In- and out-dent actions in block side menu for list items

[wielinde]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Working with lists, denting items in and out, is a key feature for structuring thoughts. And I do even argue that it is probably to most likely next action you want to do, once you started a list.

On desktop I can nicely use TAB and SHIFT+TAB for in- and out-denting of list items. On a mobile I don't have a TAB key. I rely on the BlockNote toolbar. And that toolbar is only visible if I select text. However, I usually want to first in-dent or out-dent before I write text. Currently I have to first select text so that I get the toolbar in which I find the buttons to in- or out-dent. That is not easy.

Describe the solution you'd like
I propose to have simpler solution

• Option 1 (cheap to implement): In the block side menu offer two more actions on list item blocks, one for in- and one for out-denting.
• Option 2 (Better UX but more expensive to build): Render to buttons above the list item for in- and out-denting. They are always visible for the line that currently has the focus.

Note: both solutions would not only improve the UX for mobile users. It would also improve the UX for desktop users that are not familiar with using the TAB and SHIFT+TAB keys.

Describe alternatives you've considered
A clear and concise description of any alternative solutions or features you've considered.

Bonus
[x] I'm a sponsor and would appreciate if you could look into this sooner than later 💖

[YousefED]

Hi @wielinde!

I think an ideal solution might be to have a "sticky" (always visible) toolbar at the top / bottom of screen - that includes indent / outdent buttons.. So kind of like Option 2, but then not specific to list items. What do you think?

As a workaround, Option 1 should be already be possible by customizing the side menu, btw

[wielinde]

Hey @YousefED,

Yes, option 1 could be already implemented in our own BlockNote editor of our application. For a quick solution that might work. However, I am aiming for a coherent editor experience across applications that use BlockNote as I want those applications to integrate. Users should "feel at home" and familiar in all of them. For that it would be great to have good defaults. And defaults are what comes "out of the box". So, a good default would be nice.

Having a fixed/sticky (always visible) toolbar could solve it. The toolbar needs to be in the viewport. That is desirable for mobile and desktop.

Ideally the mouse distance between the list item and the toolbar should not be too far. That is why I proposed to have a list item block specific menu. Nevermind, just an idea.

[woutervroege]

Linking product goal: TypeCellOS/Product#55