Make the docs navbar fixed again

[Sennik]

Please make de docs navbar fixed again. I use it extensively and it was very nice to quickly change sections in the documentation. Now I have to scroll, and scroll and scroll....

[cvrebert]

X-Ref: #12589

[mdo]

For the time being we won't be changing it.

[tkojemile]

For the time being we won't be changing it.

Any specific reason? :)

[zlatanvasovic]

Because it's bad for reading.

[tkojemile]

True story :+1:

[carasmo]

I prefer the new layout as it doesn't require adjusting the anchors because they were covered up by the nav before. I just wish there was a scroll to top link after scrolling past the header height.

[ziemkowski]

I can't see how it would be bad for reading and grumble about the non-fixed-top navbar on a daily basis, as its absence dramatically slows down using the docs.

To illustrate...

The docs are basically 3 isolated sections but I use features from all 3 sections constantly. If you're reading about panels on page 20 (or greater) and have a question about modals or responsive utilities, you have to scroll or swipe through all 20 pages in order to then switch to the other section. Once on that other page you can click the sidebar to jump down, but not back up and you can't jump to another section without once again scrolling or swipping a few dozen pages up again. On a laptop this can take a while. Lately I've begun clicking the first link in the sidebar ("Glyphicons" or "Overview") to jump up to minimize the scrolling remaining, but that's definitely a hack and has to be a sign that the interface could use improvement.

A Top link like @carasmo suggests would help, but is still an unnecessary click when the framework has this powerful concept of a fixed top navbar that solves this exact problem.

[tkojemile]

If you are using anchors to point something 'Title' would go behind navbar. This is the problem :) GoToTop button would be great, but guys explained it well!

[ziemkowski]

FYI a "Back to top" link was in fact added and is now live as a part of this similar issue: https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/issues/12589

So there we go :)

[mdo]

Yeah. I'm definitely looking into what else we can do here. The fixed topbar just caused so many little problems that I nuked it. We'll keep iterating on it :).

[ziemkowski]

Issue #12589 had a few comments that suggested the bigger issue is actually having 3 section pages for the documentation. I wouldn't miss the fixed navbar one bit if they were merged into a single Reference page.

Something like:

• Overview
• Grid system
• Typography
• Tables
• Forms
• Images
• CSS Components
• JavaScript Components
• Helper Classes
• Responsive Utilities
• Using Less
• Using Sass

Code would be placed in Typography and Buttons in CSS Components. That would make it easier to break the components sections apart a bit too.

[tkojemile]

What about small arrow down on left side, wont take much space, and on click show hidden div with menu floating, or even on top (like pull down) - it wont mess your anchor, it wont take you to top (with visual screen scrolling) and on back button you'll be taken to same place where you were (not case with scroll to top)?

[hnrch02]

@mdo Have you guys considered adding some padding-top to headings targeted by hashes via :target? Would fix the titles-disappearing-behind-the-(fixed)-navbar thing, but would require some changes to the Scrollspy plugin.

[tkojemile]

@hnrch02 tried to do it in investigator, it wont work on all resolutions, same small problems...

[mdo]

@hnrch02 Yup, and it was a shitty hack to make it happen for all heading levels. Not interested in going back down that route.