Optional Image Column in List View

📋 Summary

Add an optional image column to LaunchBox List View, allowing users to see a small game image alongside metadata fields while keeping the speed and density of the list layout.

❗ Problem

List View is useful because it allows users to browse games quickly while seeing many metadata fields at once.

However:

• Games can be harder to recognize by text alone

• Users lose the visual identification benefits of image based views

• Switching to image views gives better recognition but sacrifices list density

• Large libraries benefit from both fast scrolling and quick visual cues

This creates a gap between the speed of List View and the visual clarity of image based views.

💡 Proposal

Add an optional image column to List View:

• Allow users to enable or disable a thumbnail column

• Use a single supported image type for consistency

• Keep images constrained to a fixed size

• Ensure rows do not dynamically expand based on image dimensions

• Prioritize performance so scrolling remains fast

Suggested image types could include:

• Icon

• Square

🧩 Use Cases

• A user quickly identifies games while scanning metadata

• Large libraries remain easy to browse without switching views

• Users can sort and audit fields while still seeing a visual reference

• Collections with similar titles become easier to distinguish

📦 Benefits

• Improves game recognition in List View

• Preserves the usefulness of metadata heavy browsing

• Reduces need to switch between list and image views

• Adds flexibility without changing the default layout

⚠️ Considerations

• Should be optional and disabled by default if needed

• Needs fixed image sizing to avoid disrupting row height

• Performance must remain fast for large libraries

• Supporting too many image types could complicate layout and caching