Enable user to import custom icons with the file menu and/or automatically from a specified directory.

[Mr. R]

Disclaimer: This ticket is about a customization feature only!

General Statement

I want the user to be able to import custom virtual machine OS icons with a file menu and store its file location in a configuration file (or possibly the registry for Windows, if VirtualBox uses this for configuration), and/or I want VirtualBox to automatically import icons from a specified directory that the user decides with a Preference setting, or by default, which would be ~/.VirtualBox/icons/ (Linux) and "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\.VirtualBox\icons\" (Windows NT). If the default directory does not exist, and the preference defines that it must import from this directory, VirtualBox should create this empty directory if given the proper file permissions, otherwise display it as a warning, not an error. Finally, if the file is imported from another location besides the directory for the custom icons, the selected file should be copied to that directory.

Once an icon has been imported, the user should be able to select it from a ​drop-down list in Settings > General, and a text label should say the exact string before the list:

  Icon:

The other option to import icons from a directory (and all subdirectories for that matter) should be in Settings > Advanced and display:

  [C] Import icons automatically
  [ <Directory of icon list>  ▼ ]

• [C] is a ​check box. When checked, icons are imported from the directory tree. Otherwise, no importing is done automatically.
• The second line is an ASCII representation of a drop-down list (see above).
• <Directory of icon list> shows a full path with the text cut off at a specific width (the width does not need to match the one represented in the above ASCII figure. Fit the width in the ​paned window below the Advanced tab.)

---

First, I understand that the predefined icons serve a purpose. They are integrated because they have predefined settings for each new virtual machine that the user creates ^{[citation needed]}. In this case, it only makes implementation more difficult if developers decide to completely remove the predefined ones that may contain suggested settings, which include memory, CPU, and peripheral settings ^{[citation needed]}. But this is NOT any part of the issue. Instead, it is the inability to use other icons for a simple purpose such as customization and appearance.

Should users wish to replace the icon image with a more desirable, preferable or distinctive alternative, grant each user of VirtualBox this ability.

The other small problem is choice between giving the user ability to import custom icons from a file menu or automatically from a directory. Importing from a directory seems easier for the developer and might be more preferable for users. A quick import from a file browser may actually be a effort worth doing, since the images will be copied to the defined icon folder anyway.

To concur, the importance level of this issue I will weigh and should be weighed on user reviews, concern and critique, appropriately as to never exceed minor.

• Ticket reported by: Mr. R

_{Note: I respect all the work developers have contributed in the creation of VirtualBox. Feel free to remove any suggestions and "shoulds" from this ticket.}

[Christian Pötzsch]

I don't think we will do that. This may only important for a small count of users. It will blow up the GUI with a not important configuration dialog which most of the users out there will not use. We try to keep it simple. If you need custom icons, you can try to build the OSE version yourself and replace the standard icons there.

[SchemaCzar]

Request is poorly conceived and justified. I'm filing a new one.