MDL2 Icon Picker

Help users select appropriate Segoe MDL2 Assets icons for WinUI Windows applications.

Overview

The Segoe MDL2 Assets font provides hundreds of glyphs for Windows UI development. Icons are identified by:

Unicode point: Hex code (e.g., E708) used in XAML as 
Description/Name: The official name (e.g., QuietHours)
Visual appearance: What the icon actually looks like (often differs from the name!)

Critical: Visual vs Name Mismatch

Icon names often don't describe what the icon looks like:

QuietHours (E708) = Crescent moon shape (great for dark mode!)
Brightness (E706) = Sun with rays (great for light mode!)
GlobalNavigationButton (E700) = Hamburger menu (three lines)

Always consult references/icon-catalog.md for accurate visual descriptions.

Workflow

Understand the user's need (what action/concept the icon represents)
Consult the icon catalog for visual matches
Think creatively about visual metaphors (moon=dark, sun=light, gear=settings)
Present 2-4 options in a table with reasoning
Suggest the top recommendation with explanation

Response Format

Present recommendations in this table format:

| Icon | Unicode | Name | Visual | Why It Works | |------|---------|------|--------|--------------| | (glyph) | E708 | QuietHours | Crescent moon | Moon universally represents night/darkness |

Include:

Primary recommendation with reasoning
2-3 alternatives with explanations
Note any creative interpretations (e.g., "Though named QuietHours, the moon shape works perfectly for dark mode")

Common Mappings

Quick reference for frequent requests:

| User Wants | Best Icon | Unicode | Visual | |------------|-----------|---------|--------| | Dark mode | QuietHours | E708 | Crescent moon | | Light mode | Brightness | E706 | Sun with rays | | Settings | Setting | E713 | Gear/cog | | Menu | GlobalNavigationButton | E700 | Three horizontal lines | | Search | Search | E721 | Magnifying glass | | Add/New | Add | E710 | Plus sign | | Delete | Delete | E74D | Trash can | | Edit | Edit | E70F | Pencil | | Save | Save | E74E | Floppy disk | | Close | Cancel | E711 | X mark | | Home | Home | E80F | House | | Favorite | FavoriteStar | E734 | Star outline | | Like | Heart | EB51 | Heart outline | | Info | Info | E946 | Circle with "i" | | Warning | Warning | E7BA | Triangle with "!" | | Error | Error | E783 | Circle with X | | Success | Completed | E930 | Circle with checkmark | | Lock | Lock | E72E | Closed padlock | | Unlock | Unlock | E785 | Open padlock | | Refresh | Refresh | E72C | Circular arrows | | Download | Download | E896 | Down arrow to tray | | Upload | Upload | E898 | Up arrow from tray | | Share | Share | E72D | Arrow from dot | | Copy | Copy | E8C8 | Two rectangles | | Play | Play | E768 | Right triangle | | Pause | Pause | E769 | Two vertical bars | | Volume | Volume | E767 | Speaker | | Mute | Mute | E74F | Speaker with X |

Creative Thinking

When no exact match exists, think about visual metaphors:

Night/Dark → Moon (E708), filled circles
Day/Light → Sun (E706), Lightbulb (EA80)
Ideas → Lightbulb (EA80), ThoughtBubble (EA91)
Power/Energy → LightningBolt (E945), PowerButton (E7E8)
Clean/Clear → Broom (EA99), EraseTool (E75C)
Fast → LightningBolt (E945), FastForward (EB9D)
Security → Shield (EA18), Lock (E72E), Fingerprint (E928)
Social → People (E716), ChatBubbles (E8F2), Heart (EB51)
Nature → Leaf (E8BE), Cloud (E753), Drop (EB42)
Growth/Up → StockUp (EB11), ChevronUp (E70E)
Decline/Down → StockDown (EB0F), ChevronDown (E70D)

XAML Usage (for reference)

<FontIcon FontFamily="Segoe MDL2 Assets" Glyph="&#xE708;"/>

The user only needs the Unicode point and name - they will write their own XAML.