Show contextual tools in the toolbar based on selected node

[boukew99]

Describe the project you are working on

Small drawing tool with Control containers and line2D and a flying 2D spaceship game with a sizeable map. Here I use the move tool grid tool and contextual toolbar items for Line2D and control nodes a lot.

Describe the problem or limitation you are having in your project

The issue I have is that I have to "process" all the tools to a certain degree each time I use the toolbar even though some of them are only relevant. And the contextual items are placed at the end even though they are the most relevant most of the time.
And in the past, when I was still learning the editor, it was not obvious that certain nodes had contextual items in the toolbar.

Describe the feature / enhancement and how it helps to overcome the problem or limitation

Show only the tools in the toolbar relevant to that node. The tools that are node independent are placed at the end since they will not change.

Thus only the tools that can be used have to be "processed", the contextual tools are closer by and improve discoverability of the tools.

Describe how your proposal will work, with code, pseudo-code, mock-ups, and/or diagrams

Sketches for the Node, Node2D and Control nodes:

If this enhancement will not be used often, can it be worked around with a few lines of script?

No, it is the editor.

Is there a reason why this should be core and not an add-on in the asset library?

Could be an improvement to usability and discoverability of the editor, but lets see if it makes sense outside my use case.

[AaronRecord]

Not sure if this was ever implemented but reduz suggested something like that here: #14 (comment)

[boukew99]

@LightningAA thanks, that issue mentions I think the same problem. It also functionally proposes the same, which is a split between the tools:

1. options that persist
2. tool related options (curve tools in the example below)

Then it will be clearer that there are contextual tools, which could prevent the confusion.
Don't know for sure, but reduz's solution probably does not work very well besides beginners, since it would attract to much attention.

Note: I am also proposing some of the persisting tools become dynamic too. For example the pivot tool
, which enables when you have a Control selected. I think nowhere else in godot it is done like that.

[lentsius-bark]

Hey, being the author of the aforementioned issue, I'm in full support of making the menus contextual. Heck even splitting the menus in a meaningful way that follows the design philosophy.
One of the main problems of my proposal was that the design was too far off Godot's design principles hence why it couldn't be put in.
I still believe that the top bar could undergo a redesign for 4.0 where things are still taking shape, though it would need a thought-out design that works in all cases. In any case I like your idea, as the top bar would just always only show relevant icons, the user would get accustomed to the the fact that things change up there and would actually check it to see whether anything new is up there.
I see few options for the extra functionality of the other nodes (ie Path, Polygons etc... which arent the base types)

• stay in the top panel
• add a section to the inspector
• a new overlay panel in a corner somewhere

just my 2 cents, hope we can come to the best possible solution somehow

[lentsius-bark]

I may/may not have got carried away again:

But the idea is that there could be an extra panel on the side. Where the top panel would serve for general tools and the side one for node/context specific ones.

edit: updated image

[AaronRecord]

@lentsius-bark That's an interesting idea, but I think it might look better if the black bar only went down as far as the tools, and maybe if instead if a solid black the background could be translucent.

[lentsius-bark]

Only problem is that translucency isn't really used by the engine anywhere, I remember unity once posted an image of a plausible redesign for their editor where they did something akin to that with a floating panel that was tool contextual:

Truth be told I remember thinking that they were heavily inspired by godot's UI

[boukew99]

Preferably you want to keep a toolbar horizontal, because vertical is more sequential to read and thus slower.

Maybe we could put (some of) the play scene buttons with the static tools. play current scene, pause and stop fit there and then the game camera override button would be more discoverable too in the toolbar.

[boukew99]

rough concept:

Maybe the problems was higher up so put the viewport tabs closer to the toolbar, so it is more obvious that it changes with different viewport. Now you can also place specific buttons to that viewport behind it, giving more space for node specific tools in the toolbar. Thus scene tabs were placed on the top bar, which I think also make sense, since they change the SceneTree and inspector also beside the viewport. There was not really a place to put the menu's thus put them in a burger menu. The play scene buttons make more sense since they are in the same row as the scenes.
Not sure yet about the viewport buttons and toolbar yet.

[boukew99]

This issue is solved with a highlighted underline for contextual actions in the current 4.0 devbuild so I will close this.