[5.0] (Re)consider adding a "Show full filenames in asset thumbnails" accessibility setting

[mmikkel]

I've suggested this before, but as Craft 5.0 is poised to introduce a brand new design for large thumbnails in asset fields, I thought the idea was worth bringing up again :)

In my opinion, the decision to (re)introduce non-truncated filenames in Craft 5's asset thumbnails, is a bit problematic.

Due to the fully visible filenames, the asset thumbnail elements in Craft 5 asset fields tend to vary a lot in width. This makes for a much messier layout than in Craft 4, that is harder to scan, clunkier to sort, and less compact – with each thumbnail using more space than before (without the actual thumbnails themselves being noticeably bigger).

Here's an assets field with large thumbnails on Craft 4.7.4:

...and here's an equivalent field on Craft 5.0.0-beta.3:

The less compact design and uneven distribution can be especially noticeable in slideouts:

To me, "Large Thumbnails" feels like it has a relatively specific use case – i.e. to provide a view optimised for visual navigation, in cases where the user (or developer) feels that this will be the most effective way to manage the files. A lot of the time, filenames are typically trash – and in this context the tradeoff in visual coherence doesn't feel worth it to me, in most cases.

Curiously, asset element indexes in the 5.0.0-beta.3 still use truncated filenames for the thumb view. The element index seems like it's using a completely different UI element though, so maybe the new one just haven't been implemented there yet?

I do appreciate that the full filenames has likely been introduced due to accessibility concerns. Personally I think a new accessibility setting opting in to the non-truncated version would be a good solution; ideally this setting would also affect thumbs in asset element indexes, for a consistent user experience.

[thupsi]

+1 from me for making this optional. This impacts usability in a negative way for many users I think. A scannable and compact grid is good for everyone.

[brandonkelly]

We just released Craft 5.0.0-beta.6, which brings back asset title truncation, and shows tooltips on hover/focus with the full asset titles instead. (#14502)