Closed Bug 209642 Opened 21 years ago Closed 21 years ago

New Style of Selecting and Managing Sidebar Panels using a Single-Selection Dropdown List

Categories

(Firefox :: General, enhancement)

Product:
Firefox
Component:
General
Type:
enhancement
Priority:
Not set
Severity:
normal

Tracking

()

Status:
VERIFIED WONTFIX

People

(Reporter: Peter, Assigned: bugzilla)

References

Details

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; WinNT4.0; en-US; rv:1.4b; MultiZilla v1.4.0.4A) Gecko/20030615
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; WinNT4.0; en-US; rv:1.4b; MultiZilla v1.4.0.4A) Gecko/20030615

New Style of Selecting and Managing Sidebar Panels using a Single-Selection
Dropdown List.

I always thought that the Mozilla Sidebar Panels took up too much vertical 
space. Removing them to get more space is also bad, because wanted sidebars have
to be added, and the wxisting one removed (IN A SEPARATE STEP) to maintain the
vertical space advantage.

Conversely, I think the the Firebird solution makes it too cumbersome to switch
between Sibebar Panels. The shortcuts have to be remembered and the menu is too
far away and deeply nested.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:



Expected Results:  
My suggestion is to introduce a new method of selecting sidebar panels that uses
the advantages of both current systems (increased vertical space and easy
accessibily) while eliminating the disadvantages of both current systems
(decreased vertical space and difficult accessibility).

Suggested UI:
+----------------------------+------
| Sidebar   [ Bookmarks  ] x |___    <-- currently selected: Bookmarks
|-----------| Customize Sidebars |
| Personal  | Sidebar directory  |
| > Compute |--------------------|
| > Persona |o Bookmarks         |   <-- currently selected: Bookmarks
| > Mozilla |  Search            |
|    mozill |  History           |
|    Bugs   |  Bugzilla          |
|    Etique |  ...               |
|    Thumpe +--------------------+
|    FlamingBird             |
|                            |
+----------------------------+ 

Notice that the dropdown list would show the selected Sidebar Panel with a
selection BULLET instead of (multiple) checkmarks.

My recommendation would be to alphabetically sort the entries in the dropdown
list when they are added to provide some structure and better overview.
I like this idea, I was thinking of proposing exactly this.

In addition I've been considering the efficacy of the current mozilla sidebar
management:
For people like me who work with large, high res screens the current mozilla
system is quite good.
I'd suggest adding an option to define the max number of vertical tabs (old
Mozilla style) displayed. This would default to zero, but could be set to any
number. The tabs would display the last used, or most popular sidebar panels.


> option to define the max number of vertical tabs

That would be a separate bug (dependent on this one). I don't like the multiple
visible tabs idea, because the one you want is often either above or below the
currently displayed panel's area (hunt and seek). Now if all non-selected tabs
were ALWAYS either at the bottom or the top ... (but would be yet another bug)
Peter,

I like your idea of a drop down menu. This is both an improvement on Mozilla's
and the current Firebird methods. There has to be a better way to switch between
sidebar panels if this feature is to fully gain acceptance. Mozilla's method of
tabs takes up too much screen space and firebird's current method of using the
menu bar is too cumbersome and less intuitive than a drop down menu. A drop down
menu seems to be a good solution.
Regarding the verical tabs....

Ok, I'll wait till this feature is implemented, and see how it works.
If I still think there's a need for the vertical tab concept, I'll open
the bug then.

Cheers
   -Rob.
The bug for adding this feature to Mozilla is bug 139855
Bug 139855 covers this issue for the Mozilla Browser Suite. This bug was filed
against Mozilla Firebird. I suggest we keep these bugs separate until we know
how the two "products" are to be managed in bugzilla post milestone 1.5.
*** Bug 213241 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I'd like to put up my own version of what it should look like, but it's easily
summed up with the changes to the line representing the sidebar header.

I think it would look better (as well as be less confusing) if we were to not
explicitly label "Sidebar" -- where it says "Sidebar" in the diagram, should
remain the sidebar panel name as it is. And rather than naming the dropdown with
the same name as the current panel's name, it should be a down-pointing triangle.
We (ben, hyatt, me) discussed this at length tonight and came up with the plan.
 The work will be implemented as part of bug 176547.
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 21 years ago
Resolution: --- → WONTFIX
VERIFYING obvious WONTFIX bugs.  Filter on firebirdWontFix to filter these bugs.
 I skipped a few that I'm unsure about from their summary and will manually go
through them.
Status: RESOLVED → VERIFIED
"Obvious" wontfix??? This bug's idea seems to me *much better* than what i've
seen so far of "the plan". Pitty it's now wontfixed. :(
*** Bug 247727 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Blake: What is/was "the plan" and what was fixed on bug 176547? That bug is not
something that clarifies the issue of why this bug was WONTFIXed.
I also don't understand why this bug was marked WONTFIX.
But... There is an extension that adds this feature to firefox:
EzSidebar
Url: http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_ezsidebar.html.en
I'll ask the author if he wants to submit his extension for inclusion in the
"Mozilla Update" site.
Updated UI based on most current sidebar UI:

+--------------------+---
| [ Bookmarks  ]    [x]|   <-- currently selected: Bookmarks
|----------------------|
| | Customize Sidebars |
| | Sidebar directory  |
| |--------------------|
| |o Bookmarks         |   <-- currently selected: Bookmarks
| |  Search            |
| |  History           |
| |  Bugzilla          |
| |  ...               |
| +--------------------+
|    FlamingBird     |
|    mozilla.org     |
+--------------------+ 

(In reply to comment #14)
> I'll ask the author if he wants to submit his extension for inclusion in the
> "Mozilla Update" site.

What's the status on this?
Update on the following....

> I'll ask the author if he wants to submit his extension for inclusion in the
> "Mozilla Update" site.

Sent an e-mail, no response from him....
....Dunno what to do next....
Maybe someone well known from the Mozilla project should approach him?
(Hint Hint ;-)

Peter, is this bug going to stay WONTFIX? Has the batton been passed to a new
bug?

(In reply to comment #16)
> > I'll ask the author if he wants to submit his extension for inclusion in the
> > "Mozilla Update" site.
> Sent an e-mail, no response from him....

He's possibly not involved in mozilla anymore. When did you send the e-mail?

> Maybe someone well known from the Mozilla project should approach him?
> (Hint Hint ;-)

Well known, maybe, but more in an "infamous" kind of way. :-\

> Peter, is this bug going to stay WONTFIX? Has the batton been passed to a new
> bug?

Although as reporter, I have the _capability_ to reopen this bug, but since it
was wontfixed by THE BOSS, only someone in his sphere can reopen it without
getting even more shunned. ;)

It's a pitty, but all we can do is hope they change their minds...
Oops, I'd forgotten to reply to this bug...

>> Sent an e-mail, no response from him....

>He's possibly not involved in mozilla anymore. When did you send the e-mail?

Sent the e-mail on 16th November 2004.
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