Make filter icon moddable for custom inserters or loaders

[Kellis]

TL;DR

Modders need a way to set filter icon for custom inserters or loaders

What ?

Currently, I play some mod that implements loaders. Loaders can be configured to filter items. But the problem is that they don't have an icon that indicates which item they sort.
How it is now

temp.png (122.24 KiB) Viewed 3432 times

How I see it

temp_1.png (121.42 KiB) Viewed 3432 times

Originally discussed on mod's page

Why ?

I think this simple feature will be very useful for player who plays with mods

[ssilk]

Good point: Loaders are a remenant of an idea the devs wanted to implement for 0.15 (?). They where never introduced and since then never really supported.
https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-128

In conjunction with compression/boxing loaders make totally sense, but only, if they where nerved, e.g. with usage of electricity.

[darkfrei]

In conjunction with compression/boxing loaders make totally sense, but only, if they where nerved, e.g. with usage of electricity.

Another case of nerfing is to make loaders something like entity with size of 1x3 or maybe 1x5, they are need much more space, but make big job.

[Kellis]

For example in Krastorio loaders is 1x1 so they can fit icon like inserters.

[ssilk]

In conjunction with compression/boxing loaders make totally sense, but only, if they where nerved, e.g. with usage of electricity.

Another case of nerfing is to make loaders something like entity with size of 1x3 or maybe 1x5, they are need much more space, but make big job.

Hm, I played a lot with such mods and must say, that loaders bigger than 1x2 feel very unhandy. I would prefer 1x1 loaders, which connect only between belts and chests (wagon is also a chest).

[Kellis]

Probably the original picture is not clearly shown cases. So there is another one. All these loaders have its own whitelisted items.

temp_vk_2.png (354.17 KiB) Viewed 3306 times

[ssilk]

Hm. To that pic: if a wrong item comes, loader will get stuck. Wouldn’t it be not much simpler, to filter unneeded stuff out of the storage?

[Kellis]

Hm. To that pic: if a wrong item comes, loader will get stuck. Wouldn’t it be not much simpler, to filter unneeded stuff out of the storage?

Not sure, in the pics above the chest is loaded by the train but loaders filter out to their belt.
But if there is no items on the belt it is a bit hard to understand what filter is set to the loader.

So we come back to the topic's article - modders should be able to set custom icon on loader if the filter is set