settings: improved auto-nav to subtabs and highlight focus

Modules/Panels/Settings/SettingsContent.qml

@@ -231,11 +231,12 @@ Item {
     }
   }
 
-  // Set sub-tab on the currently loaded tab content
+  // Set sub-tab on the currently loaded tab content. Returns true if an NTabBar was found.
   function setSubTabIndex(subTabIndex) {
     if (activeTabContent) {
-      setSubTabRecursive(activeTabContent, subTabIndex);
+      return setSubTabRecursive(activeTabContent, subTabIndex);
     }
+    return false;
   }
 
   function setSubTabRecursive(item, subTabIndex) {
@@ -243,6 +244,16 @@ Item {
       return false;
 
     if (item.objectName === "NTabBar") {
+      // Prepare the sibling NTabView so the index change doesn't animate
+      if (item.parent) {
+        for (let j = 0; j < item.parent.children.length; j++) {
+          const sibling = item.parent.children[j];
+          if (sibling.objectName === "NTabView" && sibling.setIndexWithoutAnimation) {
+            sibling.setIndexWithoutAnimation(subTabIndex);
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+      }
       item.currentIndex = subTabIndex;
       return true;
     }
@@ -346,21 +357,21 @@ Item {
       if (root.activeTabContent && targetKey) {
         const widget = root.findAndHighlightWidget(root.activeTabContent, targetKey);
         if (widget && root.activeScrollView) {
-          // Scroll widget into view
-          const mapped = widget.mapToItem(root.activeScrollView.contentItem, 0, 0);
-          const scrollBar = root.activeScrollView.ScrollBar.vertical;
-          if (scrollBar) {
-            const targetPos = (mapped.y - root.activeScrollView.height / 3) / root.activeScrollView.contentHeight;
-            scrollBar.position = Math.max(0, Math.min(targetPos, 1.0 - scrollBar.size));
-          }
+          // Scroll widget into view using the Flickable directly
+          const flickable = root.activeScrollView.contentItem;
+          const mapped = widget.mapToItem(flickable.contentItem, 0, 0);
+          const targetY = mapped.y - flickable.height / 3;
+          flickable.contentY = Math.max(0, Math.min(targetY, flickable.contentHeight - flickable.height));
 
-          // Position highlight overlay
+          // Position highlight overlay after scroll layout has settled
+          Qt.callLater(function () {
             const overlayPos = widget.mapToItem(tabContentArea, 0, 0);
             highlightOverlay.x = overlayPos.x - Style.marginM;
             highlightOverlay.y = overlayPos.y - Style.marginM;
             highlightOverlay.width = widget.width + Style.marginM * 2;
             highlightOverlay.height = widget.height + Style.marginM * 2;
             highlightAnimation.restart();
+          });
         }
       }
       targetKey = "";
@@ -1226,13 +1237,13 @@ Item {
                         item.screen = root.screen;
                       }
                       root.activeTabContent = item;
-                      if (root.highlightLabelKey) {
                       if (root._pendingSubTab >= 0) {
                         root.navigatingFromSearch = true;
-                          root.setSubTabIndex(root._pendingSubTab);
-                          root.navigatingFromSearch = false;
+                        if (root.setSubTabIndex(root._pendingSubTab))
                           root._pendingSubTab = -1;
+                        root.navigatingFromSearch = false;
                       }
+                      if (root.highlightLabelKey) {
                         highlightScrollTimer.targetKey = root.highlightLabelKey;
                         highlightScrollTimer.restart();
                       }

Modules/Panels/Settings/SettingsPanel.qml

@@ -165,12 +165,11 @@ SmartPanel {
         Qt.callLater(() => _settingsContent.navigateToResult(entry));
       } else {
         _settingsContent.requestedTab = requestedTab;
-        _settingsContent.initialize();
         if (requestedSubTab >= 0) {
-          const subTab = requestedSubTab;
+          _settingsContent._pendingSubTab = requestedSubTab;
           requestedSubTab = -1;
-          Qt.callLater(() => _settingsContent.navigateToTab(requestedTab, subTab));
         }
+        _settingsContent.initialize();
       }
     }
   }

Modules/Panels/Settings/SettingsPanelWindow.qml

@@ -38,13 +38,11 @@ FloatingWindow {
           Qt.callLater(() => settingsContent.navigateToResult(entry));
         } else {
           settingsContent.requestedTab = SettingsPanelService.requestedTab;
-          settingsContent.initialize();
           if (SettingsPanelService.requestedSubTab >= 0) {
-            const tab = SettingsPanelService.requestedTab;
-            const subTab = SettingsPanelService.requestedSubTab;
+            settingsContent._pendingSubTab = SettingsPanelService.requestedSubTab;
             SettingsPanelService.requestedSubTab = -1;
-            Qt.callLater(() => settingsContent.navigateToTab(tab, subTab));
           }
+          settingsContent.initialize();
         }
         isInitialized = true;
       }

Modules/Panels/Settings/Tabs/Display/BrightnessSubTab.qml

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ ColumnLayout {
       model: Quickshell.screens || []
       delegate: NBox {
         Layout.fillWidth: true
-        implicitHeight: contentCol.implicitHeight + Style.marginL * 2
+        implicitHeight: Math.round(contentCol.implicitHeight + Style.marginL * 2)
         color: Color.mSurface
 
         property var brightnessMonitor: BrightnessService.getMonitorForScreen(modelData)

Scripts/dev/build-settings-search-index.py

@@ -225,6 +225,11 @@ def resolve_tab_info(
         sub_label = subtab_labels[idx] if idx < len(subtab_labels) else None
         return tab_index, tab_label, idx, sub_label
     except ValueError:
+        # File doesn't map to any subtab (e.g. a dialog). If the parent tab
+        # has subtabs, the focus ring can't reach widgets inside dialogs, so
+        # exclude them from the index.
+        if subtab_names:
+            return None, None, None, None
         return tab_index, tab_label, None, None
 
 

Widgets/NTabView.qml

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import qs.Commons
 
 Item {
   id: root
+  objectName: "NTabView"
 
   property int currentIndex: 0
 
@@ -29,6 +30,29 @@ Item {
     anchors.fill: parent
   }
 
+  // Set the visible tab to idx without triggering a slide animation.
+  // Call this BEFORE the bound currentIndex changes so that
+  // onCurrentIndexChanged sees previousIndex === currentIndex and skips.
+  function setIndexWithoutAnimation(idx) {
+    fromXAnim.stop();
+    fromOpacityAnim.stop();
+    toXAnim.stop();
+    toOpacityAnim.stop();
+    animating = false;
+    previousIndex = idx;
+    for (let i = 0; i < contentItems.length; i++) {
+      if (i === idx) {
+        contentItems[i].x = 0;
+        contentItems[i].visible = true;
+        contentItems[i].opacity = 1.0;
+      } else {
+        contentItems[i].x = root.width;
+        contentItems[i].visible = false;
+        contentItems[i].opacity = 1.0;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   Component.onCompleted: {
     _initializeItems();
   }