[kde-guidelines] Discouraging use of custom widget replacements

[Aurélien Gâteau]

On Tuesday 09 July 2013 20:37:35 Thomas Pfeiffer wrote:
> On Tuesday 09 July 2013 18:17:17 Aurélien Gâteau wrote:
> > > I placed it below "Behaviour" to not forget it. Actually, I'm not
> > > convinced
> > > that owner-drawn controls need to get rejected completely (I have
> > > KScreen
> > > in mind). I would suggest to create a special page for non-standard
> > > controls.
> > 
> > I agree. Sometimes one need non-standard widgets, so having a HIG page for
> > them makes a lot of sense. Some guidelines ideas from the top of my head:
> > 
> > * Do you really need a custom widget? Check whether an existing widget
> > cannot be used instead
> > 
> > * Make sure your new widget:
> > ** Resizes correctly
> > ** Handles right-to-left setups
> > ** Works well with different color schemes
> > ** Looks as close to native as possible (use QStyle or QStylePainter to
> > draw elements)
> > ** Is based on an existing widget rather than a plain QWidget if possible
> > 
> > * If possible, consider making your widget reusable enough so that it can
> > be integrated in standard widgets
> 
> I'd also strongly recommend consulting with the usability team (either this
> list or the kde-usability list, I'm not sure) before implementing a custom
> widget. There are some very good cases for new widgets, but I wouldn't like
> people who think they are good at interaction design - but maybe in fact are
> not -  design new widgets without help.

Agreed.

Aurélien