Improved linking experience

[Witoso]

Note

This initiative is connected to the Bookmarks work.

Goal

Our main goal is to allow users to easily link to the bookmarks created in the document. But we are aware that the linking interface is one of the most used, and it would be good to redesign it thinking also about other (future) use cases.

Description

Linking experience is the core of the editor. It's important to remember linking to bookmarks is just one use case in the whole context of linking.

When we think about linking, there are a couple of actions that could the user do in modern systems:

• I can add/edit a link.
  • By hand,
  • By selecting from a list,
  • By searching some repository of links.
• I can add/edit the text of the link.
• I can configure the link (what we call decorators).

We decided to spend some time, iterate on the current link UI, and cover most of the use cases above.

Scope

We are still defining the final scope, for now, the main directions of development for us are:

• Refreshing the UI, adding the possibility to add/edit text.
• Moving decorators to a separate subpage.
  • This gives a space for more advanced inputs in the future (select, text input).
• Providing a Bookmarks list. We are considering a possibility for integrators to define their own lists.

We don’t plan to provide the search of links feature yet. This would have a large scope to cover, and making accessible search is non-trivial. But we definitely consider this in the future.

We are also aware that there are some integrators override/extend the link UI. We will try to figure out what to do with it, and implement minimal breaking changes if possible.

Progress

1. See comment for the latest decision regarding the UI.

Archived prototypes

Linking

Nagranie.z.ekranu.2024-10-3.o.08.52.54.mov

Bookmarks

Nagranie.z.ekranu.2024-10-3.o.08.51.52.mov

Decorators

Screen.Recording.2024-10-07.at.11.52.06.mov

[Witoso]

To those that are following, we slightly changed our approach as we noticed some problems during our prototyping/designing.

The new Link UI was suppose to feature an advanced subpage where users can apply settings like "open in new tab" or "downloadable". Previously, these options were located directly below the link area. However, to enhance the UI and introduce new features like bookmarks, I had to move these decorators to a separate page for more space.

Unfortunately, this new subpage layout for decorators may be confusing. We're concerned that users might not realize they've applied changes, as there are no visual cues when they return to the first page.

New solution

We decided to separate link properties aka decorators from the creation flow. We believe this will simplify the user flow and make it more understandable. Thanks to this separation, users can focus on the primary task, and no one should get lost in the process. Additionally, users who want to add or modify link properties will have easier access to these options, while others can ignore them entirely.

Nagranie.z.ekranu.2024-11-12.o.14.12.03.mov

[NTTData-Anthony]

Can we get a tentative release for this?