Created attachment 162010 [details] Mockups SUMMARY Ever since I have installed Plasma on my parents computers, I have noticed that they had issues to figure out that the address bar in Dolphin is actually clickable. For them it just looked like informative text, which was visually not very distinct from the rest in the toolbar. Thus we believe that it'd be easier to understand and in passing look better, if the address bar were raised as shown in the attached mockup taken from [1]. [1] https://phabricator.kde.org/T12308
Thank you Nate for having mentioned this issue implicitly in your fantastic interview with Brodie :-) KDE Plasma Absolutely Smashed Its Donation Goal | Nate Graham (https://youtu.be/ll71prN_EHA?t=5957)
A possibly relevant merge request was started @ https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1793
Git commit 2df82c5ab8580ffdc37299874acec80d2822d577 by Akseli Lahtinen. Committed on 03/03/2025 at 09:23. Pushed by akselmo into branch 'master'. Add background to KUrlNavigator This adds a background primitive to the KUrlNavigator, making it's default look similar as when edited. This should make it easier for users to realise that the item is interactable. This also changes the arrows between elements to clickable folder icons. See also https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/issues/68 M +9 -5 src/filewidgets/kfilewidget.cpp M +58 -1 src/filewidgets/kurlnavigator.cpp M +2 -0 src/filewidgets/kurlnavigator.h M +88 -69 src/filewidgets/kurlnavigatorbutton.cpp M +9 -3 src/filewidgets/kurlnavigatorbutton_p.h M +9 -15 src/filewidgets/kurlnavigatortogglebutton.cpp https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/commit/2df82c5ab8580ffdc37299874acec80d2822d577
Effectively done by that commit. It's great!
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #4) > Effectively done by that commit. It's great! <3 Thanks so much!
I haven't installed the update for my parents yet, so I can't tell if it works better for them, but I've started been trying it out myself now: Besides minor issue, it works quiet fine overall. I do think the frame and the different background color let the address bar appear as a single element, that's imo great for the UX and maybe this would have been sufficient already to resolve this issue. I'm a bit torn about the | and wonder if the chevrons > known from before but from Windows or MacOS would not have been the wiser choice after all. I read the critics on the MR and just wanted to say that hopefully no one feels too bad now. I think we can happy to have tried it out in practice, gather feedback and the most important part learn from it to improve it further. Thanks!
(In reply to postix from comment #6) > I'm a bit torn about the | and wonder if the chevrons > known from before but from Windows or MacOS would not have been the wiser choice after all. There seems to be some consensus that it'd be an improvement, but that it'll require a lot more work. I'm of the opinion that this is a significant improvement in its current state regardless, too.
I feel this approach could have been handled so much more simply. It's much too different now, not a subtle improvement. I've already given my comments in the MR, but to summarize constructively: The background of the URL would benefit from a very slightly shaded background box element, to indicate that it is interactive. There was already an element that indicated a text edit ability on hover (with a cursor change as well), it could have been extended to lighten/darken the new background shade when moused over. As the same shade was used for both modes in the version we see now, it erroneously seems that the URL bar is always in edit mode (which is then also affected by Dolphin Settings -> Interface -> Status & Location Bars -> Make location bar editable). Further, the drop-down breadcrumb navigation has been stable and functional for so many years, and meets parity with Windows. I don't understand the reason behind refactoring it under this same ticket, unless it was technically incompatible with the new styling (It's been said that the horizontal chevrons from before would need re-drawn?). This simply seems over-engineered and I must speak up that as a Dolphin power user, I am not a fan of the new URL bar's styling or functionality. Just a tinted background would have been excellent, without a full refactor of the breadcrumb bar.