# Pick different icons for 'closed topic' and 'secure category'
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [April 18, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423 "2020-04-18T06:37:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/1 "2020-04-18T06:37:51Z")
Continuing the discussion from [a topic in the Lounge](https://meta.discourse.org/t/topic/148413/4):
> [@On another topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/148413/4):
>
> It’s not uncommon for users to tell me that the padlock on categories confuses them. **Locked** topics versus _secure_ categories, what they represent are almost opposites. It’s almost standard practice on the instances I build now to swap that symbol or remove it entirely.
Pulling this out to a public topic for follow-up.
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### Author:  [@ondrej](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ondrej)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2020, 10:06am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/2 "2020-04-18T10:06:17Z")
Definitely please take this into account. I have already had to do this with a theme component so I cannot confuse them.
`fa-user-lock` is a good icon you could use?
Example below:
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### Author:  [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2020, 11:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/3 "2020-04-18T11:27:49Z")
I agree on that. One of my clients made me hide the padlock icon on “private” categories because it was confusing.
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### Author:  [@tomtjes](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tomtjes)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/4 "2020-04-18T12:15:12Z")
On an instance with mostly private categories, it can also be an eyesore. I removed all the padlocks from the private categories and instead placed an ‘eye’ icon in front of the few public categories we have.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/5 "2020-04-19T17:41:23Z")
What would these symbols be? As I recall, I don’t think there are any clearly better alternatives from the last time this bike shed was painted @stephen …
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/6 "2020-04-19T17:45:22Z")
I’ve used the eye symbol in the past, and experimented with the open lock, but there’s nothing wrong with just removing the icon all together. It’s down to the community owners to emphasize the purpose and audience for each category, a padlock icon doesn’t achieve that really, it just indicates that the everyone group isn’t present on the category.
Many systems with ACLs don’t indicate the ACL visually on the object. File sharing services will indicate that an object is shared, but not the level of permissions associated. If I have access to a folder over a network share then I can see it, if I don’t have browse rights it just doesn’t appear. Even Exchange relies/relied on visibility to indicate whether the user has access.
Is the concern that a user won’t realise the category has a limited number of watchers? In that sense I would be more worried about indicating which categories have a broader or public audience than less.
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### Author:  [@md-misko](https://meta.discourse.org/u/md-misko)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/7 "2020-04-19T18:31:24Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> What would these symbols be?
Category Icons component uses `fa-key` and it even offers to replace padlock with key for private categories (and retains padlock for closed ones), but it’s not consistent as of yet.
> [@Category Icons](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-icons-component/104683/50):
>
> I’m looking at the code and trying to fix the following two issues, but I’m stuck on the second one. Category icon list is not applied in category view (with Show subcategory list above topics in this category) [subcategory-view-missing-category-icon] I managed to fix this one by replacing line 112 in header.html if(iconItem && !attrs.category.parent\_category\_id) { with if (iconItem) { and adding the following code to common.scss .subcategory .category-icon-widget { display…
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### Author:  [@ondrej](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ondrej)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/8 "2020-04-19T18:38:53Z")
`fa-user-lock` for private categories
`fa-lock` for closed topics
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### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/9 "2020-04-19T18:52:10Z")
This is one thing I customized at my Discourse instance in my previous job.
A closed topic is closed for everyone, and no-one has access to it, so the icon keeps being 🔒, aka [Lock Filled Icon (Classic Solid) — Free SVG Download | Font Awesome](https://fontawesome.com/icons/lock)
A secure category is closed for other people, but open for you, so the icon was 🔓, aka [Lock Open Filled Icon (Classic Solid) — Free SVG Download | Font Awesome](https://fontawesome.com/icons/lock-open?style=solid)
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/10 "2020-04-19T19:56:57Z")
If we can decide on the bikeshed color in a way that doesn’t go on forever, I’m fine with the change 😉
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/11 "2020-04-19T20:14:30Z")
> [@ondrej](#):
>
> `fa-user-lock` for private categories
I do like the idea of `fa-user-lock` for this.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/12 "2020-04-19T21:16:13Z")
Can we just confirm the _intent_ of the symbol?
It is just ‘lacks the everyone permission’? That seems to be the only time where it appears. Even categories secured to TL0 show a padlock.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/13 "2020-04-19T21:34:47Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> It is just ‘lacks the everyone permission’?
Correct. It indicates that not everyone may be able to see it.
It still appears on login required forums (where the everyone permission is irrelevant) even if TL0 can see.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/14 "2020-04-19T21:37:21Z")
Ok and if we’re using categories how regularly is that a factor?
Is it there still because that’s how it’s always been? Does it influence posting?
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/15 "2020-04-19T21:41:17Z")
I’m just being clear it isn’t impacted by other site settings. As in on a login required forum, even if “all users” can see a topic, based on TL0 permissions, the padlock still appears due to the lack of the specific `everyone` permission.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/16 "2020-04-20T02:11:12Z")
> [@jomaxro](#):
>
> I do like the idea of `fa-user-lock` for this.
Why? What is the difference between a padlock and a padlock with a user next to it? I don’t think this will aid comprehension at all..
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### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/17 "2020-04-20T02:47:12Z")
The only point of doing this is making it so people don’t mistake a topic in a secure category as being a closed topic. The icons are _right next to each other_! I’ve had far too many double takes slowing me down while reading Meta recently.
Anything that changes the silhouette / visual weight / “visual hash”, if you will, of the icon is acceptable to me (so 🔓 is not OK, still very close to a lock).
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/18 "2020-04-20T03:24:33Z")
If we are painting bikesheds here… I would like an opinion from @Johani and @awesomerobot
Also … my 2 cents, no eye being slashed by a knife please … that is not on the table.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2020, 5:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/19 "2020-04-20T05:49:55Z")
Awww no Luis Buñuel fans in the house?! 👁
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVyS9JwtFoQ)
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### Author:  [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2020, 10:33am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423/20 "2020-04-20T10:33:51Z")
> [@riking](#):
>
> (so 🔓 is not OK, still very close to a lock)
Is it because it _looks like the current lock icon_ 🔒, or because it _looks like a padlock_? On Font Awesome, the closed and open padlocks are a bit more distinctive from each other:
[Next page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/pick-different-icons-for-closed-topic-and-secure-category/148423.md?page=2)