[libreoffice-design] UI suggestion: “Pick UI Element” tool for Appearance customization - yes im partly human..

Yea sure that shit is made by AI. but the idea in your unholy mess is
this...

Yes ok lets to that. But it would need to be a magnifying glass that lights
up closes thing that can me modified. when it's blinking. tapping mouse
takes me to setting where it's modified. NOT a wall of settings, the
setting that was blinking.


Hello LibreOffice Design Team,

I have a usability suggestion for the Appearance customization system.

I recently wanted to change the color of a very specific interface element
in Calc: the borders around the row and column headers.

LibreOffice provides an impressive number of appearance settings, but the
difficult part is discovering *which setting corresponds to the element I
can actually see on screen*. The Appearance list contains many entries such
as Shadow color, Separator color, Active border color, Button color, Calc
Grid, and so on. Even when the desired customization exists, finding it can
become trial and error.

I think this could be solved with a *“Pick UI Element”* or *“Inspect
Appearance”* tool, represented by a magnifying-glass icon.

The interaction I have in mind is:

   1. Click the magnifying-glass / Pick UI Element button.
   2. Move the pointer over the LibreOffice interface.
   3. The nearest UI element that has a customizable appearance property
   highlights or blinks.
   4. The highlight shows exactly which element would be selected — a
   border, background, text, toolbar area, row header, etc.
   5. Click that element.
   6. LibreOffice opens the Appearance settings *directly on the exact
   property that controls the blinking element*.

The important part is that the click should not merely open the general
Appearance page or a long list of settings. It should navigate directly to
the setting responsible for the selected element.

For example:

*Pick UI Element → point at Calc column-header border → border blinks →
click → LibreOffice opens the exact color/property controlling that border.*

If multiple customizable elements overlap, the closest or smallest element
could be selected first, with an optional way to cycle through underlying
or parent elements.

If an element cannot currently be customized, the inspector could simply
report that the element is not customizable.

LibreOffice already provides extensive customization. I think the missing
piece is a direct connection between *what the user sees* and *the setting
that controls it*.

Instead of:

*See element → guess its internal terminology → search a long settings list
→ change something → check result → repeat*

it becomes:

*See element → point → click → edit.*

I think this would make the existing Appearance system substantially easier
to discover and use without removing any of its advanced options.

Regards,
*[Your real name]*

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