Bug 464386 - Place tabs above toolbar
Summary: Place tabs above toolbar
Status: REPORTED
Alias: None
Product: dolphin
Classification: Applications
Component: general (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 22.12.0
Platform: openSUSE Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2023-01-16 20:58 UTC by John Veness
Modified: 2025-06-24 15:33 UTC (History)
7 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Old Firefox layout (56.20 KB, image/png)
2023-01-16 20:58 UTC, John Veness
Details
New Firefox layout (56.02 KB, image/png)
2023-01-16 20:58 UTC, John Veness
Details
Current dolphin layout (17.57 KB, image/png)
2023-01-16 20:59 UTC, John Veness
Details
Showcase behavior when switching tabs in split view mode (219.29 KB, video/webm)
2025-05-13 21:10 UTC, Tobias Zwick
Details
Dolphin layout if you remove the address bar from the toolbar (113.66 KB, image/png)
2025-05-15 18:58 UTC, John Veness
Details
Dolphin with Tabs on Top - Mockup (35.44 KB, image/png)
2025-05-16 10:51 UTC, John
Details
Tabs above Location (27.78 KB, image/png)
2025-06-24 15:33 UTC, John
Details

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Description John Veness 2023-01-16 20:58:07 UTC
Created attachment 155360 [details]
Old Firefox layout

About a decade ago, Firefox changed from having its tab bar *below* the main toolbar/URL bar, to having the tab bar *above* the toolbar/URL bar. Currently dolphin uses the old Firefox layout - I would prefer it if it used the new layout (or at least an option).

Please see image attachments.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20230115
KDE Plasma Version: 5.26.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.101.0
Qt Version: 5.15.8
Kernel Version: 6.1.4-1-default (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: X11
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™ i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz
Memory: 15.5 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: Mesa Intel® HD Graphics 620
Manufacturer: HP
Product Name: HP ProBook 450 G4
Comment 1 John Veness 2023-01-16 20:58:38 UTC
Created attachment 155361 [details]
New Firefox layout
Comment 2 John Veness 2023-01-16 20:59:05 UTC
Created attachment 155362 [details]
Current dolphin layout
Comment 3 John 2025-05-06 11:30:14 UTC
I also think this makes sense!

Instead of having a toolbar showing up under the URL bar, having it showing over it would make a lot more sense because all the actions on the toolbar take effect on the selected tab.

Having it at least as an option would do the thing
Comment 4 folador.diogo 2025-05-06 18:48:21 UTC
I agree.
Tabs could be placed above the toolbar or let configure it in this way.
Discussion about this is here: https://discuss.kde.org/t/dolphin-move-tabbar-above-the-main-toolbar/9047/17
Other software example do the same, for example:

Browsers:
- Fire fox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?xv=refresh-new&v=b
- Google Chrome: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/
- MS Edge: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/download?form=MA13FJ&cs=1233195646
- Opera: https://www.opera.com/

File explorer (for Windows):
- File explorer in Windows 11: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/tips/file-explorer
- Files: https://files.community/docs
- File Explorer: https://github.com/omeryanar/FileExplorer?tab=readme-ov-file#file-explorer
Comment 5 Tobias Zwick 2025-05-13 21:09:40 UTC
And I was about to report this as a bug.

The current placement of the tabs *below* the file path bar makes it look like the tabs are - in split view - for each tab individually.

It is confusing to switch to a different tab and then the split view is gone (because the other tab is not a split view tab) when the tabs are not at the very top.
Comment 6 Tobias Zwick 2025-05-13 21:10:15 UTC
Created attachment 181259 [details]
Showcase behavior when switching tabs in split view mode
Comment 7 Tobias Zwick 2025-05-13 21:12:47 UTC
Related: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=470928

A request to make it so that tabs are for each split view individually. It is related because the current placement of the tabs makes it appear that this would be the desired behavior.
Comment 8 folador.diogo 2025-05-15 17:29:00 UTC
Tobias Zwick, if you remove the "Location Bar" (file/address path) from the "main tool bar", then it goes to below the tabs, i.e., the tabs will be placed above the "Location Bar". Is that what you desired?
Comment 9 Tobias Zwick 2025-05-15 18:43:46 UTC
Indeed, that's cool, thanks!

(Although, that behavior is a bit unexpected, I'd never have thought of trying that.)
Comment 10 John Veness 2025-05-15 18:57:40 UTC
Personally, although that layout is better, I still would prefer the tabs to be above the other toolbar buttons, and above the sidebar too. Having that layout seems a strange hybrid, compared to what we see in web browsers, and in Windows File Explorer, etc.
Comment 11 John Veness 2025-05-15 18:58:56 UTC
Created attachment 181352 [details]
Dolphin layout if you remove the address bar from the toolbar

A screenshot of this layout, for reference.
Comment 12 folador.diogo 2025-05-15 19:54:09 UTC
Tobias Zwick
> (Although, that behavior is a bit unexpected, I'd never have thought of trying that.)
Me too. I would never thought of this alone. I had to search and found this page on reddit (a lot of things in KDE seems to be hidden like that)
https://www.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/zn0g0p/how_to_change_location_of_dolphins_location_bars/

John Veness
> Having that layout seems a strange hybrid, compared to what we see in web browsers, and in Windows File Explorer, etc.
I agree, that saves space on screen and many softwares already do that. But I can't say if it is hard for people in KDE team to implement something like that.
Comment 13 John 2025-05-16 10:51:00 UTC
Created attachment 181373 [details]
Dolphin with Tabs on Top - Mockup

When you have more than one tab open you want Dolphin to have an option to look like this, i believe...
Comment 14 John Veness 2025-05-16 11:45:42 UTC
(In reply to John from comment #13)
> When you have more than one tab open you want Dolphin to have an option to
> look like this, i believe...

Yes, that would be perfect, in my opinion.
Comment 15 John 2025-06-24 15:33:55 UTC
Created attachment 182606 [details]
Tabs above Location

Would it be doable to make the "tabs bar" a movable object in the same way the "location bar" is?

The idea would be to be able to place the "Tabs Bar" on the "location bar" default position, and, by removing this last one, having it appear bellow the tabs.

Something like the attached screenshot ( yeah... a bit weird and crude but you get the point )