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Alexander Mikhaylenko

libadwaita

I need ideas.

Thinking what to name that view for utility panes from my last thread.

So currently I have AdwDualPaneView for sidebars that turn into browsing when folded.

The line between utility panes and sidebars in HIG is rather thin:
- they are used differently
- sidebars use split header bars, utility panes don't
- they handle adaptivity different

The first 2 points don't concern API and so the 2 widgets are basically identical when unfolded. On top of a lot of people using them for actual sidebars - for example, AdwDualPaneView only allows sidebars on the left because otherwise the folded state doesn't make sense. The utility pane view can put the sidebar on either side, and e.g. Emblem would use it there just because of that. And, similarly, I can see quite a lot of apps use it for more than strictly the HIG definition of utility panes.

And so I don't think it makes sense to call it anything related to utility panes.

Before the name "utility pane" appeared, we were using the name "transient sidebar", and I find it describes what this widget is more accurately.

At the same time, the name "dual pane view" stops making sense when we have a second widget that's also 2 pane. In HIG terms it's a sidebar. Obviously this widget is not just sidebar but sidebar+content, but "sidebar view" could still work.

So I'm leaning towards the following names:

- AdwNavigationSidebarView - becomes browsing when folded
- AdwTransientSidebarView - becomes overlay when folded

But they are long and unwieldy, that's not great. Any ideas for something shorter but still clear/making sense? So not like leaflet/flap where it's just random words, but also not as long.

Other ideas:

- Android calls the latter kind "navigation drawers", but uses them too differently from us

- UIKit and SwiftUI call the first kind UISplitViewController and NavigationSplitView. But "split view" can refer to both

- A lot of web frameworks seem to be calling the latter kind overlay sidebars