FR: GtkTreeViewColumn: don't use pan-up-symbolic / pan-down-symbolic for sorted columns
( Maybe this is important: I'm assuming the word "pan" is meant as a verb, not a noun. )
Current situation:
GtkTreeViewColumn uses the symbols "pan-up-symbolic" and "pan-down-symbolic" for indicating sorted lists
Suggestion:
Create two new symbols for indicating the sorting order. (perhaps something like "sort-asc-symbolic" and "sort-desc-symbolic"
Goal of Suggestion
Enable theme designers and system configurators to "securely" set their design of sorting indicators
Related code part:
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/-/blob/master/gtk/gtktreeviewcolumn.c#L972
Main reason for suggestion
There is/was a discussion going on about if the sort arrows are wrong or not ( some bugs filed in thunar, some in gtk, if I remember right). Opinions were/are about 50:50 (So, there is no global "right" and "wrong".
Problem here:
There is no stable way of setting things up "correctly"* - not as (theme) designer, not as app programmer, not as a distribution configurator ( feel free to educate me ).
The only one who can solve this issue is the user itself by changing /etc/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
in accordance to the chosen theme - perhaps difficult to do as a normal user.
- correctly is defined as "correct in the mind of the person who is designing the system/app".
Currently given solutions
( This part is written as if someone would like to assign ▲ for ASC and ▼ for DESC)
-
customize the theme: make "pan-up-symbolic" to look like ▼ and "pan-down-symbolic" to look like ▲.
- Problem 1: Other places in gtk use both icons to clearly point upwards/downwards. Those will get messed up ( https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/-/blob/master/gtk/gtkmenubutton.c#L460 )
- Problem 2: Application might use them for the meaning of "panning" something up/down. The same problem as Problem 1 arrises
-
Invert the default direction of sorting arrows (as default for a distribution (
gtk-alternative-sort-arrows = true
in/etc/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
)- Problem: Works only if "pan-up-symbolic" and "pan-down-symbolic" are ▲ and ▼.
- As of my understanding, a user's understanding of sorting might differ between a triangle (▼▲) and arrows (↑↓/ v ^). So inverting the direction globally might spawn problems if a theme chooses arrows over triangles
- Problem: Works only if "pan-up-symbolic" and "pan-down-symbolic" are ▲ and ▼.
-
Locally invert the symbols for the app you're developing (worst option)
- Problem: Symbols on one system become inconsistent
- Problem: If any system changes are made, your app might be the only wrong doing it wrong.
Further Reasons for suggestion
-
A "pan-down" / "pan-up" symbol is designed as "pan-down" / "pan-up" symbol. If a designer finds a better way of expressing pan-up (e.g. ), it would conflict with the usage in tables. So currently the designer is not free in their design of icons.
-
A theme designer is required to have internal knowledge of GTK. They need to know that "pan-up" / "pan-down" is used for table sorting.
-
A theme designer is required to have internal knowledge of GTK. They need to know what pan-up is used for in order to not obscure the meaning in that particular case. (E.g. (xfce) Thunar (file manager) apparently uses it as item expander of a TreeView for files.