# Improvements to the cache editor
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [July 23, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133 "2022-07-23T01:26:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@benthevining](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/benthevining)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133/1 "2022-07-23T01:26:12Z")
I’ve got a few suggestions for improvements to the GUI cache editor, which I thought I’d post here for discussion rather than on the issue tracker, since these are more exploratory suggestions than hard feature requests.
**1. Allow setting descriptions on groups**
Currently, the cache editor groups cache variables that start with the same `PREFIX_`. Individual cache variables can have a help string that is shown when hovering over one; I suggest allowing help/description strings to be set on groups of cache variables as well. The UX would be very similar to help strings for individual variables, displaying the string when hovering over a collapsed group.
**2. Allow setting entire groups as advanced**
Within CMake code, only individual cache variables have an advanced/non-advanced state. I think it would be useful to be able to set an entire group of cache variables as advanced/non-advanced with a single command.
**3. Add a list cache type**
Probably the largest proposed change. I propose adding a `LIST` type that can be specified in the `set(CACHE)` command. The reason to add a new cache type is that the GUI editor could have a user-friendly way to add/remove individual list items, without the user needing to work with the entire `;`-delimited string as a single text string.
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### Author:  [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133/2 "2022-07-24T21:59:03Z")
> [@benthevining](#):
>
> **Allow setting descriptions on groups**
> Currently, the cache editor groups cache variables that start with the same `PREFIX_`. Individual cache variables can have a help string that is shown when hovering over one; I suggest allowing help/description strings to be set on groups of cache variables as well. The UX would be very similar to help strings for individual variables, displaying the string when hovering over a collapsed group.
I feel like explicit groups would work better. Sometimes the prefixes contain `_` which collapses down in the editor.
> [@benthevining](#):
>
> I think it would be useful to be able to set an entire group of cache variables as advanced/non-advanced with a single command.
Again, explicit groups would work better here.
> [@benthevining](#):
>
> **Add a list cache type**
> Probably the largest proposed change. I propose adding a `LIST` type that can be specified in the `set(CACHE)` command. The reason to add a new cache type is that the GUI editor could have a user-friendly way to add/remove individual list items, without the user needing to work with the entire `;`-delimited string as a single text string.
Agreed. Though I think `LIST(STRING)` and `LIST(FILEPATH)` might work better in the long run (`LIST(LIST(X))` being forbidden due to list nesting not really being a thing).
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### Author:  [@benthevining](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/benthevining)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133/3 "2022-07-24T23:15:58Z")
What do you mean by explicit groups? Like, a new command to explicitly add cache entires to a group?
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### Author:  [@fenrir](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/fenrir)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/improvements-to-the-cache-editor/6133/4 "2022-07-25T06:05:17Z")
Probably not a new command, but rather a property on CACHE variables.
Something like:
`set_property(CACHE Trololo PROPERTY EDITOR_GROUP Gugus)`