Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

mint4all · 2020-03-24 16:35:36

Greetings! I am upgrading several systems from Linux Mint 18.3 (all running XFCE 4.12, Gtk2-based) to Linux Mint 19.3 (running XFCE 4.14, Gtk3-based). These systems have the following setting in their "xsettings.xml" file:

<property name="IconSizes" type="string" value="gtk-menu=24,24:gtk-button=28,28:panel-menu=24,24"/>

After the upgrade, all those enlarged icons have reverted back to their original, default size of 16x16px -- a bit too tiny for my oldster friends' eyes.

Any suggestions how to get those larger icon sizes reinstated under XFCE 4.14? Thanks.

ToZ · 2020-03-24 17:50:32

IconSizes is no longer supported in Gtk3 (see: https://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/stable … icon-sizes). For the most part, you need to increase the size of the container widget to increase the icon size.

Specifically which icons are you looking to resize? Perhaps there is an css hack that can do that.

Also, have you looked at the Window scaling (HiDPi) capabilities (Settings Manager > Appearance > Settings > Window Scaling)?

mint4all · 2020-03-24 21:28:31

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply!

Honestly, I am a bit disappointed over the disappearance of a useful feature. The "containers" I am intent on visualy retrofitting with larger image sizes are: the categoies and individual menu items on the native xfce-menus (both the panel-applet and desktop pop-up), the button-sizes on those launcher-buttons that are setup inside a main launcher, like multiple sub-apps, and the action-button images on various pop-up windows. I can take screenshots of what it looks like under 4.12 vs. 4.14, but what's the point? Screen-scaling is not an option since the displays didn't change their dimensions (ie 1920x1090, 1600x1200, 1280x1024 etc) or dpi (all 96dpi).

Basically, this is more an issue of aging evesights vs. certain objects -- not all of them -- previously quite visible but now being visibkly shrunk by 40-50%. So where do i begin coding a gtk3.css to fix this "deprecation"?

Last edited by mint4all (2020-03-24 21:29:28)

ToZ · 2020-03-24 22:24:08

Having a look at menus, you could try:

menuitem label { min-height: 32px }
menuitem image { -gtk-icon-transform: scale(1.75); }

...in ~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css, but you might not be happy with it. The icon is up-scaled and looks blurry. I can't seem to find a way to adjust the container holding the icon though - it doesn't look like its accessible.

mint4all · 2020-03-24 23:31:09

Thank you for researching this issue. I'll give it a try and let you know how it works out.

mint4all · 2020-03-26 22:12:20

@ Toz ...

Well, i thank you again for and tested your suggetion. It worked just as you said, and was just as disappointing. But this still boggles my mind, though: why replace a useful, perfectly working function with something that does NOT, and CANNOT, produce the identical result? This could possibly work only under one condition: the underlying icon source is of the .svg type (scalable vector graphic, an xml-based image format), but those exist typically in the 96px and up size, not in 16px size which is what xfce4.14 has chosen to use.

Because it is a known fact that raster-graphic images (.png-type) scale-up terribly, and scale-down barely acceptable, what gives? Perhaps xfce could be made to look first for .svg icons by default before searching for other formats? But that doesn't really solve my problem since many icon sets do not come with scalable icons for apps, and those few that do only come in 96px size (ie Faenza and Obsidian). So therein lies the rub. I am very disappointed ...

ToZ · 2020-03-26 22:38:00

Unfortunately, I don't have any answers other than to re-state this was a GTK3 decision.

It might be possible for the Xfce developers to code a workaround (it would probably be a large work effort, complicated and messy), but you'll need to follow up with bug reports for that. Before you do, though, have a look at these:
- https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11757
- https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10848
- https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5237

palacs · 2020-04-29 00:28:33

So why exactly did you insist so much on porting Xfce to GTK3?

We still don't have the GTK3 counterparts of original Xfce themes. Will they ever be ported? It doesn't seem so.

After 3-4 years of development, we still don't have entire Xfce as GTK3 so quarter or half of applications are in GTK2, the other half are GTK3. Worst constellation ever.

The most popular stock-phrase reason about moving to GTK3 is always some shiny stuff about HiDPI screens (which only the minority of users possess but that doesn't seem to matter). So much ironic that deprecated IconSizes destroys usability mostly on HiDPI screens where a 16x16 icon is a real problem.

It would've been so good if Xfce developers maintained a GTK2-only version until all Xfce apps are completely ported to GTK3 and GTK2 gets phased out completely from distributions. Too bad their efforts were spent on moving toward an immature, less stable and more bloated toolkit (GTK3). The only thing I feel sad about is that these releases get into stable distributions like Debian Stretch and Buster and issues we encounter will never be fixed without rebuilding xfce packages of our own.

Last edited by palacs (2020-04-29 00:29:23)

eriefisher · 2020-04-29 12:04:51

palacs wrote:

So why exactly did you insist so much on porting Xfce to GTK3?

As far as I know this is not ToZ's fault in any way.

palacs wrote:

We still don't have the GTK3 counterparts of original Xfce themes. Will they ever be ported? It doesn't seem so.

Feel free to grab one and port it to GTK3. Developers are always welcome I'm sure

palacs wrote:

It would've been so good if Xfce developers maintained a GTK2-only version until all Xfce apps are completely ported to GTK3 and GTK2 gets phased out completely from distributions. Too bad their efforts were spent on moving toward an immature, less stable and more bloated toolkit (GTK3). The only thing I feel sad about is that these releases get into stable distributions like Debian Stretch and Buster and issues we encounter will never be fixed without rebuilding xfce packages of our own.

Also as far as I know version 4.14 is not available in Stretch or Buster. Bullseye does have it though. Other that a few themes I think the devs have done a nice job. I can accept that as there are plenty of choices.

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#1 2020-03-24 16:35:36

Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#2 2020-03-24 17:50:32

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#3 2020-03-24 21:28:31

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#4 2020-03-24 22:24:08

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#5 2020-03-24 23:31:09

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#6 2020-03-26 22:12:20

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#7 2020-03-26 22:38:00

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#8 2020-04-29 00:28:33

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

#9 2020-04-29 12:04:51

Re: Gtk3 equivalent for Gtk2's "IconSizes" (in xsettings.xml)

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