Homescreen from Legacy App

[_Martin]

Mod notice (@kerbless): I moved your discussion here to keep it all together

WHAT DO I RECOMMEND

In the Beta-App the old «Homescreen» Homepage is missing. And all the trials to build it on a kind of Object «Page» or «Inline-Set», or something else have failed miserably.

I love Anytype and this feature request is not meant to detract from that. Anytype is a wonderful app!

But the previously wonderfully simple workflow became much more time consuming in the new beta app.

• It takes a lot more clicks
• to find
• and open a desired object.
• And the overview after launch is a disaster (to say the least).

It takes a lot more clicks to find and open a desired object. And the overview after launch is a disaster (to say the least).

HOW COULD IT BE DONE

Would be great to get the old «Homescreen» back as Preferences Option. Or maybe a Widget that would work fullwith and same as in the Legacy-App. Dependent on the viewport-with arranged best side-by-side and with auto-filling rows to below.

Also the Auto-Filled function when clicked on «Add to Favorites» at the first place should be useable and then the re-ordering by Drag&Drop.

And also the «Go To HomeScreen»-Button at center-bottom was really ingenious compared to the button for the graph overview that has now moved there.(*See more under Additional Context)

REAL WORLD USE CASES

Conclusion with Legacy Homescreeen: 1 Click after 1 Second.
After Start, or after click on the «Go To HomeScreen»-Button there is only ONE Second to grasp the right Object and only ONE click to open those Object one (1) of 24 (see attachment above).

Conclusion with new center-bottom - Button: 3 Clicks and resize and search around 5-10 seconds
With Graph I have wait 1-2 seconds until the Graph will be built, then I have to drag and drop the right area and changer the zoom (ca. 5 seconds) to find the right objects (bye chance) and click maybe a FEW times. It there are few of them with similar names. Not all actually tagged as Favorites but the newest one.

Conclusion with new «Favorites in SideBar» : 1-4 Clicks after 5-8 seconds.
Use the new widget sidebar «Favorites» the order is anytime different. And I also have to remember the name of an older object (3 seconds), because it is not still on the same place in the known HomeScreen-Overfiew from Legacy.
Killed the UX-Logic of memorize places and Icones. Pictures of a Structure are more easy to re-find and remember, than scroll trough the matches (Objects / Sets Entries, …) (2 seconds). Find the right one (maybe at first time or click multi-times and re-open different objects to find the right one at last…

It may sound a bit exaggerated or seem described. But without the familiar HomeScreen, finding objects really takes a lot of pain and time.

RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVES

All attempts to “build” an alternative yourself are a pure disaster.
I welcome suggestions, but see post here (Community Beta Release & Alpha Migration Trail Guide - #23), I’m not the only one who does not know how to find a solution or is asking why the Homescreen was deleted without any kind of better UX-Solution.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

«Go To HomeScreen»-Button

This button is, to be honest, probably built on the joy and love of a developer than a UX designer.
The graph is certainly - seen with the developer glasses - an ingenious tool. Impressive and a unique selling point compared to Notion, Trello and Co.

But in everyday life, this view is simply overwhelming and a disaster to find something quickly.

Please share your thoughts about the Homescreen should come back!

==> Share your opinion by voting

Original post

Hi,
Have made the migration and all seams to be fine.

BUT, I can NOT find the “old” Favorite-HomeScreen…
I’m probably missing something obvious.

Is this a totally new concept about «Spaces» as the new Favorite Screen as Home-Screen from the Legacy?

Question

• Do I have to build it in the new Private Space from Scratch?
• Or is there somewhere in the Preferences/Settings a checkbox to enable the «old style» Favorite-HomeScreen?
  -How about automatic fill-in after click on «Add to Favorites»?

I searched in the community-forum but could not find any matching information.

Under https://community.anytype.io/t/anytype-legacy-to-beta-migration-trail-guide/9274 there is only the migration described.
Under Anytype Desktop 0.32.0 Released 🤠 I found only some new concept «Spaces». But not that it was introduced as a replacement, or especially how - if it were - can be used ideally.
Also nothing found in youtube or by google…

Maybe someone could send me a link to the «new to do»-concept or any information/help is very welcome.

[Filip]

The old homepage was indeed removed, and you can now instead pick an existing object as your homepage. You’ll find this option in the space settings.

[_Martin]

Hi @Filip,
thank you for reply.

So I have to build a new (custom) homepage.
In Legacy, when I clicked «Add to Favorites» the particular Object was add at the first place in the «old Hmepage».

So, this automatic process and the ability to sort it later on in the for my feeling best ordering is in 0.32 is no longer possible? Right?

I only ask twice, because the HomeScreen was REALLY handy and I do not like to miss them and all the very helpful fuunctions of overview and automatically sorting only because I did not find the approach to do this with the new App…

So your

«pick a existing object as your hompage. You will find this option in the space settings»

means. I go to the space-settings here:
Side-Panel → Favorites → … [Three dots) → Favorites → Choose a Page or an other Object and build there-in my own Home-Page.

But there I have to do set each new Object [Page/Note/Collection/…] that I would like to see in the Homepage manually bye create an Link in this new Homepage Object [Page/Note/Collection/…]

Do I have understand it right?
Sorry to ask such stupid, but english is not my mothertongue and the old Homepage was so nice to work with. I do not like to missunderstood a such important point in the daily work with Anytype.

Best regards

[_Martin]

Oh, I guess my first understanding was wrong.
It did NOT work with Short-Cut «Alt + H»

So next try:
Does you mean under Top-Point on Side-Panel [Personal Space] and there-in under Settings →

Then in the 3. Row «Homepage»

I have to use e.G. my new created Page «New Homepage»

And there-in I can arrange Objects in Columns e.G. with Object «Link to object»
Right?

Or is there a better approach to rebuild the «old» but great solution with Homepage?

Maybe someone else has build some better solution. More close to the old solution, where the Look and Feel is like the Homepage before, which was really handy (adapted to the viewport, rearrange the Links, the Links were really handy and good to read…

Would be great to get some hacks or how-to’s to rebuild the great old «Favorite»Homepage-Overview Look and Feel.

[Filip]

I don’t think that you can get favorites to show up in an object, either trough an inline set or something else. You could try creating a collection that you could use as an replacement for favorites, and then you can just use an inline set to show the collection in your new homepage object. If you set the view to gallery, it would look similar to the old homepage.

[Kerstie]

Not a solution, but if you click “Favorites” (the name itself, not the arrow), it will take over your entire sidebar and the entries will be listed in the order that you added them, just like in the old Homepage. So if you picked List as Appearance, it’ll be like a smaller window of the old Home.

I’m also surprised they didn’t dedicate a full view for Favorites, like they did with Library and Bin. If it’s crucial to your workflow, I suggest you submit a Feature Request about it.

[_Martin]

[posted the feature request topic]

[_Martin]

Hi @Filip and @Kerstie,
Thank you both for your help, ideas and support.

As you metioned @Kerstie I did a Feature Request here : Homescreen from Legacy as Starting-Point also choosable for Beta-Version

Would be great if you could also comment it. I hope the more comments and likes there are, the faster the loved Legacy homescreen might come back as an option.

[Jeroen]

I don’t know if the old home screen will ever come back but this is what you could do:

• Create a Collection
• Call it Favorites
• Add any object/set to this collection
• Set the view to Gallery
• Set this Collection to your homepage in the settings (Top left in the sidebar, Existing Object, select Favorites Collection), see screenshot:

This kinda recreates the old Homescreen from Legacy.

You could also create an object with inline collections, filtered/sorted/grouped by type or relation to make finding things even easier!

[_Martin]

Hi @Jeroen,
Thank you for the idea/help. To be sure I understand it correctly I have to ask:
You mean in the Object of type «Page» I add a collection with «backslash» collection?
As I would do, if I would like to include the «Reading List» Set/Collection (in the printScreen as example done)?

A few drawbacks:

But then I have to create for each new Page also a new Object in Collection «Favorites».
Also select an icon and so on.

This would be mutch more time-consuming as all other try&error aproaches…

And bye the way, there (IMHO) I can not sort them by drag&drop.
So I would have to create a relation to sort on them and this would be crazy to maintain. When an Object created on the last place find the right place to get it on the right spot in the table-view (Gallery)…

And there are only 4 collumns in one row, It doesn’t matter how big I open the Anytype window…

Or do I understand you wrong?

Is in Collection a perfekt replace-solution for Homescreen without a ton of drawbacks and a lot more workload with every new object and with every change of position or other changes, which previously could be solved totally intuitively and extremely fast with drag&drop, that I can’t grasp currently?

Please enlighten if I have misunderstood.

[Kerstie]

I also expected Favorites to open up, like with Bin and Library. But the real pain point for me is that my recently added favorite isn’t shown at the top of the list, and I can’t drag and drop to rearrange it either. Most of the time, I have to open it to double check if my object was already added on the list. That’s an unnecessary click.

Btw @_Martin, you don’t have to redo your objects if you’re going with @Jeroen’s suggestion. Just open old object/favorite, click the three dots, then “Link to” your Collection. And you can sort it with drag and drop.

[MrPrstmKr]

Same request as I suggest recently, most of the users don’t like this idea. i.e, Home Page.

[_Martin]

Hi @MrPrstmKr,
Thank you for sharing, but to be honest (see more in your post) there are a few problems in your sentence and poll.

First: «most of the users» → There were 12 voters. To be honest I think there would have to be a lot more voters to define those as «most».

Second: You asked about 2 points and the second questions is emotionally charged and tends to lead to a no in the head.

Sorry but polling through the 2nd question and mixing things up tends to generally discard your wish in the minds of those voting.

[MrPrstmKr]

According to your guidance I have corrected my idea and shifted with one opinion (Home Page) & remove vote option.Review

[_Martin]

What do you think about the «Homescreen» (home page) of Anytype Legacy?

---

Please vote here on how you would like the homescreen situation.

---

• I would wish that the homescreen from the legacy-version would be available back in the beta-version as a chooseable option.

• I wouldn’t use the chooseable homescreen option anyway.

---

[_Martin]

Hey @Kerstie,
I read and read your comment again and again.
And also the idea/hint/Suggestion from @Jeroen.

Maybe you see it clearer then I. With @Jeroen 's suggestion: Do I have to build a page from Scratch and then Link to «my new created Collection».
But to get objects in this Collection: What I could do to do this as easy as possible?

To be honest, the Object Collection is a bit a mysterium for me…

Do I have to create a template for?
Then create some properties for?
Or do I have to create an own Object, like «Favorite»?

I do not have a picture from the end.
Maybe @Jeroen, you could make a ScreenShot about the «new HomeScreen» built on Collection. Your Printscreen from Anytype-SettingsPage and the description does not get me the clou .

I can not see the picutre, what it will look at the end nore can I understand what I would have to do, to create the «new HomeScreen built on Collection…

Hope someone can help to find a timesaving solution.
Thanks anyway

[Jeroen]

About the My Space settings screenshot, it is just to show where you can change your default homepage in Anytype. Click on the top left of your screen at the My Space (Personal Space) widget in the sidebar to go to these settings. You may have renamed My Space to something else.

I am not sure how much clearer I can be.

@Jeroen

As you can see in the screenshot the 000 Index is my Homescreen at this moment. If you click on it you can choose between Graph, Last opened object and Existing object (as show in the screenshot). Hover over Existing object and you can now chose any object, set or collection as your homescreen.

About building a Collection that has been explained perfectly by Kerstie:

@Kerstie

Btw @_Martin, you don’t have to redo your objects if you’re going with @Jeroen’s suggestion. Just open old object/favorite, click the three dots, then “Link to” your Collection. And you can sort it with drag and drop.

Ones you create a new collection you can add anything to it you want. It would be the same as adding something to favorites. But in that same menu you don’t click on Add to Favorites, you click on Link to and there select your Collection.

ps. I haven’t build a Homescreen this way so I don’t have a screenshot for you.

[holy]

The new layout gives the program the feeling of being “more of the same” as other applications in the same category.

The previous layout, as a colleague told me and I agree, made the application more unique, exclusive and professional, with touches of refinement only seen, so far, in Anytype.

[Kerstie]

When you start, you don’t build a page. You choose the “Collection” Type, that’s it.

The “Link to” is for adding entries that already exist in your account. Aka your old favorites. You need to open them and “Link to” because the Collection will be empty and you can only create new objects from there.

Collections look like Sets, but unlike Sets, they don’t need a common ground (Relation) for them to be ‘seen’ together. It’s like a folder where you can just put whatever you want in it.

So if you’re in the habit of adding all new objects to Favorites, you can follow Jeroen’s suggestion to assign a Collection (titled “Favorites”) as Homepage, set the View to Gallery, and reprogram yourself to “Link to” collection instead. Once you’re done adding all your old favorites in that collection, you just click the “+” sign every time you need to add something new. It works like the old Homepage and if you hide the sidebar, it will expand into 5 columns, so it’s also close in appearance.

Here’s a sample of how it could look like:

Though personally, I find it prettier and more Old Favorites-like to just create a page and do everything manually. But that takes more effort, so it’s only recommended for ‘permanent links’ that you’re going to use all the time.

I tried to redo the old Homepage that way and this is what I came up with:

The important links could be on top while the Inline Collection below is for new objects that could use some sorting later. (quick captures)

Hope that’s clear enough.

[_Martin]

Hey @Kerstie ,
THANK YOU VERY MUTCH

I always was starting from my fixed mind I guess from some complicated to understand tutorials about Collections, Sets, Templates, Properties.
And I tried to squeeze this somehow into an object “Page”.

Finally I understood with your help @Kerstie what @Jeroen meant and also see the beauty and simplicity in it.

Thank you so much for explaining it to me donkey so I could understand.
In case anyone is also stuck on the point, here’s a quick visualization:

• Don’t put a collection somewhere
• Not add something new in the Collection
• Exactly the other way around → Work in Object that should show up in the Collection therein → via the three dots and “Link to” the «Favorites»-Collection.
  
  

Why I brought so long to understand @Jeroen’s words “correctly” is beyond me in retrospect…
Sorry and thank you both.

Here is the result with the collection.

Sure, a bit “dark”, but except for the very small icons an UNBELIEVABLE improvement to the alternative SidePanel “Favorites”, when you’re used to finding things easier where you’ve “seen” them 100 times before..

And yes @Kerstie, your version with a custom page looks of course much better:

• The bigger icons
• the custom background colors.

But the extra work for each new object …
All in all your solution with “page” looks super eye-catching and thus certainly even better to find searched longer not used objects again.

Number of columns is also full Response

Bye the way:
The collection solution does not stop at 5 columns.
With Widescreen it is like in the Anytype Lagecy probably infinitely many next to each other.
For me the screen stops at 14 columns side by side. (Totally nonsensical to pull it so big, but fully responsive)
So also this would be solved perfectly by @Jeroen 's solution.

Only remaining downer: The small icons as a disadvantage.
But miles better than anything so far!
Thank you