Settings-view: Merge "Install" section with "Packages" section

[adamreisnz]

I can't count anymore how many times I've wanted to install a new package, went to settings, clicked "Packages" and started to type the package name in the search box waiting and staring at the screen while nothing happened...

The two interfaces "Packages" and "Install" are so similar that it's really hard to keep the two apart. Why don't we merge them into one, called "Packages" to avoid confusion?

To me it seems intuitive that if you want to install "packages" you go and click on "packages" first, especially since that's the first item that you see when you're scanning the menu options from top to bottom.

Even adding a "install new packages" button in the "packages" section linking to the "install" section would help tremendously I think.

(Ref: https://github.com/atom/atom/issues/12316)

[simurai]

Yeah, not the first time I hear about this. :grimacing: Something to think about:

• Would the "Featured Packages" also be moved to "Packages"? Or maybe they would just show up if you filter/search? Or we remove them altogether?
• Would there be a difference between filtering and searching? Maybe just typing = filtering installed packages, hitting enter = search for non installed packages. But that might be hard to discover. Would need a search button or the placeholder text could read something like: Filter packages by name, hit enter to search for new packages.
• After hitting enter, would only the search results be shown or also the already installed packages if the name matches? If the later, might not be easy to prioritize. What should be shown first.

Hey, another thought. How about moving the "Update" and "Install" to an entirely different package and therefore different pane. Not sure how to call it, but it would be similar to an "app store" where you discover, install and update packages, basically everything new. And for everything existing you would open the Settings View.

[adamreisnz]

Would the "Featured Packages" also be moved to "Packages"? Or maybe they would just show up if you filter/search? Or we remove them altogether?

I would vote for removing them. I don't think this is a feature that is required to be visible in the editor. It would be more fitting to have it listed somewhere on the Atom website in my opinion, and then it could be expanded into something more, with a discover feature and ratings and what not.

Personally, I just install packages that I need, and I don't think I ever installed a package that was featured just because it happened to be featured. But that might not mean much, as I behave like that in for example the app store as well. I just use it to get/find the apps I need, and don't care to try/install apps that other people mark as featured for whatever reason.

Would there be a difference between filtering and searching?

What you suggested might be workable. The placeholder sounds like a reasonable option.

Alternatives would be a small checkbox/toggle to the right of the input field, to toggle between filtering installed packages and searching for online packages, or the added search button like you suggested.

After hitting enter, would only the search results be shown or also the already installed packages if the name matches? If the later, might not be easy to prioritize. What should be shown first.

I would say show both. If the name matches, and the package is installed, it's good to know that the package is installed. It would be odd if you did a search for linter-eslint and didn't find it in the search just because it was already installed. The way Atom handles this now in the install pane is good.

As for prioritization, just apply the current rules, or simply alphabetically. I don't think you need to show installed packages with priority over online search results, as long as they both appear in the list.

When you're just filtering (e.g. didn't search online), it should only show the installed packages. Maybe when nothing is found when you filter, it could show a message with a hint like "No matching installed packages. Try searching online instead."

Another thing to think about is how do you go back to filtering only installed packages, after you've done a search.

Hey, another thought. How about moving the "Update" and "Install" to an entirely different package and therefore different pane. Not sure how to call it, but it would be similar to an "app store" where you discover, install and update packages, basically everything new. And for everything existing you would open the Settings View.

Interesting idea, but that might confuse people just the same, as there would still be 2 places to manage packages. In the app store (Android at least), if you go to it and search for an app that you've installed, it will show up and it will tell you that you have already installed it, with an option to open it.

Atom already does that as well (it shows installed packages in the install pane), so I feel like it'd be easier to merge the two panels. Right now, you can essentially manage your installed packages from the install pane as well as from the packages pane. So it seems the packages pane is redundant, apart from the filtering function.

As for updates, wow I forgot about that, but yes that's another area where Atom displays installed packages, so that makes 3 (!).

I think my preference would be to just have those be done automatically behind the screen (or perhaps use a configuration setting to have auto updates turned on). I just want to have the latest stable version of packages, so I always want to update them, and having to do it manually is just another time waster for me.

However, if we keep manual updating, I would also vote to merge this to a "unified" packages tab, and show a blue update button when one of the packages can be updated. Perhaps add a checkbox toggle to filter packages that can be updated.

Quite a bit to think about, but I do think it can be done. Maybe I'll draft some sketches/idea's around this discussion.

[simurai]

Maybe when nothing is found when you filter, it could show a message with a hint like "No matching installed packages. Try searching online instead."

That's a great idea. ❤️

I would vote for removing them (Featured Packages).
Interesting idea (app store package), but that might confuse people just the same, as there would still be 2 places to manage packages.

Yeah, I would also be ok letting only atom.io focus on package discovery. Even more so, if it's possible to open/install packages from atom.io directly. Here an initial effort. Currently it's a bit cumbersome with having to copy&paste the package name.

[rugk]

I would vote for removing them.

No, I really like them. And I certainly don't want to go the website each time I wan t to see the "top" packages.

As for the issue itself: When they are really combined it should be possible to search for new packages while the installed list is still loading and vice versa. Otherwise you would have the delay you get when accessing the "packages" tab when you have many packages installed also when you just want to install a new package.

[adamreisnz]

Then how about a separate section for those, Featured packages?
Not everyone is interested in seeing random featured packages every time they want to manage their installed packages.

[simurai]

@adambuczynski Then how about a separate section for those, Featured packages?

Seems like a good compromise. So basically:

1. Rename Install to Featured
2. In Featured, remove the search functionality
3. For Packages/Themes add search functionality (type to filter, enter to search)

[adamreisnz]

Sounds good to me. And ensure for 3. that when searching, it will also display installed packages if the name matches.

What are we doing with updates? Merge that into the packages pane as well or keep separate?
If it's kept separately, it would be nice to also show the update button next to an existing package if you're filtering/searching.

[simurai]

And ensure for 3. that when searching, it will also display installed packages if the name matches.

Yeah, and just a flat list (without the categories). Basically the same as the current search under Install. I guess there needs to be a close [x] or so. To go back to show all the categories. esc shortcut would also be handy.

What are we doing with updates? Merge that into the packages pane as well or keep separate?
If it's kept separately, it would be nice to also show the update button next to an existing package if you're filtering/searching.

I think it should still be separately listed. For easy access to the Update All button. But yes, I agree on having the update button everywhere (on all package cards). 👍

[rugk]

For easy access to the Update All button.

I think it should be possible to integrate this button in the combined view too. Maybe just list the updates on top of all "other" installed extensions.

[adamreisnz]

@simurai any progress on this issue?

I just found this which reminder me of this ticket:

Slack also has one search box with which you can find existing packages, but also new ones.

[simurai]

@adamreisnz Implementation hasn't started but we are thinking to overhaul the settings and will keep this issue in mind.

[adamreisnz]

Hey @simurai, any update on this issue? It's been more than a year ago since I raised this and unfortunately the UX for packages is still the same :(

[simurai]

It's been more than a year ago since I raised this

🙈 Sorry, still no news. There was a plan to redo the settings but then priorities shifted.

An idea might be to create a separate package to manage packages. Maybe as a side panel/dock. You could only search, install, uninstall and disable packages. Clicking on one to change the settings would open the built-in settings-view.

[stevenzeck]

Yea I've never really understood why these were separated. What about having a "switcher" button to go between installed and not installed (obviously rename the latter, I can't think of a good one right now)? So something like:

1. Remove Install
2. Rename header in Packages to just Packages (instead of Installed Packages)
3. Placeholder text would just be Search packages
4. Put a switcher button set (like the current Packages/Themes on the Install page) to toggle between installed and not installed. Installed search would just search installed packages. The not installed would have featured while the search finds packages the same as it does in the Install page today.
5. Put another switcher button set in Themes panel for installed/not installed.

@simurai is there an issue or old PR for the original plan to redo settings?

[saizai]

A few further suggestions for package install / search:

1. https://github.com/atom/atom/issues/12718 - don't list featured in a search context (but do list it before search is started, eg as a default suggested)
2. https://github.com/atom/settings-view/issues/297 - hide installed from featured list
3. add thumbs up/down ratings within Atom's interface
   
   
   
   • tie to stars on https://atom.io/packages
   
   
   • alternatives:
     
     
     
     
     
     • track # installs vs # uninstalls, and infer a rating from how many kept the install
     
     
     
     • track # views of the package in install list vs # installed when presented, and infer a rating of attractiveness (this is a bit different, since the inferred rating only "reviews" the package by its description)
     
     
     
   
   
4. add sort by, sort by (reverse):
   
   
   
   • relevance (current default)
   
   
   • alphabetic
   
   
   • log(number installs) (note: both behavior and perception is log-based, not linear); cf https://github.com/atom/settings-view/issues/558
   
   
   • rating (with some means of accounting for variance due to sample size and changes in more recent ratings)
     
     
     
     
     
     • this may deprecate the "featured" packages
     
     
     
   
   
5. add filter by:
   
   
   
   • package type (currently there's packages vs themes, but surely a better ontology is feasible)
   
   
   • tags (possibly user-submitted, e.g. to collect everything to do with a given programming language)
   
   
   • rating ≥ X
   
   
   • log(number installs) ≥ X
   
   
6. For "installing X failed", add try again button next to show output, eg if it's a prereq that's been fixed or a network outage.
7. For packages with external dependencies, e.g. some npm package(s), add a popup requesting to install the dependency (and able to do so), rather than just failing and maybe showing a "please do this yourself" popup.

[stevenzeck]

I started some POC's based on my last comment. Basically...

• Remove Install from the panel
• Put a button set in Packages to toggle between Installed and Discover
• Installed would show and function like the current Packages view as-is
• Discover would display featured packages by default, and the search would look for other published packages, just like Install does today.

The same thing would happen in Themes.

If this is something worth pursuing, let me know and I'll continue working on it. But this is all new code to me, and quite a bit to look through for just these two panel items.

[stevenzeck]

If anyone wants to take a look so far, see https://github.com/szeck87/settings-view/tree/install-merge. There are quite a few things in install-panel.js that I'm not sure what they do, so I didn't move everything over to installed-packages-panel.js yet.

[lee-dohm]

This isn't something that we want to take on right now. We agree that the current situation isn't ideal but we would need to invest a bunch of design into the settings view that we don't have the resources right now to pick the right solution.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

[adamreisnz]

That's really a pity to close this off after someone even proposed to help work on it. One and a half year of contributions and idea's have been poured into this, and it's really a severe UX issue with Atom's package management. After using Atom for years, it still bites me every time I want to install a package.

[stevenzeck]

@lee-dohm who is "we" exactly? For an issue that has been open for a year and a half it seems pretty abrupt to close it just like that.

[lee-dohm]

"We" is the Atom maintainer team. I apologize for the closure of it being abrupt but it was left open as something that the Atom maintainer team was considering working on at one point. Obviously, it never got to the point where it was high enough priority for the team to invest the effort. We're trying to clean up old issues that we don't think will be addressed by the maintainer team in a reasonable time horizon. We're still figuring out what "reasonable" is but we're pretty sure coming up on two years is past that line.

[simurai]

Comment by @billygriffin

to me that is one of the most gigantic hurdles for beginners. i think that issue misses the core point and therefore the reason why it should be thought of as very high priority. when people want to install a new package and they're not really seasoned atom users, they go to "Packages" and they type in the one that someone told them about or that they read about, and when it doesn't show up, they assume it's no longer available or something is wrong, and then give up. that is basically the worst possible outcome for a product whose core value proposition is extensibility