Feature Request : Shrink interface

[GenewalDesign]

The only available option to "reduce" interface is only to hide it.

I would like to shrink the interface when I need to have more space on my work area. With just a button, all the studio windows are reduced to an icon, if you need to check the panels, just click on the icon, like on the iPad OS version.

Edited March 8, 2023 by GenewalDesign

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, GenewalDesign said:

The only available option to "reduce" interface is only to hide it.

There is an approach you may not be aware of, given that you only mentioned hiding. You can double-click the tab at the top of a studio panel and reduce that part of the studio stack to a single line. You can then click on any panel tab to expand that section of the studio.

[GenewalDesign]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

There is an approach you may not be aware of, given that you only mentioned hiding. You can double-click the tab at the top of a studio panel and reduce that part of the studio stack to a single line. You can then click on any panel tab to expand that section of the studio.

Yes I know about that one, but it hides only in vertical way, not horizontal.

[Alfred]

Affinity Designer 2 Help: Customizing the workspace

[GenewalDesign]

4 hours ago, Alfred said:

Affinity Designer 2 Help: Customizing the workspace

If I want to do this quickly, I just hit tab. But it's not what i'm looking for : reducing the UI, not hiding it.

Another software I won't name, can do this the way I think : just click on the small double chevrons and the whole panel is reduced to icons.

[Pšenda]

17 hours ago, GenewalDesign said:

reducing the UI, not hiding it

What is the benefit of shrinking panels versus hiding them?
It doesn't matter if the panels are reduced or hidden, you can't work with them anyway, and if you need to maximize the work space, then complete hiding is much more beneficial.

[GenewalDesign]

8 hours ago, Pšenda said:

What is the benefit of shrinking panels versus hiding them?
It doesn't matter if the panels are reduced or hidden, you can't work with them anyway, and if you need to maximize the work space, then complete hiding is much more beneficial.

Reduced : just click on the panel you need and it will show up. You win workspace while you can still use a panel if you need it.

When it's hidden you can't work at all with it.

[debraspicher]

Clicking the icon caused a "pop-out panel" thing in PS which I always saw as useful. I can't remember when it was added, but I never used it a ton. Maybe if accessing a panel like Stroke that I may touch very little in that session. Otherwise I prefer to float my panels and/or tab them...I try to reduce wrist strain, so I try to keep my panels floating closer to my work piece so as to reduce panning and clicking to the sides (when not on pen)... unless on a laptop where the screen real estate is much less, then a pop-out panel option is much quicker.

CSP has this also, but it pops out the whole docking area, not just the panel. PS' version is a bit more compact by just popping out the panel individually iirc and leaving the actual docking area closed. CSP also allows us to double-click the panel's title bar to open and close easily. I can't remember if PS' worked this way also, but it's convenient.

[GenewalDesign]

4 hours ago, debraspicher said:

Clicking the icon caused a "pop-out panel" thing in PS which I always saw as useful. I can't remember when it was added, but I never used it a ton. Maybe if accessing a panel like Stroke that I may touch very little in that session. Otherwise I prefer to float my panels and/or tab them...I try to reduce wrist strain, so I try to keep my panels floating closer to my work piece so as to reduce panning and clicking to the sides (when not on pen)... unless on a laptop where the screen real estate is much less, then a pop-out panel option is much quicker.

If I remember well, it was back to CS3.

This is where the UX is well built : if you are not familiar with the panel icons, you just have to resize the column to have the name of the panel, while still having the pop-out when you need it.