Make it easier to add top/bottom bars

[simurai]

From this discussion: https://discuss.atom.io/t/placing-element-at-top-of-atom-for-package/21118

Problem:

Currently you can't easily add a bar to the top or bottom that spans across the whole width. If you try, it pushes down the status bar. I guess because atom-workspace-axis has height: 100%.

An option is to add it above/below the editor, like tool-bar currently does, but that might not be desired for all packages.

Possible solution:

Add two empty <atom-panel-container> as children of <atom-workspace>. They're just placeholders and won't take up space if they are empty, but it would allow other packages to fill them.

[pradyunsg]

👀

[simurai]

After trying it out I think I'm gonna close this again as wontfix. Here the reasoning:

1. If we move the status-bar to take up full-width, like:

It feels weird, because the status-bar changes based on to the active editor and should stay somewhat connected and not something that is global.

1. If we encourage other packages to take up full width, like the tool-bar:

It also feels weird because the status-bar should stay as the last thing at the bottom.

[jerone]

I disagree about that the status-bar should be connected (same width) to the editor. The status-bar can contain tiles that aren't necessary related to the editor. Besides, if I split the screen it doesn't split the status-bar too. Making the status-bar to the full width has my preference.
I do agree that the status-bar should always stay as last thing at the bottom, but with priorities we can force that.

Personally I have the tool-bar positioned at the top, like any other (Windows) desktop program has placed their (customizable) toolbars. To this day I find it weird that it's beside the tree-view and not above it, while it contains buttons that are related to the tree-view and not the editor only.
I still believe this should be implemented as another API function, so packages can position their bars/panels like they want (as the first post suggests 👍).

[simurai]

Besides, if I split the screen it doesn't split the status-bar too.

True. Ok, we can reopen it and at least make it technically possible.

[jerone]

The panels API could be extended by adding another boolean property (e.g. fullWidth) to the existing methods addBottomPanel, addLeftPanel, addRightPanel & addTopPanel.
Or add new methods, e.g. addFullBottomPanel, addFullLeftPanel, addFullRightPanel & addFullTopPanel.

[Zeioth]

I'm the author of the theme atom-visual-studio-code-ui and I'm running into this issue too trying to modify the status bar width. I've tried to set the position to fixed, but then I can't see the last line of the editor.

[pradyunsg]

+1 for optional parameter in the same method.

Not to forget, other than the bottom position, there's the top.
I would like to hide the menu bar and use the tool-bar instead as it gives me more control over what's there (and thus quicker access to stuff I use often) and I can use the menu bar with alt any time I want for other stuff. I can (do) have keyboard shortcuts for some of those but it feels nicer to use the toolbar for things like git because it's visual.

Except that the toolbar should really be over the sidebar as well as it is then (my) tool-bar is an application wide thing...

@Zeioth Read here. You need to resize the atom workspace as well, to prevent hiding the last line.

[lock]

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