Bug 294163 - Task switcher in large icons mode shows some small icons
Summary: Task switcher in large icons mode shows some small icons
Status: RESOLVED DOWNSTREAM
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: tabbox (show other bugs)
Version: 4.8.0
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2012-02-15 17:12 UTC by Adrian Berriel
Modified: 2013-10-04 10:35 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

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Description Adrian Berriel 2012-02-15 17:12:41 UTC
Version:           4.8.0 (using KDE 4.8.0) 
OS:                Linux

When you hit alt-tab the task switcher is shown but some icons (mainly non-kde apps) are not resized to look bigger as kde apps. For example firefox and android sdk manager are examples of those apps with small icons in the task switcher.

I think if the task switcher can't find big icons for certain apps it should resize them to look bigger even if the icons loose quality, that way at least we get consistency.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
First you need to open task switcher preferences and choose the "layout based switcher", then choose "large icons". Then hit alt-tab (or the keys you configured).

Actual Results:  
Some icons are not big enough.

Expected Results:  
All the icons should be the same size, even if some of them loose quality.
Comment 1 Martin Flöser 2012-02-15 17:48:10 UTC
There is unfortunately nothing we can do about it. We use the largest icon provided by the window. Upscaling is no option (I tried it - thanks to Iceweasel for providing small icons) it looks very very ugly.

If you want that one fixed, complain to the applications to provide larger icons.
Comment 2 Adrian Berriel 2012-02-16 15:31:48 UTC
Actually I think you should give the user the option to upscale, because you can't expect all the application developers to provide larger icons.

The default could be not to upscale, but provide the option to upscale even if the upscaled icons looks ugly, but at least they all will have the same size.
Comment 3 Martin Flöser 2012-02-16 15:56:14 UTC
(In reply to comment #2)
> Actually I think you should give the user the option to upscale, because you
> can't expect all the application developers to provide larger icons.
> 
> The default could be not to upscale, but provide the option to upscale even if
> the upscaled icons looks ugly, but at least they all will have the same size.

The TabBox has been designed to no longer add options for each possible option in the world. Instead it has been made easy to provide additional layouts (in future through Get Hot New Stuff). So if you want a layout which upscales the icons, feel free to provide an own one.
Comment 4 Adrian Berriel 2012-02-16 16:18:52 UTC
(In reply to comment #3)
> (In reply to comment #2)
> > Actually I think you should give the user the option to upscale, because you
> > can't expect all the application developers to provide larger icons.
> > 
> > The default could be not to upscale, but provide the option to upscale even if
> > the upscaled icons looks ugly, but at least they all will have the same size.
> 
> The TabBox has been designed to no longer add options for each possible option
> in the world. Instead it has been made easy to provide additional layouts (in
> future through Get Hot New Stuff). So if you want a layout which upscales the
> icons, feel free to provide an own one.

I would love to help and provide a new layout. Is there some documentation about how to do it? Any directions would be really appreciated. Thanks!
Comment 5 Martin Flöser 2012-02-16 16:32:51 UTC
> I would love to help and provide a new layout. Is there some documentation
> about how to do it? Any directions would be really appreciated. Thanks!
For 4.8 we have some documentation at 
http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials/KWin/WindowSwitcher

For 4.9 there are slight differences as (since today) the layouts use the 
Plasma Package structure. This is not yet documented. As soon as I have 
written the documentation for it, I will also request a section on kde-look.

Such slight variations like upscaling the icon, I would prefer to go just to 
3rd party locations instead of being included into our sources.
Comment 6 Michael D 2013-09-11 08:16:53 UTC
Too bad. The large icon theme is nice, but not when there's tiny icons around (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Skype). One way of getting around this is to use an icon theme that provides large icons for the applications you use. E.g. KFaenza uses a large icon for Firefox.
Comment 7 Martin Flöser 2013-09-11 14:21:53 UTC
On Wednesday 11 September 2013 08:16:53 you wrote:
> The large icon theme is nice, but not when there's tiny icons
> around (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Skype).
guess how disappointed I was after implementing it with twice the size and 
then realizing that the icons are not there...
Comment 8 Adrian Berriel 2013-10-02 13:16:32 UTC
Maybe an option to set the size, without upscaling. I mean you could give the user the option to use 64px icons or 128px.
Comment 9 Thomas Lübking 2013-10-02 14:29:41 UTC
It uses the largest available icon, so what option would you want that defines a size .....
You mean a size parameter for _all_ icons?

It's QML, you can just alter the value in /usr/share/apps/kwin/tabbox/big_icons/contents/ui/main.qml - or pick the entire switcher QML, alter that value and redistribute it as "midsize icons" ;-)
Comment 10 Adrian Berriel 2013-10-02 15:09:44 UTC
Qml is awesome! That worked thanks.
What i mean is an option for the user in the task switcher gui to select mid or big size
Comment 11 Thomas Lübking 2013-10-04 10:35:49 UTC
(In reply to comment #10)
> What i mean is an option for the user in the task switcher gui to select mid
> or big size
There's currently no config GUI, iirc the idea behind invoking QML was to "create your own dream switcher" - maybe open a Brainstorm on this.