Workflowy Tabs on Desktop
I would love o be able to have multiple "WorkFlowy" tabs/windows open on the desktop app. Often I'm working between two different lists and need two views.
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+1, and my need is for multiple windows not just multiple tabs.
Often I'm working on two lists that have related information and I need them visible at the same time; switching between tabs in the same window won't do. For example, sometimes I'm cutting and pasting between them.
For now I accomplish this with Workflowy running in multiple browser windows, but I'd prefer to do this with the Workflowy desktop app.
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Hey Frank,
First of all, thank you for responding to such a popular demand! I can only speak for myself, obviously, so I'd say that the biggest benefits for me of either multiple instances of the desktop app or tabbed Workflowy are:1. Multiple instances
- Using Workflowy on two virtual desktops where I have two different (sorry for the pun) work flows. I am currently working on two papers for two conferences, and I need to take notes on two different topics; having multiple instances of Desktop Workflowy would be a bliss.
- Utilizing Workflowy's note-taking and writing abilities. There is something about Workflowy that is much more inviting and inspiring to me than, say, Word, so I want to be able to write in one window while utilizing my notes from another window.
- Can both of these be achieved by using Workflowy from a browser? Yes. It's just that Workflowy is much more easy on my system than opening a few browser instances (with all the plugins/addons in them), that would hit my laptop's performance and affect the easier work flow.
2. Tabs
- The ability to move from one nested logic to another. Just like virtual desktops on any modern OS, keeping different contexts opened simultaneously can be really beneficial. If I have a tab for my teaching notes and right next to it a tab for my writing notes, then I'd be a much happier camper.
- More functionality with less resources. I am not a programmer and don't know this for a fact, but I assume a single Workflowy instance with tabs would be much easier on a computer's resources than two instances of Workflowy. This would dramatically increase the productivity of the program for me, while keeping the power usage low.
Those are my 2¢, hope others would also share their scenarios.
Cheers! -
One area I find tabs more useful than just starring lists is needing to refer back to lists only temporarily. For example, I have a list titled with today's date (e.g. "2020-05-04") that I keep as a daily journal/scratchpad for today, and I have another list to keep track of meeting notes for the meeting I am in (e.g. "2020-05-04 - allowing llamas in the workplace"), and I may have another list with some reference information relevant for what's happening now (e.g. "Cheatsheet - Llamas vs Alpacas"). None of those lists really merit being starred (and in the case of the meeting notes I only need it for the current meeting and maybe to refer back to later), but I do need to switch quickly between them. If they were web pages I would open them in separate tabs, refer to them as needed, and close the tabs when I am done. None of this is practical with starred pages or making shortcuts to the pages with Wfx (or even using ⌘K / CTRL-K and typing in the name of the list, which is very quick normally).
I ended up implementing a version of how I would want tabs to work at https://github.com/mivok/workflowy-userscripts#workflowy-tabs. It keeps the "tabs" in the sidebar right above the starred lists, and gives you a quick way to switch between several "contexts". The screencast in the link gives a good (albeit contrived) example of how it looks, and it would be awesome if something like this could be added to workflowy itself.
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Glad to see there is a healthy discussion on this feature already. I tried using the desktop app when it first came out but found the lack of tabs & windows a pretty big hurdle to me using it as smoothly as I hoped. I found a workaround could be achieved with a tool called Fluidapp, which allows you to turn any website into its own dedicated Mac app, where you can then open new windows and add more tabs. I have used it successfully for a while and am only recently trying the Workflowy desktop app again.
To clarify important factors for me to achieve a smooth work environment (some of which is as a software developer)
- I like to use Cmd+Tab to cycle between any apps on my Macbook. The Workflowy app does allow for this to be achieved. Whilst having multiple Workflowy tabs open in a web browser wouldn't - I would have to instead move between tabs of workflowy in my web browser, and wouldn't be able to immediately navigate specifically to those workflowy tabs from another app, I'd first have to navigate to my web browser THEN navigate to Workflowy tabs. So long story short - having Workflowy as a separate Mac app is a must for me.
- I then love also using Cmd+{ and Cmd+} for shifting between tabs in a variety of apps: web browsers, code editors, terminals etc. Using that with a Fluidapp app pointing to workflowy.com allows me to use a single keystroke to move quickly back and forth between multiple views of workflowy nodes and their children.
- I know there's a "Starred" feature in the Workflowy app, with added shortcut of Cmd+k. I find this provides similar but not equivalent behaviour. Ultimately I like to be able to see multiple tab titles at the same time (for example, similar to how you can discern between web browser tabs holding email vs calendar vs google search result vs news). On any given day these workflowy tabs may be different for me. Using the star system requires me to manage that list of starred nodes over time, to avoid it becoming too big so that I can continue using it efficiently. For me, the Starred behaviour doesn't come close to the speed & ease of opening ~3-5 main tabs each day and having them viewable for the whole day (where those tabs may be different nodes from the previous day, and I may not care about them again on a future day!) in my Fluidapp app on workflowy, and navigating between them with a single keystroke.
So basically I use the Fluidapp tool to work around this, where I then get workflowy's web-based experience (which is the same as the desktop app I think??). So if this never becomes a feature I'll survive by continuing to use Workflowy through Fluidapp rather than the dedicated desktop app from Workflowy!
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I also would really like to have multiple tabs side by side in the WorkFlowy app.
My mail use case:
over the day I collect incoming "stuff" under a bullet point "INBOX"
at the end of the day I distribute this to other "categories".
It would be so helpful to do this with two tabs open side by side!!!
Additionally it would be so nice if during the day I could have a "TODO tab" and a "Notes" tab open side by side.
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I'd like this as well. I've been getting by with the page switcher but l'd prefer multiple tabs or multiple instances of the app.
The way I use worfklowy is I have my entire day/week scheduled in a sort of static main page. I also use the app for tracking different things, quickly capturing, journal, taking notes etc.. and then I integrate those things into my main page as needed.
I find that if I get a quick thought I want to write down or any number of other things that would take me off of my "main page" it can become a bit disorienting.
Thanks!
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Frank, you asked:
what advantages multiple WorkFlowy tabs/ windows might have over the ability to jump to lists/ starred pages
I use Workflowy for many things: meeting notes, TODOs, outlines of documents and presentations. Those are conceptually separate applications in my mind, that just happen to all use Workflowy under the hood, and I want them in separate windows just like if they were separate applications.
For example, during a meeting I might be taking notes in one window and personal TODOs in another window. Two separate activities, two different areas of my monitor mapped to muscle memory. And often I want to compare the notes and my TODOs side-by-side.
Please let me have both windows open at the same time!
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A sort of a meta-question but, Frank, is there a certain threshold of people you're waiting for before suggesting an issue to the dev team? I wonder how many people would have to write a type of testimonial, explaining again and again why something makes sense for them and would greatly increase their WorkFlowy use before the dev team responds? It is kinda weird to me that a 3-year-old topic still receives requests for user clarification without ever saying if these responses/workflows we share would ever be considered in any shape or form.
To be absolutely clear: I completely understand that requesting two instances is likely wayyy down on the priority list and I do not feel entitled to anything from WorkFlowy's developers. I am merely interested in the metrics taken into account when deciding what feature requests get to be discussed vs. which ones do not. :) Cheers!
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Hi @Petko,
There is no threshold of people. The entire team already knows about all of these requests... so there is no gatekeeper. The tricky part is prioritizing the things to build next.
So for instance, we have more folks asking for images and other features than WorkFlowy tabs on desktop. It's tough to please everybody :-(
We are planning a "panes" feature, which will allow for side-by side instances of WorkFlowy...
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Hi @Frank,
First of all, thanks again for responding - your efforts really sustain a sense of connection, and that's wonderful! I am also certain that "tough" and "impossible" could be swapped in your comment, and that too would be an understatement.
This is the first I'm hearing about a "panes" feature and even though it's not called "tabs", it would practically address the main question in this thread head-on. That's wonderful news!
Thanks again for reaching out, and keep up the good work :)
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Hi Petko and co.!
You can join the WorkFlowy Users Group on Slack via this invite link if you'd like:
https://join.slack.com/t/workflowyusergroup/shared_invite/zt-njlhrb4i-w4dic1kNXOXqJNZUPtaasQ
Its a VERY active WorkFlowy community and will more than give you a sense of connection (as Petko was saying). Our CEO, Jesse, also pops in there to join the conversation.
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