[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #24048: Increase the usability of Plugin Editor's files list (separate directories, limit height)

[WordPress Trac]

#24048: Increase the usability of Plugin Editor's files list (separate directories,
limit height)
-------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  Daedalon     |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins      |     Version:  3.5.1
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch  |     Focuses:  ui
-------------------------+------------------------------

Comment (by Daedalon):

 I agree with Nacin. It would improve the UI significantly just to:

 1. Not display the common part of the path (the plugin root directory)
 2. Arrange files in groups by folders where the folder name is a header
 instead of being repeated for every filename.
 3. Make the list collapsible.

 Any of the above steps would improve the usability considerably by itself,
 so it's best to implement even just one of them for 3.9 instead of making
 them all depend on the most debatable one.

 The ideal end result would look something like
 http://www.jqueryscript.net/other/jQuery-Flat-Folder-Tree-Plugin-
 simplefolders.html.

 To comment on 'cowboy coding', I'd like to emphasize that having an editor
 doesn't require using it carelessly. I know people (e.g. students) who do
 a bulk of their site development through WP-admin due to a limited ability
 to install anything. The editor can be used on a dummy site from where
 it's easy to copy the finished changes to a live one. For many of those
 who use plugin solutions, the editor in core was a crucial first step and
 is an important backup.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/24048#comment:8>
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