127640 - "new" button to open a new tab / new window

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: Tabbed Browser, enhancement)

Description

[Christophe Combelles]

It would be nice to have the possibility to have a "new" button that could open
a new tab without hitting Ctrl_T

The tabbed function is not enough explicit, and most (new) users of mozilla dont
know it exists. There could be a "new" button, that could be configured to open
either a new window, or a new tab. The choice between tab and window could be
done by chosing in a menu opened by a small arrow just below the "new" button.
(same as "back" button).

Comment 1

[Sebastian Späth]

Mmh, there is already Ctrl-T and File->New->Navigator tab in build 02/18 (modern
skin, Windows), so I suppose marking this bug WORKSFORME is appropriate).

reporter please reopen if it is not part of your OS/skin in current builds

Comment 2

[jag (Peter Annema)]

Actually, we're thinking about adding a new button next to the close box.
Reopening for now till we've made a final decision.

Comment 3

[Christophe Combelles]

May be dangerous to have the "close" next to the "new". You should put the "new"
button at the opposite side (left), symetric to the close box.

Comment 4

[jag (Peter Annema)]

There will (hopefully) be a proxy icon in between, but cc'ing the spec writer :-)

Marlon, didn't you suggest something similar? I guess we could put the New
button and proxy icon on the left, and keep the close box on the right.

Comment 5

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

While we're at this... could the close/new thing follow platform spec?  like put
the close button on the left on mac and on the right on windows?

Comment 6

[Mike Young]

confirming since it seems like people want this....

Comment 7

[Duke]

Attachment: demonstration of Opera's new window button

After switching back to Mozilla from Opera, I missed having a button to open a
new tab.  This would be a very nice feature.  For reference, Opera's new tab
button was in the menu along side "back", "forward", "stop".  I like the idea
of having the new button on the tab row, opposite the close button, however,
when there are no tabs, the tab row is not present.
In the included screen shot of an Opera window, you can see the "new window"
button highlighted in the top left.  This creates a new window for browsing,
but since I have Opera configured to open all new windows as tabs, it creates a
new tab.  That configuration option in Mozilla would also be nice, but that
belongs in a new bug report/feature request. ;)

Comment 8

[Jeff Tilak]

is this a dup of http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=112769 ([rfe] tab
bar should have a "New Tab" button)

Comment 9

[Christophe Combelles]

Attachment: The "new" button and its selection menu.

Comment 10

[Christophe Combelles]

I have just created an attachment to show what the "new" button and its
selection menu could look like.

Comment 11

[Christophe Combelles]

Please don't look at the icon of the button, I've gimped it too fast.

But something interesting should be to have a different icons when "new tab" is
selected, and when "new window" is selected.
(so, on the screenshot, the icon would not be coherent, and should look like a
"T" instead)

Comment 12

[jag (Peter Annema)]

Not quite a dupe, and not quite what I had in mind (I should've read this bug
better). wontfix, see bug 112769 for what I was thinking of.

Comment 13

[Hixie (not reading bugmail)]

VERIFIED that the module owner has said we WONTFIX this.

Note that when Mozilla gets customisable toolbars, there will probably be a
button for New Tab and one for New Window available for you to use. So just bide
your time until then. :-)