Bug 501607

Summary:	New URL/Location Bar breadcrumb navigation regressions
Product:	[Frameworks and Libraries] frameworks-kio	Reporter:	Blazer Silving <breakingspell>
Component:	URL navigator	Assignee:	KIO Bugs <kio-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED NOT A BUG
Severity:	normal	CC:	4wy78uwh, j5lx, kdebugs, kdedev, kdelibs-bugs-null, kurobac, mabo, niiinjoe, prettyvanilla, ralen, serdarthtux, smowtenshi
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	6.12.0
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Other
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Blazer Silving 2025-03-16 21:45:20 UTC

SUMMARY
Please refer to my feedback on https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1793#note_1170629

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Be a user of Breadcrumb Navigation as presented by both Dolphin and Windows Explorer
2. Open Dolphin and navigate to a deep folder, observe navigation bar
3. The radical changes in styling are jarring, and no longer match Windows

OBSERVED RESULT
The Location Bar is now cluttered with redundant non-interactive separators, and misleadingly-interactive folder icons to replace the chevrons.

EXPECTED RESULT
One wouldn't expect this kind of schema to be refactored like it was under a simple background element enhancement. It's far too radical of a change and it should be walked back. The changes in spacing/padding/separators/icons are a step backward.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.3
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.12
Qt Version: 6.8.2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There are many other mockups of Location Bar ideas in the Merge Request. However, none of them are necessary. The original system was just fine, I don't see any bug reports or complains online about the Breadcrumb system in particular that would warrant this change.

In reading the Merge request's discussion, I noticed the developer remark on the drop-down lists component of this feature, and how it seems redundant to them: https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1793#note_1131315.
Respectfully, the system should not have been changed if it's utility was not fully understood. Having an on-demand drop-down directory list view while also applying an otherwise-global Details view to Dolphin is my particular use-case.

At the very least, the vertical separators *MUST* be addressed. Interactive drop-down chevrons should separate levels just as before, without unnecessary padding.

Comment 1 Blazer Silving 2025-03-18 19:16:08 UTC

Update: https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1842 is open to refine the breadcrumb schema further. 

It's more or less a rewrite of the old schema but with new code. However, there are still things to improve on this to further match the previous schema. We aren't out of the woods yet.

Comment 2 TraceyC 2025-03-19 19:31:10 UTC

Thanks for sharing your design feedback on this change.

A better place to do this is in the merge request you linked
 https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1842 i

I say that because this isn't really a bug or a discrete feature request, and isn't an actionable item.. As such it would make more sense to discuss it in a group setting where existing design choices and constraints that may not be immediately obvious can be explained, and we can go over which elements of this proposal might make sense to integrate.

Thanks for understanding!

Comment 3 Blazer Silving 2025-03-19 20:15:36 UTC

> this isn't really a bug or a discrete feature request, and isn't an actionable item

This was a functional regression to a stable system, deliberate as it were. I feel this report served it's purpose exactly to notify the developers of a break in the system, and to give concerned users a CC list to track progress on. 

We're in a very good place now with the latest state of https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1842, it resolves all 4 points I originally defined at https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1793#note_1170629. 

However until that work is merged and released, the issue is not resolved.

Comment 4 John Kizer 2025-04-09 03:01:19 UTC

*** Bug 502140 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***