[Enhancement] UX improvements for Tasks (search label + redundant delete icon) & shortcuts

kodebarista commented

2026-05-06 18:32:17 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Issue/Description:
There are a couple of UX elements that could be improved for better clarity and visual cleanliness:

The search field label uses “Search tasks,” which can feel generic. Using a more contextual label like “Search todos” (when the list name is "Todos") may improve clarity depending on the list context. Is it redundant, provided the title at the top?

The delete button at the end of the edit section includes both an icon and text, making the icon feel redundant and visually noisy.

Expected Behavior:

The search field label should be context-aware (e.g., “Search issues” or list-specific naming).
The delete button in the edit section should remove the icon and keep only the text for a cleaner UI.

**Issue/Description:** There are a couple of UX elements that could be improved for better clarity and visual cleanliness: 1. The search field label uses “Search tasks,” which can feel generic. Using a more contextual label like “Search todos” (when the list name is "Todos") may improve clarity depending on the list context. Is it redundant, provided the title at the top? <img height="400" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/240541d0-9f10-402b-926e-8169545c3930" /> 2. The delete button at the end of the edit section includes both an icon and text, making the icon feel redundant and visually noisy. <img height="400" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fa007d15-fcb7-41f9-9612-88fe6fb2257d" /> **Expected Behavior:** - The search field label should be context-aware (e.g., “Search issues” or list-specific naming). - The delete button in the edit section should remove the icon and keep only the text for a cleaner UI.

kodebarista commented

2026-05-06 18:48:31 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Issue: Ctrl + I for Set icon is overriding About tasks...

Enhancement Request:

Ctrl + F to trigger search bar
Ctrl + H to toggle hidden items

Perhaps it should also be moved to File menu like COSMIC Files & toggling it affects all the lists, making it universal across the app. This means removing the checkbox from top, near the search icon which is kinda confusing.

- Issue: `Ctrl + I` for `Set icon` is overriding `About tasks...` **Enhancement Request:** - `Ctrl + F` to trigger search bar - `Ctrl + H` to toggle hidden items Perhaps it should also be moved to File menu like COSMIC Files & toggling it affects all the lists, making it universal across the app. This means removing the checkbox from top, near the search icon which is kinda confusing.

edfloreshz commented

2026-05-06 19:11:30 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Do you have any suggestion as to where the delete button should be placed? I'm not too happy with its current position.

kodebarista commented

2026-05-06 19:15:54 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Perhaps Maria could help with this task.

kodebarista commented

2026-05-07 02:06:24 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Another small thing I noticed is the Notes section, it has a thinner border compared to search in COSMIC Apps, also observe the change in border padding when hovered vs selected.

Example from Files
Hovered vs Selected

thicker border for both states
more padding when selected

current impl has the same UI for both states

Another small thing I noticed is the Notes section, it has a thinner border compared to search in COSMIC Apps, also observe the change in border padding when hovered vs selected. Example from Files Hovered vs Selected - thicker border for both states - more padding when selected <img height="50" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d8da3652-42e7-4819-8025-127c818a4863" /> <img height="50" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e1e5caf6-e23b-4c16-a68b-9b0ea9fe25fe" /> current impl has the same UI for both states <img height="179" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9c000194-a4f4-4b16-aae6-05bb491fe508" />

kodebarista commented

2026-05-08 06:53:39 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

This is a compilation of all the requested UX changes

Using list name inside the search-bar, if list name is "Issues" then "Search issues" as hint-text
Keep "Delete" text & remove icon from context-drawer delete icon
Textfield hover & focus state
Implement handy shortcuts
- Ctrl + F to trigger search bar
- Ctrl + H to toggle completed tasks
- Ctrl + Tab to switch between recent lists (just like browser tabs)
Perhaps "Hide completed" should be moved to File menu under view with this label "Show completed tasks" with check, similar to how hidden files toggle is implemented in COSMIC Files.
This will apply to all lists which also means removing the checkbox from top of each list, near the search icon, which is kinda confusing without labels. User can only understand how it works after toggling it.

These suggestions are made to match Tasks with system app UX such as COSMIC Files.

This is a compilation of all the requested UX changes - Using list name inside the search-bar, if list name is "Issues" then "Search issues" as hint-text - Keep "Delete" text & remove icon from context-drawer `delete icon` - [Textfield hover & focus state](https://github.com/cosmic-utils/tasks/issues/117#issuecomment-4393639608) - Implement handy shortcuts - `Ctrl + F` to trigger search bar - `Ctrl + H` to toggle completed tasks - `Ctrl + Tab` to switch between recent lists (just like browser tabs) - Perhaps "Hide completed" should be moved to File menu under `view` with this label "Show completed tasks" with check, similar to how hidden files toggle is implemented in COSMIC Files. - This will apply to all lists which also means removing the checkbox from top of each list, near the search icon, which is kinda confusing without labels. User can only understand how it works after toggling it. These suggestions are made to match Tasks with system app UX such as COSMIC Files.

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[Enhancement] UX improvements for Tasks (search label + redundant delete icon) & shortcuts #117