When focus into location bar, auto hide option

[Noitidart]

When in location bar: If auto hide is not enabled, there should be an option, that when we focus the url bar to type url or anything, it should hide.

[Quicksaver]

I'm torn about this one, the concept is useful of course, but autohide already does this in a way. Plus, if you're writing in the urlbar and suddenly realize you need some function from the add-on bar, you have to click somewhere in the webpage first, instead of being able to go there directly.

[yajd]

Ok how about add a sub option, "When focus url bar and auto-hide is not selected, it will auto hide all but the puzzle piece, mousing over the puzzle piece while focus is in the bar will show the bar, mouse off of puzzle piece plus whatever was shown, will hide it again". Of course you need to have some tolerance, like if mouse leaves the puzzle icon and addonbar contents and doesnt return within like 500ms then hide it, otherwise without tolerance, during simple mouseoves it will be hidden when not wanted.

Firefox bookmark star, when it used to be in location bar, was also hidden when focus was into the url bar.

[yajd]

Reason I feel this is important is because my addonbar is PACKED, i can only see like 3 letters of the url... haha

This also leads to the issue of: what if there are more icons/content in addonbar than the location bar can fit?

[Quicksaver]

Ok how about add a sub option, "When focus url bar and auto-hide is not selected, it will auto hide all but the puzzle piece, mousing over the puzzle piece while focus is in the bar will show the bar, mouse off of puzzle piece plus whatever was shown, will hide it again". Of course you need to have some tolerance, like if mouse leaves the puzzle icon and addonbar contents and doesnt return within like 500ms then hide it, otherwise without tolerance, during simple mouseoves it will be hidden when not wanted.

This is exactly what autohide already does, except for the "When urlbar is focused" part, which is just much simpler.

Firefox bookmark star, when it used to be in location bar, was also hidden when focus was into the url bar.

What if while you were typing a new url, you remembered "Wait, I should bookmark this page first so I don't lose it."? Maybe that's the reason why the star was removed from there in the first place, you wouldn't have direct access to it while typing in the urlbar.

This also leads to the issue of: what if there are more icons/content in addonbar than the location bar can fit?

Then you clearly need to reorganize your browser. ;)

I think you should understand something. While the point of the add-on bar in the location bar is in fact to save some screen space while keeping a tidy UI concentrated at the top of the screen, "space" is also its limitation, as it competes for space with the urlbar. The urlbar isn't used just for typing, another function for it, which is just as important, is information; where exactly you are surfing at any point. This needs to be visible, whether you're a security-paranoid, or you just forgot the address of some website and would like to confirm it (case in point, I just used it to see the issue number of #28 to link it in #29).

If you do have a packed add-on bar, I wouldn't recommend you using it in the location bar without autohide at all, hiding it only when the urlbar is focused just isn't enough because that's not the sole purpose of the urlbar. If its contents aren't visible even when not focused, then it becomes redundant to have it at all.

[yajd]

I agree organizing is a good idea, but for other users, some addons use labels which fills up sapce. I actually have 3 addons which fill up the addonbar space a lot. I don't want to take these labels out of addonbar as they are suited thre.

Also agreed space is limitation.

Ah you're right autohide right now does work like that.

The thing is though I don't want autohide enabled. I only want it to to temporary enable autohide when I focus the urlbar by clicking on the url text or Ctrl+L or Alt+D or F6.

[yajd]

Oh that's a good point on the removal of bookmark icon from url bar i never thought of it like that. But if i forget to bookmark while typing ill use shortcut, otherwise ill have to click off url bar anyways then click back into url bar.

[Quicksaver]

The thing is though I don't want autohide enabled. I only want it to to temporary enable autohide when I focus the urlbar by clicking on the url text or Ctrl+L or Alt+D or F6.

That's pretty much what I'm considering doing, a sort of "Only auto hide if location bar is focused". Although I still maintain, if the add-on bar covers a lot of the location bar, you shouldn't place it there without (actual) autohide enabled, although that's just my opinion.

But if i forget to bookmark while typing ill use shortcut, otherwise ill have to click off url bar anyways then click back into url bar.

Most users don't know the shortcuts, so that's another break in their workflow; instead of:

• Click the star button
• Keep typing as the location bar stays focused

they would have to

• Click somewhere in the webpage
• Click star
• Click back in the urlbar
• Place the cursor exactly where they want it
• Finally type

[yajd]

Ah excellent point on that workflow, thats true.

Also agree yeah maybe shouldn't use location bar, I just love it though so much haha :P And the animation that goes with it :P

I just think it fits well with the Australis theme.

[Quicksaver]

You could also try keeping it open, and then close it manually before you focus the location bar. That requires a lot more work on your part yeah (personally it's not something I'd do), but you seem to like the animations, so I thought I'd at least suggest it. :)

[yajd]

Hahaha I don't like the animations that much. Would rather just sit and hope for this feature to land. :package: I don't like animations unless they are natural in the flow you know?

[Keith94]

@yajd In the meantime you could use some basic css like:

#urlbar[focused] #thePuzzlePiece-urlbar-addonbar-container {
  width: 0;
}
#urlbar[focused] #thePuzzlePiece-urlbar-PP {
  display: none;
}

[Noitidart]

@Keith94 that's super! Thanks man!

[Keith94]

Updated css, has some animation now.

[Noitidart]

Coolio bro! Looks awesome!

edit: where's the updated css man?

[Keith94]

edit: where's the updated css man?

In my comment above.

[Noitidart]

Oh cool stuff thanks again

[Quicksaver]

I've just uploaded beta version 1.4b4 that includes this option (you'll need to remove that custom CSS code btw, to make sure it works correctly).

Please go to https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/the-puzzle-piece/versions/ to try it out and let me know what you think. The option is disabled by default, but you can enable it in TPP's preferences.

[Noitidart]

Thank you man!!!!

[Quicksaver]

You're very welcome! I'm sorry it took so long.

[Noitidart]

No problem man I know dev takes some time to get all the bugs flat. Hey man I can't find the autohide thing this is screenshot of the options: I can check autohide while "location bar is selected":

[Quicksaver]

You still need the puzzle piece icon, otherwise you couldn't access the add-on bar (by mousing over the puzzle piece icon) without having to click somewhere else to blur the location bar. ;)

[Quicksaver]

As in, enable "Show the Puzzle Piece toggle button in the add-on bar"

[Noitidart]

Ah see ya thinking out logic like that takes time. Thx man!

[Noitidart]

Works awesome. Just maybe a thought. If icon is hidden, it should still autohiden when focus into url bar.

And then an option, then if icon is hidden, when autohide due to focus in url hide the stuff and then show the icon so can mouseover it to use stausbar if need be.

Just thoughts.

[Quicksaver]

yajd already asked for that in this thread, and unfortunately I don't see a way of doing that without breaking workflow (read above, I'd point you directly to the comment in question but I don't think I can do that).

[Noitidart]

I actually hid the puzzle piece icon. By creating an addon to set hidden attribute on the puzzle icon.

Because whenever my focus is in url bar (typically few seconds) i am not looking to use those icons.

Maybe you can allow "hide when focus is in url bar" even when icon is not displayed.

[Keith94]

Maybe you can allow "hide when focus is in url bar" even when icon is not displayed.

I've found this to be possible, by enabling all options under "Behavior", then disable "Show Puzzle Piece", so the icon is then hidden but the "hide when focused" option is still available. But if you uncheck that then it becomes grayed out.

[Noitidart]

Thanks @Keith94 man :)

[Quicksaver]

Yeah, you just have to enable "hide when focused" first, and only then disable "show puzzle piece". :)