Structure field: accordion style editing

In the early betas of Kirby 3 there was an accordion style mode for editing structure fields. This is very helpful for smaller content blocks handled in structures where you need to see your other entries while editing.

It would be great if the structure field offered this as an alternative layout. Or – even better – structures could be opened to plugins to offer alternative layouts.

I think this would really help as the structure UI gets a bit confusing once you click into a row. More inline editing of fields would be ace too!

Reference to the Github issue: https://github.com/getkirby/ideas/issues/110

Reposting part of my comments from Github, as they’re still very much up to date:

List of issues I have with the current set-up as an editor:

– I can’t compare my new entry with existing ones while typing.
– I can’t easily copy and paste while editing.
– I experience general “where am I” confusion, as my context – the other entries – dissappears.

Bastian voiced this concern:

I still think this can get pretty massive and convoluted. Especially if you have a bigger form with more and especially more complex fields.

I don’t see why hiding the context in every use case is the solution – or even better – here. In my case, the form is simple and I would very much benefit from an inline editor. Maybe “hiding entries” / “modal view” could be an option for a blueprint?

In my eyes, structure fields can be used in a wide range of use cases. Tabular data is one side and the side the field is currently focussing on. But a structure can also be used to hold content blocks that contain long texts which don’t fit well into tables. They need a completely different display approach. There might be use cases where the structure field and the editor field blend into one another but where the formular approach of the structure field is more appropriate than the free text approach of the editor.

I’d like to see the structure field being opened conceptually, where plugins can offer different overviews and different single views while still hooking into the same backend.

I’d also like to report it feels a bit abrubt when you go to edit a row, a quick “whoa” then you realize what’s up but then think of the client and how they would feel. Overall it’s a feeling of loss of place among the entries (where am I, how do I get back). It’s a difficult challenge to resolve among all the use cases, all the freedom the structure field provides.