#7503 NORM Never A: visual highlighting of icons shown by Frame

[Zarro Boogs per Child]

#7503: visual highlighting of icons shown by Frame
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 Reporter:  mikus         |         Owner:                                   
     Type:  enhancement   |        Status:  new                              
 Priority:  normal        |     Milestone:  Never Assigned                   
Component:  not assigned  |       Version:  Development build as of this date
 Keywords:                |   Next_action:  never set                        
 Verified:  0             |     Blockedby:                                   
 Blocking:                |  
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 Until 'tab' support becomes universal, I frequently launch multiple
 instances of an Activity (e.g., Terminal).  When I invoke the Frame, it is
 difficult to tell which of the Activity-icons I'm being shown is the one I
 want to return to.

 To differentiate one instance of an Activity from another instance, the
 general approach taken by Sugar is to have the user *type in* (IMHO - at
 considerable effort) an appropriate label in the text field in the header
 (top bar) of the Activity pane.  But only the Journal shows this "Activity
 label" - not the Frame.

 What would allow the user to visually identify an activity instance would
 be to have a facility (in the header of the Activity pane) to HIGHLIGHT
 the icon representing that activity instance.

 Since the color of the activity icon itself is reserved to indicate which
 *user* initiated that activity, I'm proposing that the BACKGROUND of the
 activity icon be used to "highlight" that icon.  The icon itself should be
 shown within the header (top bar) of the activity pane.  As the user
 clicks on that icon, its background can cycle through a sequence of colors
 (or textures, or superimposed shapes).  The background highlight which the
 user ends up selecting then gets applied wherever (e.g., the Frame) the
 icon for that activity instance gets shown.

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 p.s.  I have very little practical experience with "notifications".  But
 from seeing situations where a dark-colored icon was "pulsing" against a
 black background, I feel that a dark-on-dark "notification" would draw
 insufficient attention to itself.  Let me suggest that when there is
 something the user *needs* to be made aware of (e.g., a "notification"),
 that the BACKGROUND of what is being shown be visually highlighted (e.g.,
 by using a "fluorescent pink" color, or a super-thick enclosing box).

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Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/7503>
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