news-android
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feature request: new options for sorting
Hi, i have lots of feeds in different folders. If i choose "unread elements" i get all unread elements in a sorted order, the newest first or last, these news are completely mixed from all folders / groups. I would like a sorting by groups / folders and the entries sorted by date ... this could be a big list with all entries like the actual list, when a new folder begins there could be a line (like html-hr) and a header with the title of the next folder and then the entries.
Sorting options for the unread items would be:
All entries: New -> old (regardless of the folders) like now All entries: Old -> new (regardless of the folders) like now Ordered by folders/Groups: New -> old Ordered by folders/Groups: Old -> new
the whole tree of the entries in a flat list ...
Thank you
I'm thinking out loud about how this would best be implemented.
The first alternative is what @David-Development mentioned in #1084, showing these sorting options when long-pressing "All unread items" in the sidebar. I feel that long-pressing items in the sidebar are more for making changes to the folder itself (e.g. moving, renaming, deleting, and so on) and not its content.
The second alternative is adding a "sort" icon to the top bar when viewing "All unread items" (see images below, ignoring my less-than-stellar image editing). As the three dots interact with the content of the folder (downloading, refreshing), it would make sense to set sorting options there as well.
Note: top right corner, the poorly drawn icon. The "News" and "Bloggs" are the folder names which are shown when "Group by Folder" is selected, the huge margin is just my inability to use image editing software
But I'm not a UX designer, and would know what others think is the best/most ergonomic way from an end-user perspective.
@mkanilsson Great idea with the setting at the top - however since it's not a setting that you change often I would definetely hide it by default (that it is hidden within the three dot menu). Furthermore I'm not 100% sold on the option to allow sorting by group/folder since you can read all unread articles for a specific feed/folder when selecting that particular folder in the sidebar. It also kind of contradicts the idea that some people want to use different sorting directions for different feeds (see https://github.com/nextcloud/news-android/issues/421 - wow.. I just noticed that the ticket is already 8 years old.. 😅).
I feel that long-pressing items in the sidebar are more for making changes to the folder itself (e.g. moving, renaming, deleting, and so on) and not its content.
For folders - yes - for feeds we already have the notification settings there which also affects the behavior of the app.
If we allow different sort directions per folder/feed (the all unread and all starred "folder" would also have to be considered as a feed/folder then) it would make sense to add it to the long press menu for the feeds/folder (just like the notification settings per feed). I think that would be clearer since you are adjusting a setting for a feed/folder in the sidebar.
So my preferred way would be to add it to the sidebar feed/folder menu. Let me know what you think!
As for visibility of that feature.. I think we should extend the "onboarding" a little more to show users that they can also long press the folders/feeds to make some additional changes to them.
@David-Development Hmm, what I understand is this feature request is requesting the "Order by Folder" and you're not 100% sure that's something you want. Maybe allowing users to expand All unread items and let them select folders as well as feeds would be a good compromise?
| Before | After |
|---|---|
This would allow users to view all unread items, all unread items in a folder, and all unread items in a feed, and sorting would stay in the settings page (until #421 is implemented) and sort of satisfy this feature request.
@mkanilsson
This would allow users to view all unread items, all unread items in a folder, and all unread items in a feed, and sorting would stay in the settings page (until https://github.com/nextcloud/news-android/issues/421 is implemented) and sort of satisfy this feature request.
Definitely an interesting idea! I kind of feel like it's a little duplicate though. We have an app setting for "Show only unread articles" which - if enabled - basically provides you with exactly that behavior. So in case it would be implemented in the way the screenshot shows, everything under "All unread items" would be kind of duplicate -> So we'd have to get rid of the setting "Show only unread articles".
If we keep the structure as it is right now maybe we could add the toggle somewhere in the toolbar to allow users to switch between the "only unread" / "all items" mode. Sorting would then be implemented/defined on a per feed / folder basis (just like the notification settings). What do you think?
Unfortunately we don't have any data on how our users are using the app or which features they use often so I can only back my theories and thoughts by my own / friends usage patterns.
@David-Development
Putting it in the toolbar sounds good to me. It would make the feature more accessible and enhance its usability.
Should the value be persistent per feed / folder or should it always default to the "only show unread articles"s value when the app is restarted or when the user switches feed / folder? In simpler terms, should the function work as a quick toggle or a setting?
Regarding user data, is there a chat or a similar platform where we can post polls and get feedback from users on features and functionality?
@mkanilsson Sounds great! Yes, it would make the feature so much more accessible. It's been bothering me in the past already a couple of times.
I would say that it should be one setting for all - so basically just a shortcut to the setting that it is right now (the setting could/should probably be removed then from the settings page though).
There is a nextcloud talk channel for news but it's mainly devs in there if I recall correctly. Right now we don't have any channels for feedback / polls and as far as I know none of the nextcloud android apps have such a channel at this moment.
@David-Development Perfect! I'll go ahead and (try to) implement it. Should it be an icon to the right of the search icon or should it be hidden within the tree dots?
@mkanilsson Thank you!
I think I'd go for the hidden option (with a checkbox). What do you prefer?