FEATURE: The Renaissance of Tiles: Keeping the Menu Tiles Alive on Linux

[gleyconJ]

Hello jackwhite!

I have been a fan of "Menu Tiles" since Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows Phone 7, 8, and 10. I believe that the "tile" system is infinitely superior to "icons." Unfortunately, the general public did not embrace this form of organization, creating a niche group of users.

Attempts to bring this mode of use to various platforms have been quite limited compared to its potential. It's essentially an "icon" mode disguised as "tiles."

Describe the solution you'd like

I'm writing not to criticize, but to congratulate you for keeping this feature alive within Linux, unlike Microsoft, which completely killed it. However, it is impossible not to ask for a little more. I know it's difficult for programmers to hear requests that might seem absurd or unrelated to the given proposal. Unfortunately, I have no programming skills, I'm just a tech enthusiast.

I would love to see a product similar to this one: Square Home.

I have been using it on my Android for years, and if there was something identical on Plasma, it would be a dream come true. The power of this "launcher" surpasses even the original from Windows 8.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Even if you don't accept this idea, the Tiled Screen currently needs the ability to let us put images instead of icons on the app "tiles." This is a minimum feature for this type of launcher.

See this example:

The user's games have images (like wallpapers) instead of icons. And the programs have customized icons.

Additional context

Well, that's it. I hope to touch your heart and that you accept this challenge. 😇😇😇

[kavinunethsara]

I have added image support for icon tiles in the latest version.
What do you miss out from Square Home? If it's support for widgets and custom/live tiles, It's already implemented. Installing and creating them were a bit of a manual process, but the latest version have included tile installer and a website for donwloading new ones. If there's anything else missing, please let me know

[gleyconJ]

Just saw your new website! I'd like to congratulate you! It's great. This is definitely what a launcher like these needs.

I saw that we already have two Plasmoids to install in the Menu, and that's a huge step forward.

But I read the entire documentation and dug around in the application a lot, but I couldn't change icons to images in any way. I can, yes, put a background image on a tile, but it's an image tile, it doesn't call any application. As for the tiles that call applications, there's only the option to change the icon background with solid colors, there's no option to put a background image. I even tried to put an image in place of the icon, what happened is that the menu now closes by itself when I try to edit the tile in question. And I had to delete this tile to avoid Plasma restarts.

QUESTION 1: how do I put images instead of solid colors on the tiles?

Now an observation. You asked me what's missing to compete with “Square Home”. Well, below I'll mention some fundamental elements. And if it's easy to implement, it would be a blessing.

First, I'll mention the elements I consider essential, I mean items that are practically mandatory to separate the “tile mode” from the “icon mode”:

🔴 The “tile” has a layer where we have the label and the icon inside a square, however, if it stops here, it's nothing more than a stylized icon. To have the spirit of a “tile” it needs to have two or more layers. In the current stage of your launcher, it only has this initial layer.

🔴 A second layer would be for the “tiles” to unconditionally have the ability to retrieve application notifications into themselves. Example: Plasma 6 sends you a WhatsApp notification to an icon called “Status & Notifications”. This same content will appear on the tile. Creating a second layer.

🔴 A third layer would be the ability to put an image to serve as a “thumbnail” or “wallpaper”.

🔴 Thus, the “tiles” come to life! Basically, they have three layers: a text and icon only layer. An image only layers (if any). A notification layer. And these three layers alternate consecutively/randomly: 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 2, and so on.

Well, this is the core of a “tile”.

Now I'll mention second-level priority characteristics.

🟡 The “tiles” have the ability to pull thumbnails of the application's documents. For example:
➡️ An application like Gwenview, its tile, would download a slide of the last images opened in the program. Windows 8 or 10 tiles usually varied between 7 and 10 last images read by the program.
➡️ An application like “Kate” would do the same with the last text files opened within it.
➡️ The “Discovery” application would have a slide show of at least 7 to 10 featured applications (or simply those that appear in: “most popular”); being a layer with one or two images of these programs. In the case of “Discovery”, there would be even more layers, like the 7 or 10 last comments posted in the store. A third layer would show the text that appears in the “Update” tab.

🟡 When you click with the alternate button on the tile, it will open the shortcuts for you to configure the functionalities of the clicked “tile”, however, if you click with the main mouse button on that tile and hold for more than a second a context menu appears with the main activities of this application, in short, it's the same menu when we click on an icon in the application bar.
➡️ Example: Falkon should contain this: A history of the 5 last sites opened. A button to forget the recent ones. A button for new window, a button for new private window, a button for new tab.

There are other 🟡 yellow level items, but to avoid going on too long, I put these examples above in a very elaborate way.

Now let's go to importance level 3 items.

🟢 The “tiles” can be grouped inside a tile folder. When you click on this folder it expands showing all the tiles that are inside it, but unlike an icon folder that opens and shows what's inside. This tile folder is tiles inside a tile. That works like a curtain that goes up and down.

🟢 Another interesting “tile” feature exclusive to “Square Home” is the ability to create a tile cube. Just like the Compiz cube, but each side of this cube contains a tile. And you access the sides of the cube by sliding the mouse with a gesture (up, down, right and left).

🟢 You can have more tile panels. In Windows Phone or Windows 8, we only had one tile panel and one icon panel. But in Square Home, we can have as many tile panels as requested.

Well, I know that many features there can be considered frills. However, those that I put in 🔴 red color I consider essential for the concept. And also the notification layer inside the tile I consider ultra useful. In the following sense: the standard notifications are deleted when you clear them in the clear button, or when I open the notifications. But the notifications of the “tiles” don't disappear like that, they will only disappear when you open the application, otherwise, they will remain persistent until the application is opened.”