use Tango icons for inkscape 0.47

Manzur, is this just the Tango Icon set from the share folder or have you made updates to it?
While many developers like this set. There has not been any consensus for switching to them yet.

you can use them to get this (attachment)

@manzur

That doesn't explain it :)

they are just a group of tango icons.
please if you use them make me know!
u should use them, this will improve a lot inkscape gui!

to make them work i just add them to this folder: /home/manzur/.inkscape/icons
and restart inkscape..

just to make you know, jajajaj ;)

Ok, so no Improvements.
Whether they improve the inkscape GUI has not be agree upon.
I'm not say they are bad. There is just no agreement on making them primary icon set.

manzur, everybody would be much more interested, if you came out with your own iconset. Or with much improved tango one. We know already that tango icons are available, so nothing new here.

i know it my friend, but with all due respect they are better than the ones inkspace has know, they make inkscape looks better and because of that many new people will like to use it i am sure, but as i said, it is your choice.

manzur:
The problem is that the Tango icons set isn't complete yet.
This was discussed before, and developers decided not to include it as the default icons set until it is completely finished.
Would you like to take that set and improve it adding the missing icons and polishing the existing ones following the Tango guidelines?

I agree that it looks much better than the default set (I use them as my default icon set) but I also agree that it should be the default set only when it's complete and the community agrees that is ready to replace the current one.

it is complete.... can you show me the missing icons?
and something else that i've always wanted to tell you (look at the screen-shot) i do not know what is happening but it takes a lot loading the about inkscape pictures, it takes that long that i was able to take a screen-shot, do you see? why¿?

If it is complete, then why do I not see Eraser tool and Geometry Constructions tool icons there? :-) Plus existing icons definitely need some work (Bucket Fill tool icons, layer rename icon, etc.).

i do not see those icons that you just mentioned, where are they?, so i can work on them

with your help too.

Eraser and Geometry Constructions are two new tool in development tree (SVN) that will be available in 0.47. You could probably create vector icons that resemble Eraser tool icon from GIMP for Eraser in Inkscape and Merasure tool from GIMP for Geometry Constructions in Inkscape.

i would like to work on them, but let me tell you something, is not it easier and better to design both icons in tango style than make some new ugly icons... ¬¬

The Tango set is complete now but it hasn't been decided yet if it will be de default set or not.
Some changes in the art-libre set were made to make some icons of the toolbar look more similar to the oficial set, but there is no consensus about making them the oficial set or not.
The subject is being discussed actively in the development mailing list.

Unfortunately the discussion faded into nothing.
The icon theme management code is being reworked, but at the moment it's not possible to use custom icons, which is a shame.
Also, the default theme hasn't been fixed. It still has some very rough edges.

The Tango set is complete.
There is a "compromise" version of the tangoified set that is more close to the original (Tango Icons Colors)
And there is an alternative, refreshed and corrected version of the original (not tango) that has been presented on the mailing lists some time ago.

I attach both files (Tango Icons Colors and the reworked default theme).

I think they should be included in the default instalation. The reworked default as default, replacing the original, and the Tango versions as alternatives.

Wanted to try the two sets: placed each file under /share/icons, renamed to 'icons.svg' and both gave me no icons (see the attached image). Then I renamed the file 'tango_icons.svg' shipped with SVN and still no icons.
Is what I did the right way to apply a new icons set or should I do something different? It worked before the 'Hicolor theme missing' issue (see bug #333263).

And, by the way, just to say my opinion (you are free to ignore it if you don't care) I prefer the default theme over Tango because simpler (i.e. less coloured, flat, more simbolic) icons leave the workspace clean and help focusing on your work. Of course this is strictly related to your whole desktop's style so it's impossible to take a decision, it's a matter of who you want to impress with Inkscape first-run. I usually stay away from too much coloured applications because they tend to hide lack of functionality under an appealing interface (that's exactly the opposite of what Inkscape does). On the other hand I appreciate a lot the possibility of personalizing the appearence because this is a hint on the attention that programmers give toward their (potential) users.

Thanks.

Windows XP SP3, SVN21020

Gez, I'm probably not getting enough sleep thus not understanding, but is http://launchpadlibrarian.net/24551354/tango_icons_colors_1.3.tar.gz just a new version of Tango or a completely new set?

but i do not understand the problem, why can not u use those icons, i mean..
they are complete are prettier, so????

Alexandre: You're not getting enough sleep :-p
The Tango icons colors is just a modification of the tango set (wich was intended to be the most close possible to the art libre set). It was made to provide more familiarity. One of the main critics to the Tango set was that the toolbox icons became too different than the default set, and people would not recognize them (which sounds a little bit silly to me, but a lot of people seemed to agree).
The Tango icon set was complete, but several people rejected it because it was too different than the default, so we created an alternative version with colors and shapes closer to the default set, but with a "tangoified" look.
That's Tango Icons Colors.
Both on IRC and mailing list, a lot of people who initially didn't want the Tango set seemed to like that modified set, and said that they wouldn't have problems to use it.

manzur: The set is complete, yes. But there isn't consensus about if it's prettier or not. I like it, you like it, but several people seems to prefer the original.
But the original is broken. It has style errors, alignment errors, jagged borders and a completely nonsensical color palette. In my opinion it has to be fixed to be "the default".
Somebody (I can't remember his name) created the refreshed version I attached here). It has the same look and feel but the majority of issues of the original set have been addressed.
If we won't get Tango icons as default (the discussion was long and everybody has valid points) at least make this corrected set the default. That's my proposal.

Luca: AFAIK the works on the hicolor theme have broken the themeability. I think the changes should be rolled back to the previous state and move the hicolor stuff to branch until it's ready.

1. i was the one that attached that icons at first, but i did not make them,
it was done by someone else
2. i think it is a better idea to work upon tango icons style, and not be
working on the default one, because it has no goal
3. you should make a web page where people can contribute ideas for those
icons, so they can upload their work...

what do u think???

In my opinion both icon themes, I mean proposed tango and the current one, have to be improved. Both themes are poorly readable with dark colorschemes. See attached screenshot. Red circles indicates most obvious problems, but other icons have to be reworked as well. The other solutuion is to prepare another icon set intended to use with dark schemes.

dopelover: the proposed tango with colors theme has some improvements for dark backgrounds. Anyway, keep in mind that it's almost impossible to make an icon set that looks fine in any background and maybe a custom icon set would be better for such dark background.
In my opinion, the tango icons colors perform far better (although they can be improved) in a dark theme than the default set.
Did you try the reworked default theme on that background? It would be interesting to see the different themes and compare

Yes, I have tried the reworked default theme. See attached screenshot. Icons looks better and are more consistent but there are still problems with dark themes.

Have a look at first icon in toolbox. The black arrow is readable so maybe the best solution would be that all the black icons have a white outline or halo around it?

dopelover: I see your point. A white outline would look awful in a 50% gray background (mostly in the line icons such as spiral or pencil).
A 50% outline would work fine in a dark theme (tangos had that) but it would look fuzzy in a light background.
It's almost impossible to use a set that's fine for every possible background.
I think that a special set for dark backgrounds should be added as an alternative.
I also think that the current state of the default theme has more issues (both in light or dark backgrounds) thant the reworked, and I don't see why the reworked default shouldn't replace the default as soon as possible.

I think that both presented options (tango colors and reworked default) are more finished than the default, therefore it should be replaced.
The dark themes are still a problem, but I'm afraid that we will need an extra theme for that.

I still prefer the current default theme over the two proposed here.
This doesn't mean Inkscape can't move to a different default if the majority thinks it should, but simply: let the current default be selectable. This also leads to: make the themeability work again (at least under Windows, I don't know if it works under Linux).

Please, don't change the default theme before giving me the possibility to keep the current.

Thanks.

LucaDC, we are in 2009 when beauty worth as usability... let's change
inkscape icon theme by a new one based on tango icons, and as i said before
make a web page or a launchpad, i do not know what where we can upload our
work, so a lot of people will contribute on that, this could be placed on
inkscape.com

excuse me, i tried to say inkscpae.org

ok, u understand, excuse me

LucaDC, would you please explain why you prefer the current default better than the reworked (not the tango, the default refreshed)?
It's basically the same, with subtle changes in the palette and lots of fixes (the default has aliased borders, bad aligned icons, etc.)

manzur: beauty shouldn't worth as usability. If something is usable and beautiful, ok. But beautiful things shouldn't be chosen over usable ones. I can't agree here.
I'm a designer, I suppose to make things prettier and attractive, but I think that beauty in UIs is just make up. They have to work well first.
I don't think is a valid argument to say "hey, it's 2009, people buys beauty so give them beauty".
I love Tango icons because they are systematized, coherent and have pretty solid design guidelines. That makes them pretty, not a mere aesthetic matter.

Guillermo and manzur,
I don't want to open/join a discussion about beauty and usability and which should be preferred over the other, mainly because also if we agreed that beauty should have precedence, we would then have to decide which "beauty": mine, yours, his/her, pluto's? I hope that none of you consider his/her aesthetics parameters as absolute and undoubtely true over all other different (and trust me: there are a lot!); in the past this also led to wars...
I don't even want to stop a change that could please a lot of people, and I don't even care if it will: if so, good; if not, a lot of complaints will come out and then programmers will decide what to do; if not and no complaints, good too: it would mean that's something people don't care so why wasting time on it? That's democracy.
I find wonderful that users can express their opinions to programmers (not so unusual) and that programmers take them into consideration (pretty unusual) and modify their work in response to them (strongly unusual).
In conclusion: do what you think is good. If you want to do even better, let me change the theme (now I can't: I had to use an older SVN with various old-already-fixed bugs to test the two over there) so I can choose the one I prefer.

Guillermo,
I prefer the current default theme because it's better defined and schematic.
See the attached picture: icons have a darker border and less particulars so it's easier to "understand" them. My eyes have to "work more" to visually decode the modified theme because there are more colours and less contrast. For example, take the small locks: in the upper bars: the upside "U" (don't know how to call it in english) is a simple black path in the current theme and a "wide" coloured area with a not as well defined darker border in the reworked one. If it's rendering is acceptable in the bottom bar where the lock is bigger, isolated and directly on a gray background, the same can't be said in the upper bar where it appears on the two cyan backgrounds, it's smaller and the lack of dark borders on the small squares around it makes the whole icons appearance look unfocused.
These considerations can be applied on other cases in the same way.
So, my (lazy) eyes prefere less-fatiguing-looking icons and my head prefers when my eyes don't complain, so I can use Inkscape for hours without having to finish with a headacke :)

manzur,
I hope it's clear that I'm expressing my feelings and my opinion and it's not important if someone agrees or not. I don't need to be convinced and I don't want to convince anybody. I'm simply answering to Guillermo's question and ah, thanks to him for asking. :)

About the lack of come icons in the attached image: I copied 'default-icons-reworked.svg' under a SVN20697 tree on /share/icons, renamed it to 'icons.svg' and started Inkscape. Am I doing something wrong? If I do the same under a recent SVN tree, all icons appear corrupted. That's why I ask for a themeability improvement before changing the default theme. Or if I'm doing something wrong please tell me so I can have it work.

Thanks for reading and sorry if it was so long...

Sorry, I forgot the attachment...

LucaDC:
Thank you for your reply. Now I can see your point, and I also can see that the theme is not complete.
Apparently, in Linux the missing icons were replaced by the default ones, so I believed that the theme was complete but is not.
What you say about the "higher contrast" in default theme is also the cause of it being unusable for dark backgrounds. The outline disappears and all the line elements become invisible.
Themes with less contrast like Tangos or the reworked default perform better in different background colors.
It's impossible to reach a win-win situation here. Black outlines give better contrast and work better on light backgrounds but are lost in dark ones, while lower contrast themes are more flexible but look sort of less defined.

I think there should be a more accessible to the final user way to change themes. I know a UI preference would clutter even more the already cluttered preferences dialog, but unfortunately it's not that obvious for the new user that the theme can be changed.
Personally, I'd include the different icons themes in the default instalation with a simple dropdown in the Interfase section of the preferences, under the language selector. That would end the neverending discussion about tangos or not, and would make more obvious the ability to change icon themes.

Thanks for your comments.

P.s.: When I mentioned the beauty vs. usability thing in my previous comment I was trying to avoid the discussion too. If one finds prettier one or another theme is a complete subjective matter and it shouldn't be an argument in favor or against.

i am a graphic designer, my name is abraham quintero, i live in barranquilla
colombia, who ever need to contact me, u can do it sending me an email...
soy un diseñador grafico, mi nombre es abraham quintero, vivo en
barranquilla colombia, cualquiera que necesite de mis servicios, puede
hacerlo enviandome un email.

que Dios le continue bendiciendo
God keep blessing you!

i am a graphic designer, my name is abraham quintero, i live in barranquilla
colombia, who ever need to contact me, u can do it sending me an email...
soy un diseñador grafico, mi nombre es abraham quintero, vivo en
barranquilla colombia, cualquiera que necesite de mis servicios, puede
hacerlo enviandome un email.

que Dios le continue bendiciendo
God keep blessing you!

send this message to those people u think they need this service
envia este mensaje a las personas a las que creesq eu necesiten de este
servicio

Abraham: Este no es el lugar adecuado para promocionar tus servicios.

Since 0.47 will support theming, we can make Tango the default for Linux. I'll begin working on that.

To clear up some of the comments that were posted before:

1. The functionality of replacing icons.svg was sacrificed in favor of the standard theming mechanism on Linux (e.g. put icons with the appropriate names in the icon theme). The current way to get Tango icons on Windows is to rename or remove the "hicolor" directory, and rename the "tango" directory to "hicolor". For Linux, see the README file in the share/icons directory from current SVN. Another benefit of this change is that it will allow us to greatly simplify various parts of the code.
2. The old monolithic SVG files didn't work because the icon IDs had to be changed to comply with the Icon Naming Specification.
3. If you want to improve Inkscape's icons, you'll need to work with the discrete files in "hicolor" and "tango" directories.
4. Changing the theme from inside the application is rather hard to implement, because the icon theme is supposed to be a system-wide setting, not a per-application setting. The better way is to pester the author of the icon theme you use to add icons for Inkscape. They are documented on this wiki page: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Themable_icons

great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i am happy to hear this, i will download it when it is out, sure, and i will help to improve inkscape once I learn

Revision 21320 enables Tango icons on Linux (at least for now). However, if the feedback is negative, this will be reverted before final release of 0.47.

To get back the old icons, copy the hicolor directory from the source tree to ~/.config/Inkscape/icons

The tango icons set is now part of the default installation, but although the set is complete and the naming is correct, there are some icons that do not appear when the set is selected.
There are other problems related to the current state of theming also:

- When the default set is used, you can't use custom themes just placing them in ~.config/inkscape/icons, you have to rename or remove /usr/share/inkscape/icons/icons.svg to be able to use a custom set.
- If you remove the default set and rename the included tango_icons.svg to icons.svg, you can use custom themes, but in both cases there are some icons missing. They are:
   - distribute spaced v and h (align dialog)
   - vaccuum defs
   - angle (calligraphy tool option)
   - tile clones

There is a missing icon in the default tango set: snap-nodes-center.

The tango icons set is now part of the default installation, but although the set is complete and the naming is correct, there are some icons that do not appear when the set is selected.
There are other problems related to the current state of theming also:

- When the default set is used, you can't use custom themes just placing them in ~.config/inkscape/icons, you have to rename or remove /usr/share/inkscape/icons/icons.svg to be able to use a custom set.
- If you remove the default set and rename the included tango_icons.svg to icons.svg, you can use custom themes, but in both cases there are some icons missing. They are:
   - distribute spaced v and h (align dialog)
   - vaccuum defs
   - tile clones

There is a missing icon in the default tango set: snap-nodes-center, and two icons named incorrectly (pressure and angle for the calligraphy tool). I'll fix them and upload the corrected set, but I'm lost with the other icons, they're named correctly as far as I can see.

I just found the problem.
The icons in the default set are named incorrectly. Their original ids seem to have been changed.
For instance: file_vacuum is document-cleanup. Notice the underscore changed for a dash and the different naming.

I'll change the tango set to reflect that differences, but shoudn't those difference be reverted?

No, it is supposed to be document-cleanup. All icon names have been changed to follow the Icon Naming Specification, because originally I intended to use the themable app specific icons feature (see here: http://live.gnome.org/ThemableAppSpecificIcons), but this was reverted.

Please don't anything beyond fixing tango_icons.svg if you like, because how to implement this was hotly debated and we will revisit this after 0.47.

Don't worry, I won't touch anything else because I can't code :-) So i'll fix the theme and that's it.
What about the ability of using a custom theme in .config/inkscape/icons/ ?
That's broken, you have to rename the default icons.svg if you want inkscape to use the alternative theme. Is there any chance of getting that functionality back without having to mess with the default installation?