[Bug 159480] New: Hide labels or icons in taskbar

[Todd]

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http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=159480         
           Summary: Hide labels or icons in taskbar
           Product: plasma
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: SuSE RPMs
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: wishlist
          Priority: NOR
         Component: widget-taskbar
        AssignedTo: panel-devel kde org
        ReportedBy: toddrme gmail com


Version:            (using KDE 4.0.2)
Installed from:    SuSE RPMs

As with all traditional taskbars, the plasma taskbar shows two things for each program: the icon of the program, and text showing the title of the program (the same text shown in the titlebar).  However, it would be nice if you could hide one of these.  So for instance just show the text without the icon, or just show the icon without the text.  

Just showing the icon could has several potential uses.  For one, it saves a lot of space.  We already have mouse-over that gives us a label, and grouping of related programs will be implemented at some point which would eliminate the ambiguity of having of multiple copies of the same program open.  So for many people it may be redundant and it would be better to just have the icon.  Second, it has many advantages for vertical panels.  You could have a panel that is the normal size without needing to make the text vertical.  Making the panel really wide to make the labels look decent is good for some people, but may take up too much space for others.  Third, it maintains consistency with the other panel icons like quick launchers, none of which have labels.  

To be honest I see no reason anyone would want to remove the icon for the tasks and leave only the label.  It is easier for the eye to interpret images than text.  But I figured if you are going to give one option you might as well give both.  Somebody may have a use for it.

Obviously hiding both the label and the icon should not be an option since then there would be nothing but a small outline.  Hmm, I guess someone may want that as well for an "ultra-clean" taskbar.  Stranger things have happened.



I might add, some people have been asking for a dock-style panel.  I figure that rather than making an entirely new panel from scratch, the handful of features (ignoring eye-candy) that docks have but the current panel does not could easily be implemented in a traditional panel with just a few additional options.  Rather than making people pick either a dock or a panel people could pick which specific features of each that they want.  There is not really a fundamental difference between a dock and a panel, the two really represent independent features that have traditionally been used together.  There is no reason different combinations of those features cannot be used instead, though.  If people want a dock, they should be able to easily turn their panel into a dock with just a few checkboxes.  If they want a traditional panel they can use the panel as-is.  If they want some dock features and some panel features they can do that as well.