be granted to do custom reordering).

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS:
Linux/KDE Plasma: Kubuntu 19.10
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 5.17.1
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.62.0
Qt Version: 5.12.4

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Plus Kubuntu backports PPA.

Comment 1 Nate Graham 2019-10-27 21:49:52 UTC

I agree.

The problem here is that sort order is presented as a mode, and modes are immutable. If we're in "sort by name" mode, then we always sort by name. Allowing you to break out of the mode by dragging icon is a violation of your expectations and the way the option is presented.

macOS handles this in a more elegant way IMO:
- There are immutable sort modes where items cannot be manually ore-ordered
- In the "manual" sort mode, there is a command to "Arrange icons by name/date/size/etc." which will re-arrange the icons to be sorted by the chosen order, but without entering a specific sort mode.

Comment 2 Ivaylo Atanasov 2019-10-29 05:01:33 UTC

The MacOS's way you suggest would be an excellent resolution.

Comment 3 Eike Hein 2019-10-29 20:22:38 UTC

All the necessary tools for the above are in the toolbox; this would be a quite minor change to the UI and minimal supporting application logic (basically flipping back to manual after applying a sort once, and changing the implementation of the model behavior). I'm not opposed to such a patch.

Comment 4 Nate Graham 2019-10-29 20:43:52 UTC

Yeah I can give it a try, as soon as I get some time...

Comment 5 Ivaylo Atanasov 2020-02-06 05:25:19 UTC

Please, try your best, I need it ...

Comment 6 Nate Graham 2021-05-26 19:34:13 UTC

*** Bug 437678 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 7 Nate Graham 2021-10-26 20:21:59 UTC

*** Bug 444345 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 8 Łukasz Konieczny 2022-05-04 20:40:11 UTC

Unfortunately, the bug still exists in Plasma 5.24.5. Icons are moved from their positions when bottom panel appears after login.

Comment 9 Nate Graham 2023-04-09 22:00:21 UTC

Łukasz, that's a different issue: Bug 458007.