Icons for Interface and Abstract class are not distinguished

[Motor-head]

Apache NetBeans version

Apache NetBeans 25

What happened

Netbeans 25 has same icons for Abstract class, Interface and regular java classes in the navigation panel. Previous versions had different icons.

Language / Project Type / NetBeans Component

No response

How to reproduce

Create New Interface file and Abstract class from Project explorer panel.
All three files will have same icons.

Netbeans 22 (update: 24 works too):

Netbeans 25:

Did this work correctly in an earlier version?

Apache NetBeans 24

Operating System

Debian 12

JDK

JDK 21

Apache NetBeans packaging

Apache NetBeans binary zip

Anything else

No response

Are you willing to submit a pull request?

No

[mbien]

seems to be a NB 25 regression. It does still work in NB 24, updating the version in the description

[mbien]

@eirikbakke could connected to the changes in ImageUtils/SVG icons.

[eirikbakke]

Good catch! Indeed, this is caused by the commit in PR #8083 . Though curiously, the right icons all seem to be in place, and inserting just the single java/java.source/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/resources/abstract_class_file.svg file makes it show up correctly. Perhaps a race condition or caching issue in/around java/java.source/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/JavaNode.java.

I suddenly got busy with another project, so I'll get back to this in a few weeks.

[mbien]

also the fact that nobody noticed it so far might indicate that the visual difference between those icons is a bit too small. We could check if there is a better way to represent class types. Maybe with letters A/I/R or increase color differences.

[eirikbakke]

I think the existing icons are quite good; and someone did notice! For icons I like to follow the 5 rules of vexillology. Rule 4 is "no lettering".

[mbien]

nobody noticed during RC or PR review otherwise we would have reverted or fixed it. Letters are just one way how to convey what class type it is.

Generic UI guidelines are nice but you are free to pick the rules and keep internal consistency. Other UI guidelines will recommend one color for all icons and no icons in menus or solve everything with shapes or silhouettes. Whatever works is great as long its internally consistent and ideally self explanatory.

navigator:

projects tree:

[eirikbakke]

Fixed in #8362. There was an unusual piece of logic that actually checked the "url" property of the Icon to see if it matched a certain file name. Since the icon URL now ends with ".svg" instead of ".gif" or ".png", that particular check failed.

Result after fix, with the new SVG icons now working properly for abstract classes and interfaces and others:

Thank you for reporting this!