Make Thunderbird adaptive and touch friendly

[fabian76]

While I love Thunderbird on my desktop, I would love to see it work better on smaller screens (or resize better on the desktop too). In addition, there should also be a focus on the possibility of touch operation, even with an on-screen keyboard.

Why?
Linux is no longer just the classic desktop. I now use a Linux tablet, for example, and would like to use Thunderbird on it. Linux smartphones are also starting to develop. Windows tablets are also becoming widespread, not least because of the MS Surface devices.

[Jon]

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[gsarig]

I agree - I am on a Surface Pro and the only app with good touch support is the native Windows Mail App

[jchoneandonly]

strongly agree. i may not use a touchscreen all the time but when i do use it its a huge benefit to be able to use touch controls.

[krawumski]

The Windows Mail App is really quite well designed for both touch and mouse use. Unfortunately Microsoft has deprecated it, and the new Outlook is terrible. With the card view in Nebula I think Thunderbird is getting very usable on the Surface Pro. Adding the ability to trigger an action by sliding a card left/right is probably the biggest missing feature for touch use (so that you can quickly delete something). Composing a new new mail in place instead of opening a new window would be next on the list I think. And a really cool feature would be the ability to automatically change to classic layout when the device is rotated between landscape mode (so it displays the list of mails above the message pane). That is something the Windows Mail App does not do and it would really make Thunderbird shine on a Surface Pro. You would probably want buttons to hide the folder and event panes as well.

[ChocoLavaLamp]

I propose a feature that I believe would greatly enhance Thunderbird's usability and user experience: adaptive layout changes based on the window size.

Feature Description

The idea is for Thunderbird to dynamically adjust its layout depending on the size of the application window:

• Small Window:
  • Use the classic layout, which prioritizes simplicity.

• Medium / Large Window:
  • Automatically switch to a vertical layout where the folder pane, email list, and message preview are displayed side by side.
  • This would make better use of horizontal space and be particularly useful on ultrawide or high-resolution monitors.

Why This Would Be Valuable

• Improved Usability: Adapting the layout to the window size ensures that users always have the optimal interface for their screen real estate.
• Flexibility: Many modern applications dynamically adjust their layouts, making them more intuitive for users who switch between different devices or resolutions.
• Efficiency: This feature would make it easier to work in different contexts, whether on a small laptop screen, a tablet, or a large desktop monitor.

Implementation Suggestion

To implement this feature, the layout adjustment could be triggered by predefined window width thresholds. Additionally, users could have the option to enable or disable this adaptive behavior in the settings to accommodate personal preferences.

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[wsmwk]

Thanks for the idea.  

Merging this to https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/make-thunderbird-adaptive-and-touch-friendly/idi-p/29309 which has many votes, and largely covers the idea.