Should we consider the source list style?

[alloy]

Should we consider the source list style?

[b4winckler]

I read the Apple HIG and I get the impression that a source list should only be used if it is the primary means of navigating the app (in some loose sense). They also say that a source list should never be more than two levels deep. All in all I get the impression that a source list for the file browser feature would go against the HIG, so I am inclined to say that we should not use the source list style.

Maybe it would be nice if the background color adapted itself to the setting of the bg option however. It is hard on the eyes with a white background in the file browser if you have a dark color scheme. I'm not sure how it should be handled though. We could try using the same background/foreground combination as is used by the text view, but I'm a bit dubious about this as well. Perhaps we should just have two presets for dark/light and toggle between these two depending on what bg is set to? Hmmm....I think I'm going off on a tangent here...

[alloy]

Ah, I quickly skimmed the HIG but didn’t see that text about source lists that you mention. My gut feeling was the same, but since people asked about it and I couldn't find it in the HIG I thought I’d make a note to investigate it more. So if the HIG mentions about it not going down more than two levels then we know enough, it's not a thing we should do.

What do you mean by using the same bg/fg colors as the text view being ‘dubious’? Is it hard to get these values? Because I think we should simply try it and see how it works out to be able to really say anything about it. If that doesn't work out, then I agree we should at least provide two presets; for a light and a dark bg.

[b4winckler]

Hmmm...yes what did I mean by that? My thoughts were something like:

• the icons may blend in with the background color
• I think (maybe) that the file browser should be visually distinct from the text view
• background/foreground colors that look good for the text view may look bad for the file browser (this is basically the same as the first point)

I can't think of anything else right now.

If you want to try it out then you can get the background/foreground colors from -[NSWindowController setDefaultColorsBackground:foreground:] and simply pass those on to the file browser. I'd like to try it out too if you write a patch.

[b4winckler]

Oh, here is the HIG link to source lists. I only read it very briefly a few weeks ago so it may be what I said earlier is not true. Take a look yourself and see what you think.

[b4winckler]

My memory served me right, it clearly states that "A source list should not contain more than two levels of hierarchy", right under Figure 14-24. So I'm still leaning towards not using the source list style.

[alloy]

Agreed, we’re not going to do this. I will create a new issue regarding the background/foreground colors of the text view.

[alloy]

Created new ticket regarding fg/bg colors: #23.