525474 - Automatically place new tabs into logical groups

Status: NEW

(Other Applications :: ChatZilla, enhancement)

Description

[James Ross]

Firstly, pick a tab to start from:
 - If we want to do it, we can store a reference tab (like dropping on the tab bar does) for the /join and /query commands.
 - If the new tab and the current tab are the same network, the current tab is the reference.
 - The first tab (in display order) of the same network is the reference.
 - With no reference, just stick the new tab at the end (what we currently do).

To work out where the new tab goes with respect to the reference:
 - From the reference tab, step back (left in LTR) through the tabs as long as they're on the same network. Stop BEFORE going to a tab of a different network.
 - Now work forwards (right in LTR) and set the reference tab to the first non-channel or different network tab. If we reach the end, no reference tab is set.
 - The new tab is inserted BEFORE the reference tab (or at the end if there is no reference tab).

Alright, so that's probably confused you. Here are some examples, assuming no storing of reference tab from commands:
Tabs:    N1 N2
New tab: N1C1
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N2
New tab: N1C2
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N2
New tab: N2C1
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N2 N2C1
New tab: N1U1
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N1U1 N2 N2C1
New tab: N1C3
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N1C3 N1U1 N2 N2C1
New tab: N3
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N1C3 N1U1 N2 N2C1 N3
New tab: N1U2
Tabs:    N1 N1C1 N1C2 N1C3 N1U1 N1U2 N2 N2C1 N3

It's actually pretty simple, and would not affect dropping links on the tab bar or the user rearranging tabs (although that makes automatic placement much more fun to think about). What do people think?

Comment 1

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

In reply to comment #0:
> [...] What do people think?

I like it. See also bug 545975 which may or may not be a duplicate.

Comment 3

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

FWIW: Konversation already has grouping by network (the version installed here is Konversation 1.2, which comes with KDE 4.3.1). (ChatZilla's motifs are nicer and much more legible IMHO so I stay with cZ in any case, but that's a different matter.)