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feat(quickshell): add dock app finder - #3607

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x-leehe:feat/dock-app-finder
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feat(quickshell): add dock app finder#3607
x-leehe wants to merge 5 commits into
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x-leehe:feat/dock-app-finder

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@x-leehe

@x-leehe x-leehe commented Aug 22, 2026 •
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Describe your changes

New experimental setting to use an app finder in Settings > Interface > Dock > App Finder.

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When you enable this option, the Overview on the Dock's Apps button is replaced with an app menu.

image

Is it ready? Questions/feedback needed?

Yes, tested locally. Deepseek V4 Flash involved in development since I do not really know about qt qml stuff.

Demo (Big thanks to @Sanaruca)

untitled.mp4

@x-leehe
feat(quickshell): add dock app finder
f5ac9bf 
- add app finder popup with search and category-based grouping
- add experimental option to replace overview button with app finder
- add app finder configuration UI in settings
@x-leehe

x-leehe commented Aug 22, 2026

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This PR is similar in concept to #2717 (application drawer), but with a different entry point: a popup panel from the dock button (with a config toggle) instead of scrolling inside the overview, plus category-based grouping. #2717 has been open for a while without being merged; this implementation is self-contained and independent.

x-leehe added 2 commits August 22, 2026 19:02
@x-leehe
feat(quickshell): rework app finder as grid drawer with resizable panel
edf6bc1 
- use GridView per category for a grid-style drawer (like ApplicationDrawer)
- add configurable panel width/height in settings
- add right-click context menu (copy path, pin to dock, properties)
- add properties dialog showing description, exec and categories
@x-leehe
fix(quickshell): add missing Quickshell.Io import and fix separator type
6073856
@Sanaruca

Sanaruca commented Aug 22, 2026

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View changes before testing them

New experimental setting to use an app finder in Settings > Interface > Dock > App Finder.

Pasted image

When you enable this option, the Overview on the Dock's Apps button is replaced with an app menu.

image

Demo

untitled.mp4

@Sanaruca

Sanaruca commented Aug 22, 2026

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Some key points:

  • The opening animation feels slow and laggy.
  • You can't navigate using the arrow keys.
  • The app doesn't launch when you click on it.
  • The hover effect is barely noticeable, especially in light mode.

x-leehe added 2 commits August 24, 2026 12:35
@x-leehe
feat(quickshell): improve app finder UX and add themed context menu
df535f9 
- add keyboard navigation (arrow keys + enter) with auto-scroll
- fix clicks being swallowed by the scrollable grid
- restore wheel scrolling with interactive flickable
- deepen hover/press colors with m3 theme colors
- add themed animated context menu with desktop actions
- add recent files section (KDE-style)
- make icon size adaptive, drop fixed iconSize config
@x-leehe
perf(quickshell): instant app finder open with short fade animation
9a80478 
- keep app grid loaded permanently so opening the drawer has no build delay
- replace long slide-from-below with a short 24px rise + fade
  (panel is almost fully visible right away, feels snappy)
@x-leehe

x-leehe commented Aug 24, 2026 •
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Some key points:

  • The opening animation feels slow and laggy.
  • You can't navigate using the arrow keys.
  • The app doesn't launch when you click on it.
  • The hover effect is barely noticeable, especially in light mode.

Thanks for the feedback! All four points addressed in the latest push:

  1. Opening animation: redesigned the animation and shortened from 350ms/250ms to 180ms/120ms for a snappier feel. Also, the grid is now kept loaded permanently so opening is instant, and the panel now uses a short 24px rise with a quick fade instead of a long slide-up.
  2. Keyboard navigation: arrow keys now move the selection (Up/Down jump by row), Enter launches the app, and the grid auto-scrolls to keep the selection visible.
  3. Click not launching: to be honest I didn't encounter this problem. Maybe the root cause was the scrollable grid stealing press events from the item delegates, Deepseek said so. I tried its fix by keeping the flickable non-interactive (wheel scrolling handled separately), so clicks always reach the app icons, but doesn't really sure about if it really fixes this problem.
  4. Hover visibility: switched to theme colors (m3secondaryContainer) with a deeper press state, clearly visible in both dark and light modes.

Also added a simple animated right-click context menu (copy path / pin / custom desktop actions like "open in incognito window"). Ready for any further review:)

@x-leehe

x-leehe commented Aug 24, 2026

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View changes before testing them...

I really appreciate the preview images and recordings! I've added them to the very beginning of the PR comment. As a college student, my time is quite limited right now with several papers approaching their deadlines, so I'm grateful for your help. Thanks again!

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@x-leehe @Sanaruca