Zotero 7 beta. Feature Request: Option to Hide Right Sidebar

yjbo

I wanted to express my appreciation for the new update, which has enhanced the visual appeal and convenience of scrolling through information on the right sidebar. However, I have been unable to locate the settings to hide the right sidebar when it is not in use. Currently, it appears that there is no option to hide it.

I would like to inquire if there are any plans to incorporate a switch or toggle option to hide the right sidebar for users with larger screens, similar to the functionality available for the left sidebar. This feature would provide a cleaner interface and maximize the available screen space when the sidebar is not actively utilized.

Thanks!

dstillman

The item pane? The same as always, and the same as the collections pane — you can drag it to close it or toggle it off from the View menu.

yjbo

Yes, regarding the item pane, I have attempted to close it by dragging it, and while the side column does minimize, the side bar (the Bar) remains on the right. This functionality is not quite the same as the left sidebar, which can be completely hidden. I do appreciate the convenience of having the bar on the right for quick access, but perhaps having the option to hide it completely could be considered as well?

Thanks!

dstillman

Are you referring to the new side navigation bar (sidenav) on the right, with the icons for Info/Abstract/etc.? And are you talking about the reader view specifically?

I'm confused by your references to a "left sidebar" if you're talking about the sidenav in the reader view — there's no equivalent to the sidenav anywhere else. There's a left sidebar with thumbnails/annotations/outline, a right sidebar with item data and notes, and a sidenav. The sidenav replaces the previous Item/Notes toolbar buttons, and it's what lets you open the different views in the right sidebar, so it wouldn't work to make it hidable, because you wouldn't be able to open the right sidebar.

I assume what you mean to say here is that you preferred having the toolbar buttons for opening/closing the right sidebar rather than losing horizontal space for the sidenav, which is a fine position, but that's not how the current design works.

yjbo

The button located in the left corner collapses the entire sidenav, while the button in the right corner also collapses the sidenav. However, there is a difference in the area displayed within the dashed box, as shown in this image: [http://postimg.cc/qt8cdbgz ]. I am unsure about the appropriate name for this area, and it may be better to visually represent it in the image.

I do understand that the design intends to provide quick access to this area. However, I am considering that when in the reader view, where the file is specifically chosen for reading, the displayed information such as the info, abstract, etc., may not be necessary at that moment. (since the file is chosen to be opened for reading).

As an option, we could consider not showing the icon but instead using the right corner button to toggle the sidebar. And maybe it is worth considering for the sake of horizontal space, what do you think of that?

Thanks!

yjbo

Thanks for the update on this feature. It has been working effectively to expand the sidenav. However, I have a request for a more detailed enhancement regarding this button.

Currently, when the sidenav is expanded, the toggle button will changes its position. I would like to propose a modification where the toggle button remains in its original position, similar to the toggle button located in the top left corner. This adjustment would greatly improve the user experience.

Thanks!

dstillman

(Again, your terminology here is off. The "sidenav" is just the strip of icons on the right edge. It's the "sidebar" that opens and closes. And yes, in the latest beta, we made the sidenav part of the sidebar in the reader view so that it collapses with the sidebar, leaving the full width for the content pane.)

It's not equivalent to the left side because there's no toolbar on the right side when the right sidebar is opened. Keeping the expand/collapse button in the same place would require moving it to the top of the sidenav when the sidebar was opened, which would shift the sidenav icons down and be conceptually muddled, since the button would be jumping between different containers. As it is, you're essentially just sliding open a pane from the right edge. We experimented with keeping it in the same place and decided that, while it seems more convenient if you're rapidly expanding and closing the pane to test this, in practice people aren't going to be doing that repeatedly, so it was more important to do something conceptually coherent.