Icon Naming Specification #
Publication Date: October 10 2005, Version: Version 0.4
1 Overview #
The Icon Theme Specification has been in use now for a while, in several desktops, including KDE and Gnome. However, there has never been any centralized direction on how to name the icons that are available for use by applications, when creating a theme. This has meant that artists have historically had to duplicate many icons, in order for their themes to work across desktop environments.
This specification aims to solve this problem, by laying out a standard naming scheme for icon creation, as well as providing a minimal list of must have icons, and a larger list with many more examples to help with the creation of extended icons for third party applications, devices, and new MIME types.
2 Context #
The list of default Contexts for the icon theme are:
Table 1: Standard Contexts #
| Name | Description | Directory |
|---|---|---|
| Actions | Icons which are generally used in menus and dialogs for interacting with the user. | actions |
| Apps | Icons that describe what an application is, for use in the Programs menu, window decorations, and the task list. These may or may not be generic depending on the application and its purpose. A web browser may have a generic globe icon, while a game will generally use the logo of the game title, as its icon. | apps |
| Categories | Icons that are used for categories in the Programs menu, or the Control Center, for separating applications, preferences, and settings for display to the user. | categories |
| Devices | Icons for hardware that is contained within or connected to the computing device. | devices |
| Emblems | Icons for tags and properties of files, that are displayed in the file manager. This context contains emblems for such things as “read-only” or “photos”. | emblems |
| Emotes | Icons for emotions that are expressed through text chat applications such as :-) or :-P in IRC or instant messengers. | emotes |
| International | Icons for international denominations such as flags. | intl |
| MimeTypes | Icons for different types of data, such as audio or image files. | mimetypes |
| Status | Icons for presenting status to the user. This context contains icons for warning and error dialogs, as well as for the current weather, appointment alarms, and battery status. | status |
3 Icon Naming Guidelines #
Here we define some guidelines for when creating new icons that extend the standardized list of icon names defined here, in order to provide icons for more specific MIME types, devices, or international flags.
Icon names are in the en_US.US_ASCII locale. This means that the allowable characters in the icon names, must fall withing the US-ASCII character set. As a further restriction, all icon names may only contain lowercase letters, numbers, underscore, dash, or period characters. Spaces, colons, slashes, and backslashes are not allowed. Also, icon names must be spelled as they are in the en_US dictionary.
The dash “-” character is used to separate levels of specificity in icon names, for all contexts other than MimeTypes. For instance, we use “input-mouse” as the generic item for all mouse devices, and we use “input-mouse-usb” for a USB mouse device. However, if the more specific item does not exist in the current theme, and does exist in a parent theme, the generic icon from the current theme is preferred, in order to keep consistent style.
4 Standard Icon Names #
This section describes the standard icon names that should be used by artists when creating themes, and by developers when writing applications which will use the Icon Theme Specification.
Table 2: Standard Action Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| address-book-new | |
| application-exit | The icon used for exiting an application. Typically this is seen in the application's menus as File->Quit. |
| appointment-new | The icon used for the action to create a new appointment in a calendaring application. |
| contact-new | The icon used for the action to create a new contact in an address book application. |
| dialog-cancel | The icon used for the “Cancel” button that might appear in dialog windows. |
| dialog-close | The icon used for the “Close” button that might appear in dialog windows. |
| dialog-ok | The icon used for the “OK” button that might appear in dialog windows. |
| document-new | The icon used for the action to create a new document. |
| document-open | The icon used for the action to open a document. |
| document-open-recent | The icon used for the action to open a document that was recently opened. |
| document-page-setup | The icon for the page setup action of a document editor. |
| document-print | The icon for the print action of an application. |
| document-print-preview | The icon for the print preview action of an application. |
| document-properties | The icon for the action to view the properties of a document in an application. |
| document-revert | The icon for the action of reverting to a previous version of a document. |
| document-save | The icon for the save action. |
| document-save-as | The icon for the save as action. |
| edit-copy | The icon for the copy action. |
| edit-cut | The icon for the cut action. |
| edit-delete | The icon for the delete action. |
| edit-find | The icon for the find action. |
| edit-find-replace | The icon for the find and replace action. |
| edit-paste | The icon for the paste action. |
| edit-redo | The icon for the redo action. |
| edit-select-all | The icon for the select all action. |
| edit-undo | The icon for the undo action. |
| format-indent-less | The icon for the decrease indent formatting action. |
| format-indent-more | The icon for the increase indent formatting action. |
| format-justify-center | The icon for the center justification formatting action. |
| format-justify-fill | The icon for the fill justification formatting action. |
| format-justify-left | The icon for the left justification formatting action. |
| format-justify-right | The icon for the right justification action. |
| format-text-direction-ltr | The icon for the left-to-right text formatting action. |
| format-text-direction-rtl | The icon for the right-to-left formatting action. |
| format-text-bold | The icon for the bold text formatting action. |
| format-text-italic | The icon for the italic text formatting action. |
| format-text-underline | The icon for the underlined text formatting action. |
| format-text-strikethrough | The icon for the strikethrough text formatting action. |
| go-bottom | The icon for the go to bottom of a list action. |
| go-down | The icon for the go down in a list action. |
| go-first | The icon for the go to the first item in a list action. |
| go-home | The icon for the go to home location action. |
| go-jump | The icon for the jump to action. |
| go-last | The icon for the go to the last item in a list action. |
| go-next | The icon for the go to the next item in a list action. |
| go-previous | The icon for the go to the previous item in a list action. |
| go-top | The icon for the go to the top of a list action. |
| go-up | The icon for the go up in a list action. |
| help-about | The icon for the About item in the Help menu. |
| help-contents | The icon for Contents item in the Help menu. |
| help-faq | The icon for the FAQ item in the Help menu. |
| insert-image | The icon for the insert image action of an application. |
| insert-link | The icon for the insert link action of an application. |
| insert-object | The icon for the insert object action of an application. |
| insert-text | The icon for the insert text action of an application. |
| list-add | The icon for the add to list action. |
| list-remove | The icon for the remove from list action. |
| mail-forward | The icon for the forward action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-mark-important | The icon for the mark as important action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-mark-junk | The icon for the mark as junk action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-mark-notjunk | The icon for the mark as not junk action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-mark-read | The icon for the mark as read action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-mark-unread | The icon for the mark as unread action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-message-new | The icon for the compose new mail action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-reply-all | The icon for the reply to all action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-reply-sender | The icon for the reply to sender action of an electronic mail application. |
| mail-send-receive | The icon for the send and receive action of an electronic mail application. |
| media-playback-pause | The icon for the pause action of a media player. |
| media-playback-start | The icon for the start playback action of a media player. |
| media-playback-stop | The icon for the stop action of a media player. |
| media-playlist-shuffle | The icon for the shuffle action of a media player. |
| media-record | The icon for the record action of a media application. |
| media-seek-backward | The icon for the seek backward action of a media player. |
| media-seek-forward | The icon for the seek forward action of a media player. |
| media-skip-backward | The icon for the skip backward action of a media player. |
| media-skip-forward | The icon for the skip forward action of a media player. |
| system-lock-screen | The icon used for the “Lock Screen” item in the desktop's panel application. |
| system-log-out | The icon used for the “Log Out” item in the desktop's panel application. |
| system-run | The icon used for the “Run Application...” item in the desktop's panel application. |
| system-search | The icon used for the “Search” item in the desktop's panel application. |
| tools-check-spelling | The icon used for the “Check Spelling” item in the application's “Tools” menu. |
| view-fullscreen | The icon used for the “Fullscreen” item in the application's “View” menu. |
| view-refresh | The icon used for the “Refresh” item in the application's “View” menu. |
| view-sort-ascending | The icon used for the “Sort Ascending” item in the application's “View” menu, or in a button for changing the sort method for a list. |
| view-sort-descending | The icon used for the “Sort Descending” item in the application's “View” menu, or in a button for changing the sort method for a list. |
| window-close | The icon used for the “Close Window” item in the application's “Windows” menu. |
| window-new | The icon used for the “New Window” item in the application's “Windows” menu. |
| wallpaper-center | The icon used for the “Centered” item in the wallpaper preferences “Style” drop-down menu. |
| wallpaper-fill | The icon used for the “Fill Screen” item in the wallpaper preferences “Style” drop-down menu. |
| wallpaper-scale | The icon used for the “Scaled” item in the wallpaper preferences “Style” drop-down menu. |
| wallpaper-tile | The icon used for the “Tiled” item in the wallpaper preferences “Style” drop-down menu. |
| zoom-best-fit | The icon used for the “Best Fit” item in the application's “View” menu. |
| zoom-in | The icon used for the “Zoom in” item in the application's “View” menu. |
| zoom-original | The icon used for the “Original Size” item in the application's “View” menu. |
| zoom-out | The icon used for the “Zoom Out” item in the application's “View” menu. |
Table 3: Standard Application Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| accessories-calculator | The icon used for the desktop's calculator accessory program. |
| accessories-character-map | The icon used for the desktop's international and extended text character accessory program. |
| accessories-dictionary | The icon used for the desktop's dictionary accessory program. |
| accessories-text-editor | The icon used for the desktop's text editing accessory program. |
| help-browser | The icon used for the desktop's help browsing application. |
| multimedia-volume-control | The icon used for the desktop's hardware volume control application. |
| preferences-desktop-accessibility | The icon used for the desktop's accessibility preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-font | The icon used for the desktop's font preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-keyboard | The icon used for the desktop's keyboard preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-locale | The icon used for the desktop's locale preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-multimedia | The icon used for the desktop's multimedia preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-screensaver | The icon used for the desktop's screen saving preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-theme | The icon used for the desktop's theme preferences. |
| preferences-desktop-wallpaper | The icon used for the desktop's wallpaper preferences. |
| system-file-manager | The icon used for the desktop's file management application. |
| system-software-update | The icon used for the desktop's software updating application. |
| utilities-terminal | The icon used for the desktop's terminal emulation application. |
Table 4: Standard Category Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| applications-accessories | The icon for the “Accessories” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-development | The icon for the “Programming” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-games | The icon for the “Games” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-graphics | The icon for the “Graphics” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-internet | The icon for the “Internet” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-multimedia | The icon for the “Multimedia” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-office | The icon for the “Office” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-other | The icon for the “Other” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-system | The icon for the “System Tools” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| applications-utilities | The icon for the “Utilities” sub-menu of the Programs menu. |
| preferences-desktop | The icon for the “Desktop Preferences” category. |
| preferences-desktop-accessibility | The icon for the “Accessibility” sub-category of the “Desktop Preferences” category. |
| preferences-desktop-peripherals | The icon for the “Peripherals” sub-category of the “Desktop Preferences” category. |
| preferences-desktop-personal | The icon for the “Personal” sub-category of the “Desktop Preferences” category. |
| preferences-other | The icon for the “Other” preferences category. |
| preferences-system | The icon for the “System Preferences” category. |
| preferences-system-network | The icon for the “Network” sub-category of the “System Preferences” category. |
| system-help | The icon for the “Help” system category. |
Table 5: Standard Device Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| audio-card | The icon used for the audio rendering device. |
| camera-video | The icon used for a video or web camera. |
| computer | The icon used for the computing device as a whole. |
| drive-cdrom | The icon used for CD and DVD drives. |
| drive-harddisk | The icon used for hard disk drives. |
| drive-removable-media | The icon used for removable media drives. |
| input-gaming | The icon used for the gaming input device. |
| input-keyboard | The icon used for the keyboard input device. |
| input-mouse | The icon used for the mousing input device. |
| printer | The icon used for a printer which is connected locally. |
| printer-remote | The icon used for a printer which is connected over the network. |
| video-card | The icon used for the internal video rendering device. |
| video-display | The icon used for the monitor that video gets displayed to. |
Table 6: Standard Emblem Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| emblem-default | The icon used as an emblem to specify the default selection of a printer for example. |
| emblem-documents | The icon used as an emblem for the directory where a user's documents are stored. |
| emblem-downloads | The icon used as an emblem for the directory where a user's downloads from the internet are stored. |
| emblem-favorites | The icon used as an emblem for files and directories that the user marks as favorites. |
| emblem-important | The icon used as an emblem for files and directories that are marked as important by the user. |
| emblem-mail | The icon used as an emblem to specify the directory where the user's electronic mail is stored. |
| emblem-photos | The icon used as an emblem to specify the directory where the user stores photographs. |
| emblem-readonly | The icon used as an emblem for files and directories which can not be written to by the user. |
| emblem-shared | The icon used as an emblem for files and directories that are shared to other users. |
| emblem-symbolic-link | The icon used as an emblem for files and direcotires that are links to other files or directories on the filesystem. |
| emblem-synchronized | The icon used as an emblem for files or directories that are configured to be synchronized to another device. |
| emblem-system | The icon used as an emblem for directories that contain system libraries, settings, and data. |
| emblem-unreadable | The icon used as an emblem for files and directories that are inaccessible. |
Table 7: Standard Emotion Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| face-angel | The icon used for the 0:-) emote. |
| face-crying | The icon used for the :'( emote. |
| face-devil-grin | The icon used for the >:-) emote. |
| face-devil-sad | The icon used for the >:-( emote. |
| face-glasses | The icon used for the B-) emote. |
| face-kiss | The icon used for the :-* emote. |
| face-monkey | The icon used for the :-(|) emote. |
| face-plain | The icon used for the :-| emote. |
| face-sad | The icon used for the :-( emote. |
| face-smile | The icon used for the :-) emote. |
| face-smile-big | The icon used for the :-D emote. |
| face-smirk | The icon used for the :-! emote. |
| face-surprise | The icon used for the :-0 emote. |
| face-wink | The icon used for the ;-) emote. |
Table 8: Standard International Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| flag-aa | The flag for the country with the ISO 3166 country code AA. All flags should use ISO 3166 two-letter country codes, in lowercase form, as the specifier for the country. |
Table 9: Standard MIME Type Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| audio-x-generic | The icon used for generic audio file types. |
| font-x-generic | The icon used for generic font file types. |
| image-x-generic | The icon used for generic image file types. |
| text-x-generic | The icon used for generic text file types. |
| video-x-generic | The icon used for generic video file types. |
| x-directory-normal | The icon used for normal directories on the filesystem. |
| x-directory-normal-hidden | The icon used for normal directories on the filesystem, which are hidden. |
| x-directory-remote | The icon used for normal directories on a remote filesystem. |
| x-directory-remote-hidden | The icon used for normal directories on a remote filesystem, which are hidden. |
| x-directory-remote-server | The icon used for hosts within an SMB workgroup. |
| x-directory-remote-workgroup | The icon used for an SMB workgroup. |
| x-directory-trash | The icon used for the Trash storage on a filesystem. |
| x-directory-trash-full | The icon used for the Trash storage while it contains items. |
| x-office-address-book | The icon used for generic address book file types. |
| x-office-calendar | The icon used for generic calendar file types. |
| x-office-document | The icon used for generic document and letter file types. |
| x-office-presentation | The icon used for generic presentation file types. |
| x-office-spreadsheet | The icon used for generic spreadsheet file types. |
Table 10: Standard Status Icons #
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| appointment-missed | The icon used when an appointment was missed. |
| appointment-soon | The icon used when an appointment will occur soon. |
| battery-caution | The icon used when the battery is below 40%. |
| battery-low | The icon used when the battery is below 20%. |
| dialog-error | The icon used when a dialog is opened to explain an error condition to the user. |
| dialog-information | The icon used when a dialog is opened to give information to the user that may be pertinent to the requested action. |
| dialog-password | The icon used when a dialog requesting the authentication credentials for a user is opened. |
| dialog-question | The icon used when a dialog is opened to ask a simple question of the user. |
| dialog-warning | The icon used when a dialog is opened to warn the user of impending issues with the requested action. |
| image-loading | The icon used when another image is being loaded, such as thumnails for larger images in the file manager. |
| image-missing | The icon used when another image could not be loaded. |
| mail-attachment | The icon used for an electronic mail that contains attachments. |
| mail-unread | The icon used for an electronic mail that is unread. |
| mail-read | The icon used for an electronic mail that is read. |
| mail-replied | The icon used for an electronic mail that has been replied to. |
| mail-signed | The icon used for an electronic mail that contains a signature. |
| mail-signed-verified | The icon used for an electronic mail that contains a signature which has also been verified by the security system. |
| network-error | The icon used when an error occurs trying to intialize the network connection of the computing device. |
| network-offline | The icon used when the computing device is disconnected from the network. |
| network-online | The icon used when the computing device is connected to the network. |
| printer-error | The icon used when an error occurs while attempting to print. |
| printer-printing | The icon used while a print job is successfully being spooled to a printer device. |
| software-update-available | The icon used when an update is available for software installed on the computing device, through the system software update program. |
| software-update-urgent | The icon used when an urgent update is available through the system software update program. |
| sync-error | The icon used when an error occurs while attempting to synchronize data from the computing device, to another device. |
| sync-synchronizing | The icon used while data is successfully synchronizing to another device. |
| task-due | The icon used when a task is due soon. |
| task-passed-due | The icon used when a task that was due, has been left incomplete. |
| user-away | The icon used when a user on a chat network is away from their keyboard and the chat program. |
| user-idle | The icon used when a user on a chat network has not been an active participant in any chats on the network, for an extended period of time. |
| user-offline | The icon used when a user on a chat network is not available. |
| user-online | The icon used when a user on a chat network is available to initiate a conversation with. |
| weather-clear | The icon used while the weather for a region is “clear skies”. |
| weather-few-clouds | The icon used while the weather for a region is “partly cloudy”. |
| weather-fog | The icon used while the weather for a region is “foggy”. |
| weather-overcast | The icon used while the weather for a region is “overcast”. |
| weather-severe-alert | The icon used while a sever weather alert is in effect for a region. |
| weather-showers | The icon used while rain showers are occurring in a region. |
| weather-showers-scattered | The icon used while scattered rain showers are occurring in a region. |
| weather-snow | The icon used while snow showers are occurring in a region. |
| weather-storm | The icon used while storms are occurring in a region. |
A Change History #
Version 0.4, 10 October 2005, Rodney Dawes.
Use "The icon" instead of "This icon" for "contact-new" and "battery-low"
Add icons for "preferences-desktop-accessibility" and "preferences-desktop-font" in the apps context
Fix typo in "drive-cdrom" name
Rename "x-font-generic" to "font-x-generic" to match other MIME type icons such as for audio, images, and video
Add icons for "image-loading" and "image-missing" to status
Version 0.3, 28 June 2005, Rodney Dawes.
Replace "printer-local" with "printer" to be more generic.
Import into freedesktop.org cvs alongside icon-theme-spec.xml
Add missing icon descriptions.
Version 0.2, 01 April 2005, Jakub Steiner.
Fixed two small typographical errors.
Version 0.1, 29 March 2005, Rodney Dawes.
Created initial draft.