Gnome's style can be found here: https://github.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel (under Customizable running indicators) It offers a few advantages over most Plasma styles and the Latte style. - It is easier to tell which window is active. - The active window indicator does not interfere with the indicator responsible for identifying the number of open windows, which gives more flexibility in terms of indicators. - Indicators are colored from the icon, which makes better visual differentiation of the dock items. - (I think) Mousing over the dock icons draws a box around them. The current latte style just faintly highlights the icon, which makes it much more difficult to tell which icon you're about to select. Highlight boxes provide much better visual feedback. Note that dash to dock's style, except the coloring, is the same as Windows uses. Presumably Windows conducted some usablity surveys and decided this is a good style to use, so I think it makes sense to have this style as an option in Latte. Having used Windows and Gnome extensively in the past, it is my opinion that their docks styles provide a better user experience.
yeah no problem, but I wont implement it, if someone creates the qml file for this I can include it as a fourth indicator style. Currently are scheduled three indicator styles: Latte/Plasma/Unity I am changing the indicators architecture in a way with a single qml file for which Latte provides all the needed information such as window state, number etc. someone could create the indicator wants to. All three indicators will follow the new scheme... If someone wants to provide a fourth one no problem from me...
Latte codebase has been updated and shortly there will be an option for Indicators styles to be installed/used/etc. through kde store... any kde developer interested in this could provide a Gnome-style indicator if wants to... https://phabricator.kde.org/T10714
I am thinking to try something for this but you need to provide how states look: How does it look: 1. Launcher 2. Minimized window 3. Shown window 4. Active window 5. Grouped windows one of them active 6. Grouped windows one of them active and one of them minimized
how this could be handled: http://psifidotos.blogspot.com/2019/03/latte-and-indicators-tale_30.html
1. Pinned and non-pinned task items are visually the same. 2. Mnimized tasks non-minimized are visually the same. 3. Shown window: highlight box. (how's "shown window" different from "active"?) 4. Active window: highlight box 5. Grouped active: highlight box 6. Grouped active, one minimized: highlight box. So pretty simple. Grey highlight box for active (and shown?) windows, no effect for inactive. Minimized windows don't need any special effect. Hover effect is also a grey highlight box (see Gnome dock below). ---------------- https://github.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel#Features The indicator styles are all listed there. They all pretty good - I just would NOT recommend mixing and matching different kids like in some of these screenshots. I'd say the Metro: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/master/media/design/png/metro.png and Dashes: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/master/media/design/png/dashes.png are most reasonable.
(In reply to leftcrane from comment #5) > 1. Pinned and non-pinned task items are visually the same. > 2. Mnimized tasks non-minimized are visually the same. > 3. Shown window: highlight box. (how's "shown window" different from > "active"?) > 4. Active window: highlight box > 5. Grouped active: highlight box > 6. Grouped active, one minimized: highlight box. > > So pretty simple. Grey highlight box for active (and shown?) windows, no > effect for inactive. Minimized windows don't need any special effect. > > Hover effect is also a grey highlight box (see Gnome dock below). > > > ---------------- > > > > https://github.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel#Features > > The indicator styles are all listed there. They all pretty good - I just > would NOT recommend mixing and matching different kids like in some of these > screenshots. > > I'd say the Metro: > https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/master/ > media/design/png/metro.png > > and Dashes: > https://raw.githubusercontent.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/master/ > media/design/png/dashes.png > > are most reasonable. what are the lines and dots under the icons mean?
The dots and lines indicate the number of windows within each group. (some of them are confusing, but you can clearly see what they mean in Metro and Dashes style. These are the two best styles, IMO)
(In reply to leftcrane from comment #7) > The dots and lines indicate the number of windows within each group. (some > of them are confusing, but you can clearly see what they mean in Metro and > Dashes style. These are the two best styles, IMO) 1. in Metro style what is the difference between the big line and the dots marks in the end? 2. BTW shown windows are all the windows that are NOT minimized and active window is the one that is shown and you work in it (it has focus). How the difference between shown and active windows is indicated? 3. When mouse hovers a task is there any visual feedback and what is it?
1. Big line is one window. Big line with marks at the end is multiple windows. 2. Shown/minimized windows are exactly the same. I don't think it makes sense to differentiate them - that just makes the dock more confusing. 3. Yes: https://github.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/raw/master/media/design/gif/previews.gif
1. In Metro style, the dash at the end in always one when there are multiple windows or can be more? 2. Metro and Dashes style do they show a grey box behind the icon when a window is active like it is presented in Dots/Solid? 3. Dashes after 4 windows stop to count and stays to 4 dashes?
1. I think the maximum number is two (for three or more windows) in Metro. 2. The active window is always identifies by the gray highlight box, regardless of which style of window indicator you use. The open window indicator is completely independent from the active window indicator. 3. I think the maximum number is four. If you prefer, you can round out the outer corners of the indicators (see mockup)
Created attachment 119163 [details] mockup
I would also round the edges of the active window indicator and hover boxes. That way they will look nice in zoom mode. Otherwise when you zoom, you'll have sharp boxes protruding out of the dock.
(In reply to leftcrane from comment #11) > > The open window indicator is completely independent from the active window indicator. by open window indicator you mean the dots or dashes at the bottom of the icon?
Correct
Supported by: store: https://store.kde.org/p/1310555/ code repo: https://github.com/psifidotos/latte-indicator-dashtopanel
This is fantastic. Thanks. I would suggest to make the effect significantly stronger (it is significantly stronger in dash to panel). See the gif - it is too subtle to provide meaningful feedback.
Created attachment 121013 [details] gif too subtle
The effect is even more subtle if you have zoom enabled, since it blends with the neighboring windows which are usually light in color.
I think an optimal default configuration would be: (this is my reference config) 1. Dash to dock indicators. 2. Pitch back panel (transparency up to the user) 3. Shadows for icons in the panel (more robust if the user has zoom or transparency enabled) 4. Stronger hover effect. 5. No shadows (panel shadows are very crude in plasma - they look bad) Latte dock has tons of settings so I think it may be useful to provide this a least common denominator for a good out of the box experience.
(In reply to leftcrane from comment #20) > I think an optimal default configuration would be: > > (this is my reference config) > > 1. Dash to dock indicators. > 2. Pitch back panel (transparency up to the user) > 3. Shadows for icons in the panel (more robust if the user has zoom or > transparency enabled) > 4. Stronger hover effect. > 5. No shadows (panel shadows are very crude in plasma - they look bad) > > Latte dock has tons of settings so I think it may be useful to provide this > a least common denominator for a good out of the box experience. All requests must be forwarded at the specific indicator page with explanations