When a document's tab bar fills up, a flat list of tabs gets hard to scan. A tab folder gathers related tabs under one named chip that takes the room of a single tab. Put three tabs under "Organisation" and two under "Plans", and the bar stays calm however many tabs each folder holds.
How folders work
A few things are worth knowing about how tab folders behave:
- One level. A folder holds tabs. Folders never contain other folders.
- A folder is just a name. There is no separate folder object to create or delete. A folder exists as long as at least one tab carries its name, and it disappears when the last tab leaves it.
- Per-document. If a tab is shared into more than one document, it can sit in a folder in one document and be loose in another. The folder belongs to the document, not to the tab's content.
- Folders are contiguous. A folder's tabs always sit together in the tab order, behind a single chip with a dashed outline, the folder's name in capitals, and a count of its tabs.
- Shared with collaborators. Folder names and membership are part of the document, so everyone sees the same folders.
Opening a folder
A folder takes up one chip on the bar, however many tabs it holds:
- Click the chip to fan the folder's tabs out in a small list above it. Pick one to switch to it; the list closes. Clicking away, pressing Escape, or switching tab also closes it.
- The tab you are on stays visible. When the active tab lives in a folder, it sits on the bar right beside the chip, so you can always see where you are. The chip's folder icon is drawn open while the list shows.
- Presence comes along. If collaborators are on tabs tucked inside the folder, their avatars show on the chip.
Putting tabs in folders
There are two ways to change which folder a tab belongs to.
Drag and drop. Drag a tab onto a folder's tabs (or onto its chip, which files it at the front of the folder) to join that folder. Drop it among the loose tabs to make it loose again, or among a different folder's tabs to move it there.
The tab menu. Open the tab's ⋯ or right-click menu and choose Add to Folder. In the dialog, pick an existing folder's tile to file the tab there, the No Folder tile to make it loose on the bar, or the New Folder tile to type a fresh name in place. Typing an existing folder's name simply files the tab into that folder, since same name means same folder.
Renaming a folder
Double-click the chip to rename the folder. Renaming rewrites the name on every tab in it, so the folder keeps all its tabs. Renaming it to another folder's name merges the two.
To get rid of a folder, move its tabs out (drag them to the loose tabs, or choose No Folder): the folder disappears with its last tab. Its tabs are never deleted.
On a share link for a Viewer or a Participant, or a link scoped to one tab, you can open folders and switch tabs, but you can't drag tabs between folders or rename them.
Give folders short names like "Plans" or "Back office". The name shows on the chip with a count badge, so a tight name keeps the bar readable.
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