Show project title next to version at bottom of screen

[Goldenlion5648]

Problem or limitation

I am on hyprland, and there is no top bar for the engine window (or any other windows) like there is on windows. This is a screenshot of my full screen:

This makes it hard to know which project window I currently have open at a glance if I have multiple projects open at once.

Proposed improvement

Add the project title next to the existing version number at the bottom of the screen, like this (this example project is called "some testing project"):

Proposal review

• Yes, this proposal is highly specific and actionable.

[Calinou]

I am on hyprland, and there is no top bar for the engine window (or any other windows) like there is on windows.

This would be addressed by #4846 once it's implemented on Linux.

There are also other ways projects could be better distinguished without looking at the window title, e.g. by letting each project define an accent color displayed at all times somewhere in the editor. I had a proof of concept for this a while ago:

• Add an editor window color project setting godot#34528

[Goldenlion5648]

@Calinou The problem with the accent color approach is that if I have many testing projects open, they will all likely have the default accent theme. Or if I just want the editor to always look the same I probably wouldn't set a different color theme for each project.

[HolonProduction]

IntelliJ does this and I think it just picks a different accent for each project by default. Not sure of it's random or hash based.

[addmix]

I like the concept of this, and it already exists in godot to some extent (I see that you're on linux, so you don't have the same title bar) But I think the title bar is a little bit crowded, as it shows unsaved changes and the currently open scene.

I think down at the bottom near the engine version wouldn't be the best place, but I think this area could be better (possibly rename "Project" to "Project - (project name)"?)

[Naros]

I think down at the bottom near the engine version wouldn't be the best place, but I think this area could be better (possibly rename "Project" to "Project - (project name)"?)

That would be extremely awkward for projects with long names, as it would create an unusual amount of distance between the Project menu and the items that follow. Additionally, because real estate can be a concern on smaller screens, the main tab navigation is pushed further to the right.

[addmix]

Yeah, I'm mainly just trying to throw some alternative ideas out there, if the original idea is having issues.

[Naros]

I would rather see something with a bit more usability and purpose than just the project name.

For example, today, if a user wants to swap between projects, you need to navigate Project > Quit to Project List and then select the project and re-enter the editor. But what if there were a dropdown control that showed the active project name, and selecting a dropdown option closed and reopened the editor for that project, without having to navigate back to the project list?

Anyone who has used the newer UX layouts in IDEA or CLion is aware of this, and it's quite useful. In fact, it could even do what IDEA and CLion do: ask whether you want to open the project in the current editor or start a new editor instance.

So you get the OP's desired effect while gaining what I believe are relatively useful usability improvements.

As for placement, one option would be to the right of the RunBar in the top-right of the editor, but that's entirely a question for the broader usability team on where something like that makes the most sense.

[Calinou]

But what if there were a dropdown control that showed the active project name, and selecting a dropdown option closed and reopened the editor for that project, without having to navigate back to the project list?

I really like having this (coming from VS Code's Project Manager extension), so I suggest opening a dedicated proposal.

[Goldenlion5648]

It seems like overall people aren't a fan of this (I personally like it and have been using the linked PR).

I'll go ahead and close this proposal.

[Naros]

Hi @Goldenlion5648, I would recommend opening a new proposal, as Calinou suggested, based on my idea. It's inspired by your suggestion, but adds significantly more usability elements at the same time. I believe that would gain far more appeal.

[Goldenlion5648]

hi @Naros, I don't particularly want what you suggested, so you can open a proposal if you want that. I often want to open a different version of godot as well (I use godots) so your proposal wouldn't help me in that case.

I just wanted the project title to show because I do the above, and want to easily know which one I'm looking at.