[feature] improve layout on large screens

[jrpie]

(requested by Sarp Küçük)

Please describe the problem to be solved

The layout of the app drawer looks ridiculous on large screens. Especially the search bar is too big.

Possible solutions

1. Make search bar smaller. Maybe move it?
2. Add option to hide search bar (this is what Sarp suggested)
3. Add option to hide search bar when all apps fit on screen
4. Add option replace search bar by a floating action button that opens the search bar.

[jrpie]

Personally I don't really like 2.,3. or 4. as searching is the primary method to start apps on most devices. (At least that's how I use µLauncher and how I think other people use it).

[wassupluke]

My current small understanding of jetpack compose says it can handle screen sizes pretty cleanly with little repeatable code.

https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/compose/layouts/adaptive/support-different-screen-sizes

https://www.netguru.com/blog/multiplatform-adaptive-ui

[jrpie]

That is indeed quite nice 👍🏼 (The xml approach has quite some duplication of code https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/layout/responsive-adaptive-design-with-views#adaptive_design )
However I'm still not conviced that it is worth it to migrate. (If I was starting from scratch I'd perhaps try compose, but I know to little about it to do a migration).

[jrpie]

Anyway, the question mostly is about what to do, not how ^^

[wassupluke]

searching is the primary method to start apps

This is how I too primarily use the launcher.

Personally the search bar looks appropriately sized when I run the launcher on my Galaxy Tab S4, it's just really long when the tablet is in landscape mode, but I feel like that's what I would expect it to do.

Perhaps a toggle for Show Search Bar as the first option in the Functionality section? When disabled, it would hide the search bar from the apps view and disable (and grey out) the options to Launch Search Results and Start Keyboard for Search.

[jrpie]

Personally the search bar looks appropriately sized when I run the launcher on my Galaxy Tab S4, it's just really long when the tablet is in landscape mode, but I feel like that's what I would expect it to do.

Perhaps adding some space to the left and right might help? (I'm really not a designer)

[jrpie]

Perhaps a toggle for Show Search Bar as the first option in the Functionality section? When disabled, it would hide the search bar from the apps view and disable (and grey out) the options to Launch Search Results and Start Keyboard for Search.

Is that still µLauncher though? To me that feels like adding an option to remove the most important functionality from the drawer.

[wassupluke]

Is that still µLauncher though? To me that feels like adding an option to remove the most important functionality from the drawer.

Same thoughts. But I could see the counter argument being that less interface is more minimal. 🤷🏻‍♂️