The "debug", "info", "dashboard", "config" and "context data" button suggestion

Core Development Feature Requests
1

This is trivial, but it is catching me out more and more.

Ok, the buttonsScreenshot%20from%202019-04-07%2010-26-48

They are depicted as active when UP, yet you click on them by pressing the mouse button and therefore (to me): they are DOWN. (You have just pressed the mouse button on it and by pressing it is DOWN, not UP.

Am I being too petty on that?

Maybe a slightly better contrast between the in/active buttons also?

2

You've addressed a fundamental ambiguity for which what seems "natural" likely depends on your native language as much as anything.

But I do agree better contrast between states would be welcome. The modern trend to low contrast pastel color schemes is aggravating to these old eyeballs!

3

Yes I agree with the "old eyeballs" bit, too.

But when I press the mouse button on the gui, it seems counter-intuitive that the button moves up, rather than down.

I don't think that depends on the language. It is mechanical to me.
I press, it moves down.

4

I think you have put your finger (sorry) on something that has been vaguely confusing me for some time.
I agree that the button should show down and not up when it is active. The picture is emulating a real-world row of buttons, and it is conventional for such a row of buttons to sit in the up (or level with the surround) position when not active. Pressing one of the buttons pushes it in and activates it and any other buttons that are in, pop out. The shadow along the bottom of the active button should be along the top, not the bottom, as our brains expect the light to be coming from above.

1 Like
5

I agree.
As I see it, when you "press" the button, it raises.

How can "real world buttons" raise when you press them?
As in: you press it and after it is pressed, it pops up?

I agree the shadow should be on the top.

6

Like the top of a biro you mean? Lots of panel buttons use the press-in press-out technique. The issue here is that the convention is that, when selected, a button is usually in the In position and disabled when in the Out position.

7

Again: as I see it, when you select the button; it raises.

8

The active button is highlighted so is lighter/more prominent. The inactive ones are dimmed slightly.

9

I won't argue.

But as I am seeing it: the contrast is poor and the button looks raised when active.
It is just something I wanted to mention as it is tripping me a lot more nowadays.

I'm using the default colour scheme.

If it is too difficult, so be it.

Just now - as you can see - I have enough other problems at this point in time.

10

Right, but the shadow line should be along the top of the button, not the bottom, so it looks as if the button is pressed, not raised.

11

Those buttons started life as tabs. When you have a row of tabs, the active one is more prominent and the inactive ones are in the background. That is the effect we're going for here.

The thicker line under the active button is not implying depth or it being pressed or any other 3D effect. It is mere a highlight to reinforce which is the active one given the backgrounds are as highly contrasting as they might be.

12

So-o-o......

Could those dark lines be moved to the top which helps imply they are pressed down?
Or....

Just a bit more contrast?
The inactive buttons a bit darker?

13

That maybe the intention, but the effect is that of a raised button. If it were along the top it would look like a depressed button. (Marvin, I am sure, knew all about them).

14

Surely Marvin would have had the shadow down "the left hand side"... :wink:

15

If the buttons is to look pressed down wouldn't the shadow be on the right side?
(and top)

No, left.

You are right. (ha ha ha ha)
I'll stop now.

16

It depends whether you are in the Southern or Northern hemisphere.