Panels: colored headers and fixed order

Every WTD panel gets a colored icon in its header (config PANEL_COLORS,
the Scene Manager sub-panels share its green) and the sidebar order is
set with bl_order: Tools, Rename, Scene Manager, Shot Manager, Sanity
Check.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -56,15 +56,17 @@ blender --command extension build --source-dir path/to/wtd-libreflow-addon
 
 ## Where to find the tools
 
-Open the sidebar of the 3D Viewport (**N**) and click the **WTD** tab.
+Open the sidebar of the 3D Viewport (**N**) and click the **WTD** tab. The panels come in this order, each with a colored icon in its header:
 
-| Panel | Editors |
+| Panel | Color | Editors |
-|---|---|
+|---|---|---|
-| **Sanity Check** | 3D Viewport, Video Sequencer |
+| **Tools** (Get Oid) | blue | 3D Viewport |
-| **Tools** (Get Oid) | 3D Viewport |
+| **Rename** | yellow | 3D Viewport, Shader Editor |
-| **Rename** | 3D Viewport, Shader Editor |
+| **Scene Manager** (Casting, Loaded, Assetize) | green | 3D Viewport |
-| **Shot Manager** | 3D Viewport |
+| **Shot Manager** | violet | 3D Viewport |
-| **Scene Manager** (Casting, Loaded, Assetize) | 3D Viewport |
+| **Sanity Check** | orange | 3D Viewport, Video Sequencer |
+
+Panels you drag to another place stay there: a file keeps its own panel order. The colors are `PANEL_COLORS` in the [Configuration](#configuration).
 
 ---
 
@@ -472,6 +474,7 @@ Name formats use Python's `str.format`: `"sq{:04d}"` turns `10` into `sq0010`. `
 | Sanity Check: assets | `REQUIRED_COLLECTIONS`, `MAX_FACE_SIDES`, `CONCAVE_TOLERANCE`, `NON_MANIFOLD_ALLOW_BOUNDARY`, `UV_NEGATIVE_TOLERANCE`, `ALLOWED_MODIFIERS`, `ALLOWED_MODIFIERS_LINEART`, `APPLY_TRANSFORM`, `APPLY_TRANSFORM_TYPES`, `TRANSFORM_TOLERANCE`, `FORBIDDEN_ASSET_OBJECT_TYPES` |
 | Sanity Check: characters | `CHAR_REFERENCE_PATH`, `CHAR_BODY_NAME`, `CHAR_PART_KEYWORDS`, `CHAR_BODY_VERTEX_GROUPS` |
 | Sanity Check: layout | `SET_COLLECTION_PATTERN` |
+| Panels | `PANEL_COLORS` |
 | Sanity Check: panel | `CATEGORY_ORDER`, `MAX_ISSUES_DRAWN` |
 | Rename | `RENAME_SEPARATOR`, `RENAME_PADDING`, `RENAME_SIDES`, `RENAME_TYPE_SUFFIXES` (plus `OBJECT_PREFIXES` / `DATABLOCK_PREFIXES` for *By Type* prefixes) |
 | Shot Manager | `SHOT_VIEWER_RIG_GROUPS`, `SHOT_VIEWER_ASSET_TYPE_GROUPS`, `SHOT_NAME_FORMAT`, `SHOT_NUMBER_STEP`, `SHOT_FRAME_START`, `SHOT_DEFAULT_DURATION`, `SEQUENCE_NAME_FORMAT`, `SHOT_CAMERA_NAME_FORMAT`, `SHOT_CAMERA_RIG_NAME_FORMAT`, `SHOT_CAMERA_RIG_MODES` |

config.py

@@ -317,6 +317,16 @@ SCENE_MANAGER_ASSETIZE_TASK = "modeling"
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
 # UI
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Colored icon in the header of each panel, to tell the tools apart (the Scene Manager
+# sub-panels use its color). COLLECTION_COLOR_01 to _08: red, orange, yellow, green,
+# blue, violet, pink, brown. Red is left out: it marks errors in the panels.
+PANEL_COLORS = {
+    "Tools": "COLLECTION_COLOR_05",
+    "Rename": "COLLECTION_COLOR_03",
+    "Scene Manager": "COLLECTION_COLOR_04",
+    "Shot Manager": "COLLECTION_COLOR_06",
+    "Sanity Check": "COLLECTION_COLOR_02",
+}
 CATEGORY_ORDER = [
     "Scene",
     "File",

ui/panel.py

@@ -166,11 +166,21 @@ def _draw_check(layout, context, check, report, disabled):
     col.separator(factor=0.5)
 
 
+def _draw_color_header(self, context):
+    """Colored icon in the panel header (config PANEL_COLORS), to tell the tools apart."""
+    self.layout.label(text="", icon=config.PANEL_COLORS.get(self.color, "NONE"))
+
+
+# Sidebar order (bl_order), top to bottom: Tools, Rename, Scene Manager, Shot Manager,
+# Sanity Check.
 class _SanityPanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Sanity Check"
     bl_options = {"DEFAULT_CLOSED"}  # panel starts collapsed
+    bl_order = 4
+    color = "Sanity Check"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
 
     def draw(self, context):
         draw_sanity_checks_panel(self, context)
@@ -180,6 +190,9 @@ class _ToolsPanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Tools"
+    bl_order = 0
+    color = "Tools"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
 
     def draw(self, context) -> None:
         layout = self.layout
@@ -197,6 +210,9 @@ class _RenamePanel:
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Rename"
     bl_options = {"DEFAULT_CLOSED"}  # panel starts collapsed
+    bl_order = 1
+    color = "Rename"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
 
     PREVIEW_COUNT = 10
 
@@ -294,6 +310,9 @@ class _ShotViewerPanel:
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Shot Manager"
     bl_options = {"DEFAULT_CLOSED"}  # panel starts collapsed
+    bl_order = 3
+    color = "Shot Manager"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
 
     def draw(self, context) -> None:
         layout = self.layout
@@ -361,6 +380,9 @@ class _SceneManagerPanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Scene Manager"
+    bl_order = 2
+    color = "Scene Manager"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
 
     def draw(self, context) -> None:
         layout = self.layout
@@ -417,6 +439,8 @@ class _SceneCastingPanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Casting"
+    color = "Scene Manager"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
     bl_parent_id = "WTD_PT_scene_manager_view3d"
 
     def draw(self, context) -> None:
@@ -509,6 +533,8 @@ class _SceneLoadedPanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Loaded"
+    color = "Scene Manager"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
     bl_parent_id = "WTD_PT_scene_manager_view3d"
 
     def draw(self, context) -> None:
@@ -640,6 +666,8 @@ class _SceneAssetizePanel:
     bl_region_type = "UI"
     bl_category = "WTD"
     bl_label = "Assetize"
+    color = "Scene Manager"
+    draw_header = _draw_color_header
     bl_parent_id = "WTD_PT_scene_manager_view3d"
     bl_options = {"DEFAULT_CLOSED"}
 
@@ -710,15 +738,15 @@ class WTD_PT_sanity_sequencer(_SanityPanel, bpy.types.Panel):
 
 classes = (
     WTD_UL_shots,
-    WTD_PT_sanity_view3d,
     WTD_PT_tools_view3d,
-    WTD_PT_shot_viewer_view3d,
+    WTD_PT_rename_view3d,
+    WTD_PT_rename_node_editor,
     WTD_PT_scene_manager_view3d,
     WTD_PT_scene_casting_view3d,
     WTD_PT_scene_loaded_view3d,
     WTD_PT_scene_assetize_view3d,
-    WTD_PT_rename_view3d,
+    WTD_PT_shot_viewer_view3d,
-    WTD_PT_rename_node_editor,
+    WTD_PT_sanity_view3d,
     WTD_PT_sanity_sequencer,
 )