nautilus usability problem with selecting icons

[John Teddy]

Binary package hint: nautilus

If I right click on an icon in the panel(one I put there), I go to properties
and I clearly see "Icon:" and then a picture of the icon. So I know to click on
the Icon when I do this the "Browse Icons" box comes up. It puts me in
/usr/share/pixmaps/ by default so I see the pictures of the icons and I pick
one.(simple and good)

If I right click on an icon on the desktop though, and go to properties then
basic...The icon blends in with the window. I don't even realize I have to
click on the icon. It doesn't show "Icon:" like the panel does. This isn't a
big problem once I figured it out. The bigger problem was that the "Select
Custom Icon" box comes up, and all the files are listed.(I do not see any
pictures) Also I don't even start in /usr/share/pixmaps by default...I start in
$HOME, and there are no icons in $HOME, So I have to know that icons are in
/usr/share/pixmaps and then go there, and then when I click on an icon a small
tiny picture shows up on the right. Well basically I wanted to know if it was
possible to have it so when you right click on an icon on the Desktop and go
change it, that is has similar behavior as if I were to change it on the panel.
The way to change it on the panel seems more user friendly and easy. You go to
the proper directory(/usr/share/pixmaps) by default. And you see pictures right
away by default and you pick one. With the desktop method you have to know two
things that I believe most users won't know. You have to know where the icons
are, and you have to know you're supposed to click on each one to see a
picture. THe pictures just don't show by default.

Regards
Teddy

[Holger Bauer (umarmung-planet)]

You should link to the bug you filed upstream. :) http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=352896

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks for your bug. Opening an upstream task for the bugzilla instance of your bug

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

The bug there is not easy to fix, we have no widget adapted to browse and select images. We could default to an another directory easily though

[David Siegel (djsiegel-deactivatedaccount)]

I cannot confirm this bug in Jaunty. John, can you give very specific steps to reproduce?

[John Teddy (masterjediyoda-gmail-deactivatedaccount)]

Right click on firefox in gnome-panel (next to the evolution icon), and
click on properties, then click on the icon logo. This opens the "Browse
Icons" window, and I see /usr/share/pixmaps/, and I can pick a different
icon from those choices.

If you drag firefox icon from gnome-panel onto the Desktop and right click
on that, or right click on any Desktop icon already there, go to properties,
and click on the icon logo, it opens up "Select Custom Icon" and puts me in
$HOME by default. This nautilus window setup differently compared to the
"Browse Icons" one, and also I have to just know that /usr/share/pixmaps is
the place where icons are. It should put me in /usr/share/pixmaps by
default, and the windows should be the same.

On a related/different problem note, it would be nice to edit gnome-panel
menu without having to right click and edit menus, if I could just right
click on individual icons as I see them in Applications/Internet for
example, and change the text/icon. Most people don't know to right click on
gnome-panel and go to "edit menus"

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 5:07 PM, David Siegel <email address hidden>wrote:

> I cannot confirm this bug in Jaunty. John, can you give very specific
> steps to reproduce?
>
> --
> nautilus usability problem with selecting icons
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/60797
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[David Siegel (djsiegel-deactivatedaccount)]

Upstream's Federico Mena Quintero comments that this is not a simple feature to implement, so it cannot be addressed as part of the One Hundred Paper Cuts project.