My system tray reversal feature was accepted into the mainline! Users on rolling release distros should expect to see the new configuration option in their system tray around mid June. With that said, I’m not quite 100% satisfied with the UI layout and was curious to see what everyone else thinks. Here is what it looks like currently:
My goal was to consolidate the repeating “Panel icon” label in front of each setting. If you just right click on your tray and then click “Configure System Tray…” you will see exactly what I mean.
Originally—as per the Human Interface Guidelines—I had solved this by grouping them under a new heading as seen in this screenshot:
The problem is that doing so created a large empty space above those three settings, which @ngraham fairly recognized as “a bit ugly.” I agree with him; however, I do think the implemented solution is still not perfect (only prefixing one of the three settings with “Panel icon”), and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Would you prefer the original grouping with the empty space, the current compromise, or do you have an entirely different layout in mind? Please discuss.
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i think what you have release is fine as far as athletics and meaning go
i would not want the big header above as it takes too much room and i would not want the “panel icon” text repeated for each item as the context makes it clear.
my only question is does the text Left-to-right change automagically to Top-to-bottom when the tray widget is installed into a vertical panel? This is how the task manager works.
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I agree; the only thing that doesn’t sit right with me is how the first item specifies “Panel icons” while the others do not, yet they are all for the panel icons. Having them all labeled feels repetitive, but having only one labeled feels inconsistent.
I also agree with you and Nate; the big space the gets inserted above the extra header doesn’t look great. I also agree that the context is a bit obvious, but I felt the same way about simply having the drop down options as “Default” and “Flipped” or “Reversed,” yet Nate was pretty insistent about using absolute descriptions instead of relative ones. If maximum semantic clarity is such a high priority, then we shouldn’t cut corners with it.
Yes, it absolutely does. The labels are 100% contextually aware, even in RTL locales.
this is done several other places and when check boxes or radio buttons are used it allows the general to be stated on the left, and then gives space on the right of center for the specifics
but with drop down menus, it’s a bit less elegant because you have to put the specifics in the menu list.
i suppose you could have done
Panel icon: [small size v]
[small spacing v]
[left-to-right direction v]
but i would like that even less.
