Just upgraded to DT3 and getting comfortable with the changes.
Perhaps it’s just getting older or losing patience or needing new glasses, but as the list of items and category of items in the left-hand column has grown I find it more difficult to locate what I want in the left column.
Could you consider allowing background colors/shades to differentiate the groupings in the left-hand column. For me, it would make navigating that list significantly easier.
Thanks for considering.
You could use the classic label style (see Preferences > General) and apply labels to the groups. Another possibility is to use custom icons for groups.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my description and suggestion.
Labels do not apply to the items in the left side: Favorites, Globals, Open Databases, Smart Rules, Smart Groups, Recent Databases.
With more than 1 DB open and using items in the other sections of this viewer, it can be challenging to locate the item desired. Perhaps I just haven’t found a way to easily navigate the viewer since additions in DT3, but the long list of text and icons with name font, same color, and same background provide little in the way of visual que to quickly orient.
I searched group icons, custom icons and customized group icon in help and briefly on the forum but did not find how to customize group icons. Any pointers? Would it apply to the viewer sections as I described?
Thanx
Custom icons of groups are used in the Favorites and in the Open Databases sections and can be set via the Info inspector/window (paste an image just like in the Finder).
Here’s a custom icon added in the Info popover (Shift-Command-I) in the Navigate sidebar. This could also be a color icon, obviously 
cgrunenberg, BLUEFROG –
I appreciate your suggestions but I still think I am suggesting something else. Your suggestions help at the 1000’ altitude. I am suggesting visual and organizational help at the 10,000’ altitude. So perhaps the 2 visuals below help explain:
This is what the side bar looks like, for me, with multiple items visible:
And this is a concept of what I am suggesting to make it easier and quicker to work. I rarely have only 1 DB open and with Smart groups, Smart filters, and Favorites the list becomes visually difficult. My desktop has a 27" display and my laptop has 13" display – the sidebar list is just too long and monotonous visually with the items DT3 has added. The result is that the mind (my feeble one anyway) becomes distracted because I have to put brain power/ focus on seeing where the item is that I want vs the work I am doing. I know this is not supported / available today. Perhaps suggestions of how you work the numerate of items would help?
DT3 seems to be working well for me, but with a newer learning curve .
Thanks for your consideration.
Thanks for the draft! We’ll consider this for future releases but currently there are no such plans.
