Description Markus Keller 2012-05-07 10:19:16 EDT

Part tab and tool bar colors/rendering are confusing since they lack a common concept. The colors are assigned seemingly random and don't convey semantics (active/inactive, foreground/background, cohesion between widgets of the active part).

In 3.8, rendering was based on a few simple concepts:
- active part is colorful, rest is gray
- frontmost inactive editor tab is white (this was already a questionable choice)
- view toolbars and menu/min/max have a normal widget background color (gray)


In 4.2, I don't find similar concepts, but a lot of contradicting mixtures:

- active part tab is white, but gets a gray gradient when part stack loses focus
  => why a gradient (attracting visual focus) when it is unfocused?

- inactive part tab is
  - colorful when another tab in the same part stack is focused
  - white (with dimmed foreground) when a different part stack is focused
    => why different colors for inactive tabs?
    => why change the color of an inactive tab just because another tab in the
       same part stack gains/loses focus?
    => why is it white when white now means "active tab"?

- the part toolbar background is
  - white for inactive parts
    => why is it white when white now means "active tab"?
  - gray gradient when part stack is active and tool bar fits on first line
    => why does the active tool bar have the same color as inactive part tabs?
  - white when part stack is active and tool bar wraps to second line
    => why does the active tool bar change colors?

- In 3.0, a colored box was added around the active part to make it more visible. In 4.2, this feature is lost, but a large useless white border was added (bug 355949).