[Design] Adjustable width sidebar: bug 6216

[Mimi Yin]

Hi, Markku filed a bug asking for an adjustable splitter for the  
sidebar. https://bugzilla.osafoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6216

This issue has come up a number of times internally, so I thought I  
would forward the bug to the list in order to go on the record with  
the reasoning behind our decision to hold off on an adjustable  
splitter for now.

===

As John said, this was a design choice, not an engineering choice. I  
am happy to make the sidebar adjustable ( I certainly understand the  
motivation for wanting one). However, we've decided to punt the  
adjustable splitter until we have 2 things in place:

1. An alternate layout for the mini-calendar so that it doesn't float  
in the middle of a sidebar that is much wider than the mini-calendar  
itself.

2. A custom splitter tha won't make the divider between the sidebar  
and the summary pane take up more pixels. (see Apple Mail, iTunes and  
iPhoto as examples).

3. The ability to 'snap back' to the original width.

In the short-term, we've decided that the current design is good  
enough given that the above work items are more work.

Also keep in mind that in our sidebar, there is no hierarchy. The  
possibility of more than 2 levels of hierarchy would necessitate a  
splitter.

iCal for example did not add in a splitter between the sidebar and  
the summary pane until v.2 (and I'm guessing that this was prompted  
by the addition of folders and hierarchy in the sidebar). Even now  
however, the splitter is limited, maxing out at only a little wider  
than the default width.

As for the design philosophy of 'not making choices for the user', I  
think that's a very general statement that has merit, but would be  
dangerous to apply everywhere. After all, what is design other than  
making smart choices for users, choices that either most users aren't  
interested in making; or choices that users aren't equipped to make.

In this situation, the overall app window size and the size of the  
individual panes are optimized for the user needs we're trying to  
meet and the workflows we're trying to support. In the short term, an  
user might like the sidebar to be wider than it is. However, in the  
long-term changing the size of the sidebar will get them into trouble  
wrt the tasks they will want to accomplish in Chandler (even given  
differences in available screen real estate). For now, think of the  
fixed width sidebar as a forcing function to prevent users from doing  
the 'wrong thing' in the short-term that they will only regret in the  
long-run.

Of course, what I'm describing is the 80% case. So I'm not opposed to  
an adjustable splitter in principle, it's just something that needs  
to come in a package with a couple of other UI elements.

Thx,

Mimi