User:Pino/Handling icons - Revision history

Pino: small bits

2011-07-11T23:56:14Z

small bits

Pino: more content

2011-05-28T16:00:37Z

Pino: first draft

2011-05-24T21:30:26Z

first draft

New page

{{warning|This is '''not''' an official page.}}
{{Under Construction}}

== Installing ==

=== Compact naming ===

One of the most common ways to name icons in sources is a "compact" form which includes various details. The format is the following:

<pre><theme><size>-<context>-<name>.<extension></pre>

Where:
* ''theme'': the two-letter name of the icon theme; for example:
** <tt>hi</tt>: hicolor
** <tt>ox</tt>: Oxygen
** <tt>cr</tt>: Crystal SVG
** <tt>lo</tt>: locolor
* ''size'': the size of the icon in pixels (e.g. <tt>24</tt> for a 24x24 icon), with the special value <tt>sc</tt> for scalable icons in SVG(Z) format
* ''context'': the context for the icon, as specified in either the [http://standards.freedesktop.org/icon-theme-spec/icon-theme-spec-latest.html XDG icon theme specification] or the [http://standards.freedesktop.org/icon-naming-spec/icon-naming-spec-latest.html XDG icon naming specification]; e.g. <tt>app</tt> for application icons, <tt>mime</tt> for MIME type icons, and so on
* ''name'': the real name of the icon
* ''extension'': the extension of the icon, e.g. <tt>png</tt>, <tt>svg</tt>, etc

=== Installing with CMake (KDE 4) ===

To install icons with the CMake buildsystem using the KDE4 macros, you just need to use
<pre>kde4_install_icons(<installation directory>)</pre>
This CMake macros takes '''all''' the icons with a "compact" naming in the current directory, and installs them in the <installation directory> specified. Hence, if you want to install some icons in one location and some in another, the only solution you have is to put the icons in different directories with ad-hoc <tt>kde4_install_icons()</tt> calls.

<installation directory> is usually
* <tt>${ICON_INSTALL_DIR}</tt>: installs the icons in the <tt>share/icons</tt> subdirectory of the installation prefix.
* <tt>${DATA_INSTALL_DIR}/''applicationname''/icons</tt>: locally for an application only (see also the section below)

== Choosing the right icon theme and installation directory ==

There are few things to keep into account when choosing which icon theme use for icons, and which directory install them into.

=== Own application icon ===

When install the icon of your own application, you want to make it used by any other user, regarless of which icon theme they are using. Because of this:
* use the <tt>hi</tt> (hicolor) icon theme, which is the only common denominator (called also ''fallback theme'') among any icon theme
* use <tt>${ICON_INSTALL_DIR}</tt> as installation directory, as it allows the icon to be seen by all the other applications installed in the same prefix

=== Other icons for own application ===

TODO

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 === Application icon ===
-When install the application icon of an application (i.e. the icon representing the application, usually named after the application itself), you want to make it used by anyone, regarless of which icon theme they are using. Because of this:
+When install the application icon of an application (i.e. the icon representing the application, usually named after the application itself), you want to make it used by anyone, regardless of which icon theme they are using. Because of this:
 * use the <tt>hi</tt> (hicolor) icon theme
 * use <tt>${ICON_INSTALL_DIR}</tt> as installation directory, as it allows the icon to be seen by all the other applications installed in the same prefix
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 This is the case for KDE applications with nothing like plugins for plugin systems not of the own application itself (like kparts, kioslaves, konqueror service menus, etc). In this case:
-* use the <tt>hi</tt> (hicolor) icon theme, which is the only common denominator (called also ''fallback theme'') among any icon theme
+* use the <tt>hi</tt> (hicolor) icon theme
 * use <tt>${DATA_INSTALL_DIR}/''applicationname''/icons</tt> as installation directory
 Installing the icons in a ''icons'' subdirectory of the application data directory allows the application to make use of them without "polluting" the global icon theme with application-specific icons, but still making icon themes able to ''override'' the <tt>hicolor</tt> icons of the application with own icons.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Where:
-* ''theme'': the two-letter name of the icon theme; for example:
+* ''theme'': the two-letter name of the icon theme; supported themes are:
 ** <tt>hi</tt>: hicolor
 ** <tt>ox</tt>: Oxygen
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 === Installing with CMake (KDE 4) ===
-To install icons with the CMake buildsystem using the KDE4 macros, you just need to use
+To install icons with the CMake buildsystem using the KDE4 macros, you just need to use one macro:
 <pre>kde4_install_icons(<installation directory>)</pre>
 <installation directory> is usually
 * <tt>${ICON_INSTALL_DIR}</tt>: installs the icons in the <tt>share/icons</tt> subdirectory of the installation prefix.
 * <tt>${DATA_INSTALL_DIR}/''applicationname''/icons</tt>: locally for an application only (see also the section below)
 == Choosing the right icon theme and installation directory ==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 There are few things to keep into account when choosing which icon theme use for icons, and which directory install them into.
-=== Own application icon ===
+One thing to remember is that the <tt>hicolor</tt> icon theme (called ''fallback theme'') is the only common denimonator among all the possible icon themes.
-When install the icon of your own application, you want to make it used by any other user, regarless of which icon theme they are using. Because of this:
+=== Application icon ===
-* use the <tt>hi</tt> (hicolor) icon theme, which is the only common denominator (called also ''fallback theme'') among any icon theme
 * use <tt>${ICON_INSTALL_DIR}</tt> as installation directory, as it allows the icon to be seen by all the other applications installed in the same prefix
-=== Other icons for own application ===
+=== Simple application, other icons ===
-TODO
+Installing the icons in a ''icons'' subdirectory of the application data directory allows the application to make use of them without "polluting" the global icon theme with application-specific icons, but still making icon themes able to ''override'' the <tt>hicolor</tt> icons of the application with own icons.