Feature: Remove parentheses in price difference column.

[Just-Existing]

Feature

This PR addresses some of the problems described in issue #9203

Summary

I removed the parentheses from the price difference column.

Test Screenshots

Before:

After:

Checklist

To fulfill the consensus on this pull request, these criteria must be met:

• Remove parentheses.
• Add option to put parens back in.

(I moved the original checklist to this gist)

[OcelotWalrus]

Why would you remove the parentheses?

[Zireael07]

@OcelotWalrus Read the linked issue, it explains why

[OcelotWalrus]

Woops, sorry.

[mOctave]

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of removing the parentheses. I guess I should have mentioned this on the issue last year, but I seem to have missed it.

For me, the parentheses help to distinguish between what's a trade price and what isn't in a way that the +/- doesn't. It also helps pad one-digit differences so that they have a more similar width to everything else and don't stand out quite so much. With the image below, my eye is immediately drawn to metal, which is the most useless trade price on the entire board.

[Hecter94]

The linked issue suggested this as a potential replacement for the parentheses if further visual separation was needed

I also recommend dropping the parentheses because they don't serve any function and take up precious space. The numbers are demarcated from the names by being right-aligned. If further visual separation is needed, I suggest drawing a vertical grid line between the 2 columns (rather than the unintentional squiggly line formed by the left parentheses).

Thoughts?

[Zireael07]

The grid is a good idea

[Amazinite]

Keep in mind that #9721 is open as well for effectively the same issue.

[Zireael07]

In the words of a famous meme, why not both? They're orthogonal solutions AND map shades shouldn't be the only way to do it because of color-blindness

[pepoluan]

For me, the parentheses help to distinguish between what's a trade price and what isn't in a way that the +/- doesn't. It also helps pad one-digit differences so that they have a more similar width to everything else and don't stand out quite so much. With the image below, my eye is immediately drawn to metal, which is the most useless trade price on the entire board.

Not everyone has the same reaction.

For me, personally, removing the parentheses exposes the number better.

Maybe because I'm so familiar with Excel spreadsheets nearly every workday, but still we now have 2 anecdotal evidence that people have different preferences.

Maybe put in as an option? So those that prefer the parens can keep them, while those that prefer naked numbers can remove the parens.

Remove parentheses.
Replace hyphen(-) with minus(−).
Make font monospace.

I would say from top to bottom represents a diminishing return. Even just removing the parens already improves the UI signficantly for me, as my eyes can more easily see the leading character.

If it's impractical to replace all in one go, we can do it in steps. Starting with the (possibly optional) removal of the parens.

[mOctave]

Maybe put in as an option? So those that prefer the parens can keep them, while those that prefer naked numbers can remove the parens.

I'd support a setting.

[TomGoodIdea]

@Just-Existing can you finish this?

[Just-Existing]

No. I have no motivation to learn how to create tooltips in this codebase.

[TomGoodIdea]

Just add an entry to the settings section in data/_ui/tooltips.txt. It's plain text, no coding required.
If you still don't want to do this, please close the PR.

[Just-Existing]

Just add an entry to the settings section in data/_ui/tooltips.txt.

Done. Thanks for the help.