RFC: Put notifications in sidepanel like widget explorer

[kainz.a]

2016-02-18 2:03 GMT+01:00 Thomas Pfeiffer <thomas.pfeiffer at kde.org>:

> On Montag, 26. Oktober 2015 09:57:37 CET Sebastian Kügler wrote:
> > On Tuesday, October 20, 2015 15:54:01 Martin Klapetek wrote:
> > > today I was thinking a bit about our notification system. I believe
> > > that the constraints the tiny popup give us are just too limiting.
> > > Currently it fits about two notifications and for everything else
> > > one has to scroll, plus the space is really cramped for anything
> > > else besides the notifications themselves.
>

Not only notifications could use the sidebar it could be usefull for all
sort
of user information stuff like clipboard, calender, todo app, ...

> > So it occurred to me that we could maybe reuse the same side
> > > panel we use for widget explorer and activities, only coming in
> > > from the right side.
>

why plasma can not only consist of plasmoids and panels.
why the notification is an specific element, the widget explorer,
the open application panel, the activities panel, ...

as user I see plasmoids which I can move on the desktop (with an preview)
or in the panel with an icon and with left click I get the (desktop)
preview.
A sidebar is an large panel with plasmoids in it.

widget explorer is an panel with the widget explorer plasmoid.
the user can define the shortcut for the panel (like every other plasmoid)
AND the size (2 columns, 4 columns depend on the width of the panel)

that's a user perspective, there are tecnical reasons to have it like it is.


> > > This would give us much more space and with that many more
> > > possibilities, like proper grouping of notifications from different
> > > apps and possibly also putting /all/ notifications there again
> > > (I'm still against it but with that extra space, we could afford it).
>

you can give the user an notification history


> > I can't remember a single case in the last months of usage (except for
> one,
> > see below) that made me want that, notifications are already cleaned up,
> and
> > I simply don't get that many persistent ones.
>
> It's not only notifications that are limited by the small popup: Contact
> list,
> Klipper, Plasma-NM, they could all use more vertical space.
>

+1 and that's the reason I would have a sidebar not for the notifications
only.

>
> I remember it being really hard to design Plasma-NM to fit in that tiny
> thing,
> there were tons of occasions where we'd have wanted more space.
>
> And the others I've mentioned also now need much more scrolling than
> necessary.
>
> > On the other hand, I find a side-panel much more intrusive, and much less
> > quick-peak-dismiss, so it makes the ui and workflow feel heavier.
>
> The thing is: When you open the popup, your attention is focused on it,
> anyway, regardless of its size. It would feel clunky if we opened it with a
> long animation like we still do far too often in Plasma, but if it opened
> and
> closed quickly enough, I'm convinced that the benefit of not having to
> scroll
> so much would outweigh the "cost" of it covering more of the screen which
> you
> don't have your attention on anyway.
>

in manjaro I have an scroolbar in the system tray cause there are to many
hidden elements.


> Their sidebar was Deepin's most noticeable difference from other DEs at the
> time it came out, and given that, they were quite successful with it.
> Budgie
> has a similar sidepanel, and is also getting quite positive reviews
> overall,
> with no negative mention of the sidepanel I'm aware of.
>
> So, while I don't think notifications alone would warrant a change from
> fixed-
> height popup to full-height sidebar, looking at all applets together, I'm
> convinced it would do more good than harm, even though it would certainly
> feel
> odd at first.
>

+1 sidebar should be controlled by the user same as panels.

I think the panel is 95% sidebar ready there are some questions about how to
know where the next plasmoid start (should there be a plasmoid header),
should there be something like in the system tray where the different
plasmoids
are grouped in one plasmoid and get an plasmoid icon with an header.
do we support widget containers like in the system tray, ...

As we have Thomas, Heiko, and the Community I would start like in our HIGs
user scenario, UX survey, mockups, code reduction, ...

cheers
Andreas
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