Bug 436102 - Latte-dock needs very large icons in order to display a two-column system tray
Summary: Latte-dock needs very large icons in order to display a two-column system tray
Status: RESOLVED DOWNSTREAM
Alias: None
Product: lattedock
Classification: Plasma
Component: application (show other bugs)
Version: git (master)
Platform: openSUSE Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Michail Vourlakos
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2021-04-23 18:22 UTC by David de Cos
Modified: 2021-04-24 13:34 UTC (History)
0 users

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
0.9.11 version, 32 px element size. (879.06 KB, image/png)
2021-04-23 18:33 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Git version, same configuration as 0.9.11 (32px) (877.42 KB, image/png)
2021-04-23 18:37 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Git version, 48 px element size (872.52 KB, image/png)
2021-04-23 18:39 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Git version, 52 px element size (879.58 KB, image/png)
2021-04-23 18:42 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Plasma panel (left) + Latte git version (right) (616.39 KB, image/png)
2021-04-24 09:06 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Latte-dock git version + SysTray tweaks (442.99 KB, image/png)
2021-04-24 10:49 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Increasing size of a plasma panel (971.81 KB, video/x-matroska)
2021-04-24 11:16 UTC, David de Cos
Details
Plasma panel (left) - Latte git version + SysTray tweaks (right) (449.52 KB, image/png)
2021-04-24 12:24 UTC, David de Cos
Details

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description David de Cos 2021-04-23 18:22:40 UTC
I have a vertical Latte-dock. In version 0.9.11, I have the absolute element size set to 32px, and the margin thickness set to 32%. With that, I get exactly the look that I like: medium-size icons (both for the tasks and the quick launcher), and a two column system tray. This is also how I always had it in the regular plasma panel, before using latte-dock.

However, in git version 999.git.20210422.00a3d154, using exactly the same configuration, I get a single column system tray and tiny quick launcher icons. Increasing the margin thickness doesn't help with any of these two problems. Increasing the absolute element size does help, but the minimum icon size that achieves a two column system tray is 52px, which in my opinion is absolutely huge.

I'll attach some screenshots to illustrate my point.
Comment 1 David de Cos 2021-04-23 18:33:33 UTC
Created attachment 137843 [details]
0.9.11 version, 32 px element size.

This achieves middle sized icons and a two column system tray. There's also room to display the Netspeed Widget text. This is the look I want.
Comment 2 David de Cos 2021-04-23 18:37:21 UTC
Created attachment 137844 [details]
Git version, same configuration as 0.9.11 (32px)

The task icons look fine to me (same size as before), but the system tray has only one column, the quick launcher icons are tiny, and there's no room for the full Netspeed Widget text.
Comment 3 David de Cos 2021-04-23 18:39:57 UTC
Created attachment 137845 [details]
Git version, 48 px element size

Even with a 48 px element size, the system tray has only one column, although there seems to be more than enough room for two.
Comment 4 David de Cos 2021-04-23 18:42:13 UTC
Created attachment 137846 [details]
Git version, 52 px element size

The smallest element size that gets a two column system tray is 52 px, but everything is huge now!
Comment 5 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-23 19:21:19 UTC
In Plasma 5.21 applets are responsible to request or not to use all panel thickness. Latte git version follows this. If you add a plasma panel you will get the same results. A solution could be the plasma systray to give you the option to occupy all panel thickness. Only thing that can be done is to provide you that option through Plasma Systray Tweaks.

https://github.com/psifidotos/plasma-systray-latte-tweaks
Comment 6 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-23 20:24:21 UTC
latest Plasma Systray Tweaks provides an option for this that you can enable BUT Plasma Framework have a bug. So you need to enable the option and restart Latte afterwards in order for the option to be enabled.
Comment 7 David de Cos 2021-04-24 09:06:41 UTC
Created attachment 137861 [details]
Plasma panel (left) + Latte git version (right)

Thank you very much for your quick response!

Sorry for insisting, but I still think there's something to be fixed here. I have Plasma 5.21.4, and if I add a Plasma Panel, I can get exactly the same layout as Latte-dock 0.9.11 without a problem.

In the attached picture I have a Plasma Panel on the left, and Latte-dock git version on the right.

Plasma Panel:
- Normal sized task icons
- Two column system tray
- Quick launcher icons a little bit smaller thank the task ones.
- Netspeed Widget shows all the info: up/down arrows, numerical speed (0.0) and shortened units ("B").
- In Latte-dock 0.9.11 I get exactly the same layout, as shown in yesterday's attachment.

Latte-dock git version:
- Huge icons, very thick dock. But still:
- Single column system tray.
- Quick launcher icons are smaller thank the ones in the Plasma Panel, although there's a lot more room.
- Netspeed Widget doesn't show the arrows or the units (I don't really care about that, just noting it in case it helps you find out the underlying problem).


Thank you very much for your help!


Operating System: openSUSE Leap 15.2
KDE Plasma Version: 5.21.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.81.0
Qt Version: 5.15.2
Kernel Version: 5.3.18-lp152.60-default
OS Type: 64-bit
Graphics Platform: X11
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™ i7-6600U CPU @ 2.60GHz
Memory: 7.7 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: Mesa DRI Intel® HD Graphics 520
Comment 8 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-24 09:20:27 UTC
yeah I know... :)

1. If you are using Breeze plasma theme then Breeze has the bug for Left Edge Panels. Try to swap latte to left and plasma panel to right and you will notice it. The Breeze plasma theme bug will be fixes in plasma frameworks eventually
2. The Latte Thickness margins are really great, try to lower them a bit.
3. The solution that is already provided will be the only one possible even when you are using plasma panels with the systray.

Some infos for Plasma 5.21 official applets paddings solution.

1. Paddings in applets are now forced to all applets are panel/dock implementation is taking responsibility for them
2. [1] for Latte means the following, when you choose Item Size then that item size is respected for ALL applets and the Thickness margin values is also respected by ALL applets
3. There are applets that independent of [1],[2] want to occypy ALL panel thickness with no thickness margins at all for example plasma taskmanager. These applets take responsibility to request that from their docks and panels. So if you test plasma taskmanager you will see that this is always the case.
4. Unfortunatly plasma systray is not requesting to occupy ALL panel thickness and this is plasma devs opinion/choice, you can try to persuade them instead to something else.
5. By taking into account [1-4] Plasma SysTray tweaks gets into the account and give a user option to enable/disable that behavior.

Concerning the earlier mentioned plasma bug that Latte needs a restart for this to work properly. Plasma devs confirmed the bug and I have already sent a patch to them to merge.

https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/plasma-framework/-/merge_requests/244
Comment 9 David de Cos 2021-04-24 10:49:37 UTC
Created attachment 137863 [details]
Latte-dock git version + SysTray tweaks

Thank you for your quick responses, Michail!

I have tried to make Latte-dock look the way I'd like using Systray tweaks, but I'm afraid it's still not there:

1. The smallest element size that gives me a double systray column is 44 px (in 0.9.11 it was 32 px). This creates task icons much larger than I'd like.

2. The systray looks cluttered to me, but that's because I have applied a 0 px spacing in Systray tweaks. If I increase that number, the two columns stop fitting and it goes back to one column. For example, with a 3 px spacing I need to use a 50 px element size, which makes [1] even worse.


I understand from your explanations that this is as far as I'll get, so I think I'll go back to 0.9.11 or Plasma Panel. I'll check newer Latte-dock versions every once in a while, in case this improves in the future.

Thank you very much again!
Comment 10 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-24 10:53:49 UTC
With a right edge plasma panel in what plasma panel size you get two columns?
Comment 11 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-24 11:11:41 UTC
ok... something is weird, plasma vertical panels are doing their own thing... Let me check if this is intentional...
Comment 12 David de Cos 2021-04-24 11:16:12 UTC
Created attachment 137864 [details]
Increasing size of a plasma panel

The attached video shows what happens when I increase the size of my Plasma panel:

- 32 px: everything is too small

- 40 px: both task and quick launcher icons get the size I like, but the systray is still single column.

- 44 px: first size that gets a double systray column.

- 56 px: icons jump to a much larger size than I'd like.

So with Plasma panel I leave a size larger than 44 px (double column) but smaller than 56 px (to avoid huge icons). I think I used to have 52 px.
Comment 13 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-24 11:33:12 UTC
Ok, I found the wrong calculation in Plasma SysTray Tweaks.

16px. minimum icon size will give you 32px. required thickness for two columns.
22px. minimum icon size will give you 44px. required thickness for two columns.

spacing value is not taken into account for these calculations at all cases.

So please try again with systray tweaks latest master version to confirm you are fine now.
Comment 14 David de Cos 2021-04-24 12:24:01 UTC
Created attachment 137865 [details]
Plasma panel (left) - Latte git version + SysTray tweaks (right)

Thanks for that fix! It's really gotten better, since I can now have double column systray with a normal thickness dock.

In the attached picture I have Plasma panel on the left (i.e. what I would like to achieve) and Latte-dock git version (with your latest systray tweaks) on the right. As I said, the looks are now more similar, but there a still some smaller problems:

- The quick launcher icons are tiny, almost invisible.

- The date and time are much narrower than the available thickness. I can't make them wider.

- The Netspeed widget is also displayed wrong, but as I said before, I can live with that.


I understand these problems are probably due to the new applet padding policies you explained in a previous comment. Is there anything I can do about those problems, or this is it?

Thank you very much again!
Comment 15 Michail Vourlakos 2021-04-24 12:48:54 UTC
My last communication with plasma devs is that the Latte behavior is the correct one and plasma is going to fix this in plasma 5.22.

I will take one more look in plasma code to confirm it. I suppose that plasma should fix this for its applets so it might be a good idea to report them upstream when that problem hits also plasma panels.
Comment 16 David de Cos 2021-04-24 13:33:28 UTC
Wiil do! I'll check everything again once Plasma 5.22 arrives.

Cheers!