Sidekick-like sidebar

eparizzi · 13 Jan 2021, 10:57

I recently tried the Sidekick browser and its sidebar with "apps" instead of tabs is a great idea. I always though there should be something like this in modern browsers as the idea of using apps fixed on a sidebar is great for those sites that you want to keep open (pinned tabs are not that good for this) and leave normal tabs for browsing.

Just to clarify, Vivaldi's bookmarks sidebar is not the same as the feature I'm suggesting. Ideally there should be an option when right-clicking on a tab, like "Convert to app" that would move it to a new "app bar" which you can position in any of the 4 browser sides.

What do you think?

Hadden89 · 13 Jan 2021, 11:00

@eparizzi Provide a screenshot/gif on how it works

mib2berlin · 13 Jan 2021, 11:07

@eparizzi
Hi, it is not clear to me what "App" meant exactly, in Vivaldi there is Web Panel.
There you can add web pages like WhatsApp, Gmail and so forth in mobile view.
They then work like apps in a side bar.

https://help.vivaldi.com/desktop/panels/web-panels/

Cheers, mib

eparizzi · 13 Jan 2021, 11:18

Here's a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNtHL1FJbOY

I think the web panels are nice, but again, they are shown in a sliding panel. What if I want it fullscreen? Maybe add an option to each webpanel in which we can decide if we want to show the mobile version in a narrow panel, or the desktop version fullscreen.

mib2berlin · 13 Jan 2021, 15:01

@eparizzi
There was a feature request about web panels in full screen but it is not very popular:

https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/29771/remove-restrictions-on-web-panel-width-also-allow-fullscreen-mode

I don´t vote for it but now I think it is a good idea, especially as some pages are not working very well in a panel. If the panel remember if you want it full screen or not it would be very close to the sidekick implementation.

Cheers, mib

Stardust · 13 Jan 2021, 16:16

@Hadden89 said in Sidekick-like sidebar:

@eparizzi Provide a screenshot/gif on how it works

[offtop] Something like this (sorry)

aqm · 13 Jan 2021, 19:03

I'm just going to point out that the free version of the software only allows upto 5 apps in the sidebar.

eparizzi · 29 Jan 2021, 10:17

I don't know why it says that on their pricing page. I've been using the free version for a month now and I have more than 5 sidebar apps.

oquendoG123 · 24 Sept 2021, 21:40

@eparizzi

I used sidekick for a few months in several devices and they started to show a message saying that ¨You have 16 apps, in free mode you can only have 5, etc, etc¨
So please vivaldi, allow that feature.

risingStark · 27 Sept 2021, 14:49

@mib2berlin Yes there is the web panel but it is not that helpful. It logs out of the app everytime I close webpanel. It then just takes a whole lot of time to login which makes it more like a tab i.e. you will have to login(equivalent of opening a tab) whenever you want to use that app. The only convenience is that the url is already filled.

The login should be maintained atleast if not the full-screen feature.

mib2berlin · 27 Sept 2021, 15:05

@risingstark
Hi, it depends on the page you use, I use Vivaldi forum search and Google translate in a panel and I am logged in even I restart the system.
I guess you not meant remove when you write close a panel?
May be it is a cookie setting, I allow third party cookies for vivaldi.net, for example.

Cheers, mib
EDIT: I add a chat page where I am logged out every time to accepted third party cookie list and now it stay logged in after restart Vivaldi.

bingling00 · 27 Sept 2021, 15:53

Sidekick look like Biscuit, Biscuit is free!
Biscuit is better.
Each app can have a separate cookie, and you can open link in app.

risingStark · 28 Sept 2021, 11:29

@mib2berlin Thanks very much. Enabling third-party cookies did the trick. Now the apps remain logged-in even if I quit Vivaldi.

But some extensions don't work for webpanels. I can see lots of ads if I open the app from webpanel but none if I open it in a normal tab.

Is this a problem of the extension or the web panels? I use uBlock Origin for adblocking.

mib2berlin · 28 Sept 2021, 11:55

@risingstark
Extensions are not working in web panels, I am not sure about the internal add blocker.
Do you use it?

Cheers, mib
EDIT: Hehe, I test tagesspiegel.de and have no adds in the web panel but some in a tab, strange.

risingStark · 28 Sept 2021, 12:25

@mib2berlin I have set the internal ad-blocker to "Block Trackers and Ads".

I guess there was a separate thread regarding the extensions not working in web panels.

Wow!! Found many threads for the same issue.

The 1st link is my main concern here.

Also, if I don't use external extensions in Vivaldi and just use the internal ad block feature, I can still see some ads in regular tabs. The internal "Block Trackers and Ads" is not that good. Brave as a whole browser does a really good and so does the combination of these extensions 1. clear urls 2. HTTPS everywhere 3. Privacy Badger 4. uBlock Origin

I just wait eagerly and check like every week or so for the latest desktop snapshots to see if it has ALL of the features/issues fixed that bug me too much. I made a rant/post on the forum here and as soon as they get fixed/implemented, I am gonna switch to Vivaldi for eternity. Here's my rant and also have a Vivaldi note containing an exhaustive list of features/bugs that I want. Can't do anything better than wait. It is in these times that I hope Vivaldi was open-source and I would have put in a week or so and fulfil these requirements myself :(.

mib2berlin · 28 Sept 2021, 12:49

@risingstark
You can extend the internal with other lists from https://filterlists.com, there are 5 uBlock lists listed but it will never keep up with uBlock Origin. It is really a highly configurable tool. They need 7 years to get it there, the internal is >1 year young.
I am fine with the internal, I even accept adds for some pages, they have to pay bills.
There was a feature request about extensions for web panels but I don´t know how many user vote for it and how hard it is to implement this.

Cheers, mib

LonM · 23 Jan 2025, 17:18

Thank you for your request. As this post has had less than 5 votes over 4 years it will now be archived. If something still isn't working or is missing, you can open a new thread or search to see if a newer one has already been opened.