Version: 0.9.2-final (using KDE KDE 3.5.7) Installed from: Fedora RPMs OS: Linux Both left and right sidebars have a vertical tab bar for switching between modes. This wastes a fair bit of valuable screen real estate. I suggest replacing them with a more conventional "top tab bar" (just across the sidebar of course) instead, which would use a lot less screen space, and I argue would be more natural too. This will have to do instead of a real mock-up: Assume we're in "Dates" mode for the left sidebar. Above will show: [A] [D] Dates [T] [S] [X] where [A], [D], [T], and [S] are the icons for Album, Dates, Tags, and Searches modes, respectively, while [X] is a close icon. The '[D] Dates' part is highlighted. Clicking on [A] will switch to Albums mode, and show: [A] Albums [D] [T] [S] [X] Now '[A] Albums' is highlighted. Clicking in [X] will remove/minimize the sidebar. In addition the main View menu should have entries for Left sidebar and Right sidebar. The Left sidebar brings up a sub-menu showing: Album Dates Tags Searches (Hidden) Hidden is grayed out if the menubar is currently hidden. Alternatively, we can have check-boxes like Firefox's View->Sidebar menu.
Your solution also wastes space. Just in different way. When I have many, many albums, tags, predefined searches vertical space in panels is very valuable. Also paradoxically your proposition in many situations will lead to even *more* waste of horizontal space. Why? Headers of modes (as you call them will not fit in width of left panel. User will have two choices: hassle with clicking on some button (usually small) to scroll through list or make panel wider. Solution worse than supposed illness. Also I have some suspicions your perspective is skewed by environment. Not bad thing in itself but Digikam is KDE program and mainly cater to users of programs like Amarok and Konqueror where vertical tabs are used too. Better solution - and more in KDE way are subpanels like in KPDF/Okular/KDevelop. Bad side of this it impossibility to turn panel off/on without use of some arcane keyboard shortcut or navigating through menus. Turning on panel in your proposition also is awkward. Great thing about Digikam panels is easiness of switching it on/off with one click. Your way gives easy turn off. What about turn on?
> When I have many, many albums, tags, predefined searches vertical space in panels is very valuable. My proposal doesn't actually change the amount of veritical space available, since the existing side-bar header would be removed. I,e, right now it says "My Albums". That line is redundant now and double redundant when we have the tab bar. I.e. "My Albums" gets replaced by "[A] Albums [D] [T] [S] [X]". > Headers of modes (as you call them will not fit in width of left panel. User will have two choices: hassle with clicking on some button (usually small) to scroll through list or make panel wider Well, this is exactly as the current "sidebar mode bar" in 0.9.2 - it too only shows icons, except for the selected mode. > Better solution - and more in KDE way are subpanels like in KPDF/Okular/KDevelop. That's ok - but it does use more vertical space than my proposal. > Turning on panel in your proposition also is awkward. In kpdf when the sidebar is missing, it leaves a thin gray border. You can click on that, and drag it out to restore the sidebar. That does require a little space for the border, but much less space than needed for the icons and the vertical current mode text. An added advantage is it makes the window less cluttered. A downside is the UI for restoring it is less obvious; however, if it is also in the View menu I think it's OK since it's easy enough to find.
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 311202 ***
Hi, I will mark this file as won't fix, as digiKam already propose an option in Setup/Misc config view to only show left and right sidebar active panel title and lets other with icon only. This preserve vertical space. The advantage of vertical sidebar entries is to be always visible on screen, in opposite of horizontal one. For large screen, if titles are always visible in settings, usability of sidebar is optimal, and it's the best compromise. Best regards an happy new year. Gilles Caulier Note: this file is not a DUPLICATE of bug #311202 at all.