Improve UX of floating windows

seltzdesign · October 10, 2025, 2:38pm

Just noticed that the shortcut to go to the definitions doesn’t work if the patch window is detached.

Thanks for fixing.

Tested in 7.1-0013

seltzdesign · October 13, 2025, 1:48pm

I actually noticed now that most shortcuts don’t work in a floating window. Also going back opens the patch it goes back to in the main window, but if initiated from a floating window should dock onto the floating window as well.

I almost feel like the floating window shouldn’t be just the patch, but it should have the same top bar with menu. Almost like I have 2 vvvv windows. Right now its a bit weird.

seltzdesign · October 13, 2025, 3:17pm

Okay, after testing out the floating patches some more I decided to rename the post and make it a feature request:

If you open a patch or category from a floating window, it opens in the main window, which is very strange.
I actually noticed you can dock another patch to a floating window just fine, so that’s what should happen when you open a patch/category from a floating window. But now the tabs are on the bottom!?!?! Why not the top like in the main window.

So yeah, its great we can already have floating patch windows, but I feel like they need some more love.

Thanks for considering.

antokhio · October 13, 2025, 4:10pm

Yea the bottom tabbing is totally annoying

seltzdesign · October 14, 2025, 9:32am

One more thing I noticed:

If you add a tab to a floating window, the tabs get added as the first tab, while in the main window it gets added as the last tab (as it should be).

Please make them work the same!

Thanks :)

seltzdesign · October 14, 2025, 9:51am

Okay, I will just keep adding things I find:

One major problem with the floating windows is that if you have errors in the dependencies, but you have the document it is referencing in a floating window. It will just basically not do anything and you can’t get to the dependencies.

In that case you have to know that you have to undock that window, then you will see that there is an error in the dependencies. There is really nothing suggesting where the error is in the floating window.

So yes, just one more reason to have floating windows basically be the same as the main window with the quad menu, file dropdown, etc.

As much as you trying to improve the UX by having floating windows, it also hurts the UX, because now you have different affordances and ways things are shown, making it more complex.

If you dock the patch back to the main window the error is shown.

tgd · October 14, 2025, 10:28am

one more: if you open the node browser in a floating window, the main window snatches focus. if the floating one overlays the main window it will go behind as long as the node browser is open