1554144 - Consider building the about:library content page

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Bookmarks & History, enhancement, P3)

Description

[Victor Porof [:vporof][:vp]]

Attachment: [e-mail]

The library window its an outlier in terms of both design and technical debt when it comes to Firefox's frontend.

Keeping it around is blocking various high-level efforts across Mozilla:

• XUL removal: blocking Browser Architecture's efforts to transition away from XUL trees
• Places modernisation: blocking Activity Stream by constraining the reliance on the old storage, adding complexity to sync, and preventing Oxidation efforts from rewriting the storage layer to use modern APIs
• Photon: blocking a unified modern design for the entire browser.

Rewriting the library window, with its satellite UIs built around the places store, has been constrained by both technical limitations (performance, tree widget complexity, XBL dependencies) as well as de-prioritization (e.g. bug 1444500).

A migration of the library window to an in-content about:library HTML version is now more feasible in a reasonable timeframe and cost, given recent Browser Architecture work in transitioning XUL trees to custom elements, understanding the existing technical debt, as well as UX's efforts in coming up with simpler designs with less implementation complexity: https://mozilla.invisionapp.com/share/YARYRW724H5#/screens/362757875_About-Library

This bug serves as a placeholder for a prototype about:library content page, as well as a short demo video of the prototype.

Comment 1

[Victor Porof [:vporof][:vp]]

Attachment: Screen Recording 2019-05-24 at 14.39.22.mov

Comment 2

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

I'm adding this to blocking bug 697359 which is the original place for this work. I think it might be best to make that into a meta, as it'll likely end up like that anyway.

Comment 3

[Sören Hentzschel]

(In reply to Victor Porof [:vporof][:vp] from comment #0)

as well as UX's efforts in coming up with simpler designs with less implementation complexity: https://mozilla.invisionapp.com/share/YARYRW724H5#/screens/362757875_About-Library

How can bookmark folders accessed with this design proposal?

Comment 4

[Victor Porof [:vporof][:vp]]

(In reply to Sören Hentzschel from comment #3)

(In reply to Victor Porof [:vporof][:vp] from comment #0)

as well as UX's efforts in coming up with simpler designs with less implementation complexity: https://mozilla.invisionapp.com/share/YARYRW724H5#/screens/362757875_About-Library

How can bookmark folders accessed with this design proposal?

The design is still being worked on, and there might be differences between a shippable MVP and a final product to sunset the old library window. However, the current conversations revolve around having bookmark folders appear as tags, and the designs showcase only the deepest level folder on such a bookmark.

This will likely serve as a stepping stone towards a more modern Places (which also requires a more modern backend). I'm working closely with Bryan Bell who can comment more on the UX, and with Mike De Boer who can comment more on the product aspect.

I'd like to reiterate that this bug is just a placeholder for the prototype patch and the video. The planning and arguments in favour of prioritising this are all still being discussed.

Comment 5

[Asif Youssuff]

Additional feedback can be found in https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/cybn9x/redesigned_bookmarkshistorydownloads_library/