Bug 505036

Created attachment 181911 [details]
An example of the new sorting order.

Summary: Provide user-configurable options to change the sorting order of notifications displayed in the notification history/panel, including sorting by date (newest first).

Current Behavior:
The KDE Plasma notification history currently sorts notifications primarily by type and what appears to be date, ascending. Within these groupings, newer notifications appear at the bottom of the list, requiring users to scroll down to view the most recent activity. There is no user-facing option in System Settings to change or customize this sorting order.

Desired Feature:
The addition of a dropdown menu or similar configuration options within the "Notifications" section of System Settings. This menu should allow users to choose their preferred sorting order for the notification history. 

Desired sorting options include:
- Date (Newest First/Descending): Display the most recent notifications at the top of the list.
- Date (Oldest First/Ascending): The opposite of the previous option.
- Type And Urgency: Sorts by type of app and its urgency. 
- Combination Sorting: Allow for more complex sorting criteria, such as "Date (Newest First), then Type, then Urgency."

Why this feature is needed and its benefits:
For users who constantly monitor notifications for new emails, messages, system alerts, or other time-sensitive information, the current "oldest at top" sorting due to the type and urgency prioritization is a significant hindrance. It forces users to consistently scroll to the bottom of the notification list per-app to see the latest incoming notifications.

The primary benefit of this feature is greatly improved usability and efficiency, especially for users who rely on notifications for timely information. Sorting by date (newest first) is a common and intuitive paradigm adopted by many other operating systems and applications, leading to a more consistent and expected user experience across platforms.

Comparison to other systems:
This requested behavior aligns with common user expectations from other popular platforms. For example, most mobile operating systems (e.g., Android, iOS) display the newest notifications prominently at the bottom of their respective notification shades or history lists, due to the method of access being top-to-bottom.

Reference to previous work:
It appears there has been prior discussion and an attempt to implement a similar change. Please refer to the following merge request on KDE Invent, which aimed to address notification ordering:
- https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-workspace/-/merge_requests/2659

System Information:
- Operating System: CachyOS Linux
- KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.5
- KDE Frameworks Version: 6.14.0
- Qt Version: 6.9.0
- Kernel Version: 6.15.0-2-cachyos (64-bit)
- Graphics Platform: Wayland
- Architecture: 64-bit