Collapsible panel groups, please

[dmstraker]

Real estate (if you'll pardon the American term) on a screen is at a premium, and being able to say 'make this smaller for now' is useful. This can be particularly applied in the right-hand panel groups where, for example, you can easily run out of visual space for layer.

A simple solution to this is to allow panel groups to be collapsed with a single click. The top left corner of panels currently doesn't seem to be in use. This would be an ideal place for a little triangle. Collapse the group but still show the panel tabs so clicking any one will open it up again. You could even have it so that when you open a collapsed group by clicking the tab (rather than the top left corner) and then click away or on another panel group, the temporarily opened group collapses again. Or even do this with a hover.

Thanks!

[walt.farrell]

How is that substantially different from the current method of collapsing a panel group? Just double-click on any tab in the group to collapse it, single-click to expand it again.

[dmstraker]

19 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

How is that substantially different from the current method of collapsing a panel group? Just double-click on any tab in the group to collapse it, single-click to expand it again.

Good grief. I didn't know that. Thanks, Walt!

You learn something new every day.

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome, Dave

[Granddaddy]

I didn't know that either after three years of using APhoto. I wonder how many people do know it. Thanks to @walt.farrellmore of us know it now.

And thank you both for this delightful exchange that illustrates something I told my colleagues and students for decades:

1.) Broadcast your ignorance whenever you want information. Sure, there might be some who make fun of your knowledge gap or who berate you for asking for a feature they themselves don't need. Pay them no mind. You are performing a public service. Always there will be a knowledgeable and patient person who will enlighten you and all the others who read your post.

2.) Even the most experienced expert can learn tips and tricks from even an inexperienced person who happens to use the software differently for different purposes. Which is one of the reasons beta testing ought to be formally organized to include testing by a broad range of people and not just depend hopefully on those interested enough to try the beta version but who might have very narrow interests.

[cyberlizard]

the double click method only seems to work when the panels are not docked.  is there a way to do it when the panels are docked?

 

Steve

[walt.farrell]

8 minutes ago, cyberlizard said:

the double click method only seems to work when the panels are not docked.  is there a way to do it when the panels are docked?

It works in either case, for me. It will collapse all the panels in that row of the studio.

[Old Bruce]

18 hours ago, cyberlizard said:

the double click method only seems to work when the panels are not docked.  is there a way to do it when the panels are docked?

As Walt mentioned I too have no problem collapsing the panels. However the empty space in the dock will remain blank and empty.