Bug 442850

Summary: Option for Information Panel to always show "real" date for recent file timestamps, not "Just Now", "Today", etc.
Product: [Applications] dolphin Reporter: Paul <pip.kde>
Component: panels: informationAssignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee <dolphin-bugs-null>
Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME    
Severity: wishlist CC: kfm-devel, meven29, nate
Priority: NOR    
Version: 21.08.1   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: openSUSE   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:

Description Paul 2021-09-23 16:40:40 UTC 
SUMMARY

Currently the Information Panel shows the date (of the timestamp) for recent files in the form of: "Just now", "Today", "Yesterday", or "n Days Ago".

Whilst it might look pretty, IMHO, and certainly for my own use, it would be far more useful if the actual Date was displayed.

Perhaps an option to choose the display method would be a solution if it is felt that the current method of display is "best".


STEPS TO REPRODUCE
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OBSERVED RESULT


EXPECTED RESULT


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: 
macOS: 
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 
KDE Frameworks Version: 
Qt Version: 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 Méven Car 2021-10-28 09:25:47 UTC 
Best UI for information display criterias are IMHO Readability (fast to read), density (clear, easy to the eye), informativeness (keeps important data visible, while hiding superfluous ones).
This date short format is easier to read than numbers, it shortens the strings so it is less dense and does not loose any information.
So for those criteria it is as best as can be.

"11/05/2446 00:38" (french date formatting here) at the opposite is harder to read and denser, for instance.

There is no information loss to the user, when display "2 days ago 10:14" compared to "26/10/2021 10:14".

Btw in the information panel we have a toggle to display date in a wider format (Right click).
In the form "Tuesday 26th October, 20:14"

From your own POV you admit, this looks pretty and fits your use.
So I don't see any issue here, just an overzealous missing setting feeling for other potential users.


In fact I am thinking about shortening the dates in dolphin UI, hiding hours since they are very often of use while making UI denser, this would be a setting though.

In the settings it could be like (with the default I am thinking about):

Dates display :
   With hours:  [ ] Display time of day with dates
   relative:    [x] Use "Two days ago", "Just a moment ago"
   shortened:   [x] Use days of the current week like "Tuesday" and skipping years for months of this year "10th of October"

We would have the exact date in a tooltip on hover still and ordering wouldn't be affected.
Comment 2 Paul 2021-10-28 13:41:11 UTC 
(In reply to Méven Car from comment #1)

> 
> From your own POV you admit, this looks pretty and fits your use.
>

No, that was not what I wrote, read again please.

I don't want to calculate what the date was n days ago, I want the date displayed.

But, whatever rocks your boat I guess.

> So I don't see any issue here, just an overzealous missing setting feeling
> for other potential users.

???

> 
> In the settings it could be like (with the default I am thinking about):
> 
> Dates display :
>    With hours:  [ ] Display time of day with dates
>    relative:    [x] Use "Two days ago", "Just a moment ago"
>    shortened:   [x] Use days of the current week like "Tuesday" and skipping
> years for months of this year "10th of October"
> 
> We would have the exact date in a tooltip on hover still and ordering
> wouldn't be affected.

That sounds marginally better - however IMHO there is too much "dumbing down" going on here.