393733 - Allow resizing the search bar in Customize Toolbars mode

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Toolbars and Customization, enhancement, P4)

Description

[Jesse Ruderman]

I think it should be possible to resize the search bar and address bar by just dragging while in Customize Toolbars mode.  Reasons:

1) Users coming from Firefox 2 might not have the splitter on the toolbar. (Bug 267831 added the splitter to the default set, used by new profiles, but did not make changes to existing profiles.)

2) Many users want the search bar to be a size other than the default but don't want to resize it often enough to justify having a splitter.  For these users, resizing it takes a zillion steps (enter CT mode, put the splitter on the toolbar, exit CT mode, resize, enter CT mode again, remove the splitter, exit CT mode again).

Comment 1

[Mike Beltzner [:beltzner, not reading bugmail]]

Blocking on me for a ui-decision and a confab with Neil

Comment 2

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

If you're going to do this, the splitter should be removed from the default set ASAP, so that it doesn't creep in new profiles of users trying out Beta 1.

Comment 3

[Jesse Ruderman]

Beltzner's bug 400327 suggests an alternate solution: automatically add splitter whenever location bar and search bar are adjacent.

Comment 4

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

I would like there to always be a splitter between the fields, but to only give it a visual affordance (grippy things) when the customization pallet is visible.

Comment 5

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

I should add that Dao notes in bug 393718 that this is a non-trivial change, so likely out of scope for 3.

Comment 6

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

That was merely a guess, probably Enn can tell how hard it really is.

Comment 7

[u88484]

Is this still on table after the fix for bug 393718 which made the "grippy" invisible.  It needs to be discoverable somehow!

Comment 8

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

>It needs to be discoverable somehow!

The mouse cursor change makes the feature discoverable (albeit really hard to discover).  But I'm still in favor of displaying a visual affordance when the customization window is up.

Comment 9

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

(In reply to comment #5)
> I should add that Dao notes in bug 393718 that this is a non-trivial change, so
> likely out of scope for 3.

Just tried it ... adding a splitter is trivial and it's actually functional. However, the width of the url and search bars don't persists, presumably because the splitter doesn't change their width directly but instead the width of the wrapper elements that we add in the customizing mode (#wrapper-urlbar-container, #wrapper-search-container).

Comment 10

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

Attachment: WIP

I think this works, still need to test it.

Comment 11

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

Comment on attachment 296825 [details] [diff] [review]
WIP

Ok, so I think this doesn't work good enough and is not worth it.

Comment 12

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Not blocking on this bug for final ship. Would take a safe enough patch if one comes through.

Comment 13

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Mass-removing myself from cc; search for 12b9dfe4-ece3-40dc-8d23-60e179f64ac1 or any reasonable part thereof, to mass-delete these notifications (and sorry!)