# Sidebar (computing)

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{{Short description|User interface element on side of computer screen}}
[[File:AOO 4.0-pre rev 1479897 Windows under Wine sidebar.png|thumb|[OpenOffice Writer](/source/OpenOffice_Writer) with an elaborate sidebar to the right, titled "Properties"]]

The '''sidebar''' is a graphical control element that displays various forms of information to the right or left side of an [application window](/source/Window_(computing)) or [operating system desktop](/source/Desktop_(computing)). Examples of the sidebar can be seen in the [Opera](/source/Opera_(web_browser)) web browser, [Apache web OpenOffice](/source/Apache_OpenOffice), LibreOffice, [SoftMaker Presentations](/source/SoftMaker_Presentations) and File Explorer; in each case, the app exposes various functionalities via the sidebar.

== Overview ==
Sidebars have originated in desktop apps, which are designed for rectangular screens with longer horizontal sides. Like toolbars and [status bar](/source/status_bar)s, sidebars host both information and [GUI widgets](/source/Widget_(GUI)) with which the user issues commands to the app. Unlike toolbars and status bars, sidebars have larger surface areas because of horizontally longer layout of desktop apps. Sidebars may use [accordions](/source/Accordion_(GUI)) to organize widgets and accommodate a larger layout than the visible surface area.

==Widgets==
In a number of [Widget engine](/source/Widget_engine)s, one is able to install [applet](/source/applet)s which can reside on a sidebar. Notable examples include:

* [Windows Sidebar](/source/Windows_Sidebar), part of [Windows Vista](/source/Windows_Vista) only
* [Google Desktop](/source/Google_Desktop)

==Drawers==
[[File:HandBrake 0.9.5.png|thumb|A screenshot of [HandBrake](/source/HandBrake) depicting a drawer opened on the right]]
Early versions of [Mac OS X](/source/Mac_OS_X)'s [Aqua](/source/Aqua_(user_interface)) UI supported a sidebar concept called '''drawers''', which pop outside the application window frame rather than expand from the inside like most application sidebars, are used. Despite criticism,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcelhearn.com/the-mac-os-x-drawer-a-badly-designed-user-interface-element/|title=The Mac OS X Drawer}}</ref> third-party applications like [Transmit](/source/Transmit_(FTP_client)), [OmniWeb](/source/OmniWeb), [Shiira](/source/Shiira) and [BBEdit](/source/BBEdit) quickly adopted drawers. The standard [email client](/source/email_client), Mail, used drawers for listing mailboxes prior to 10.4 ("Tiger"), when they were replaced by a traditional sidebar. A number of other Apple-created applications and third-party applications have replaced drawers with a sidebar, or re-designed the interface to make a sidebar/drawer unnecessary. Apple's [Human Interface Guidelines](/source/Human_Interface_Guidelines) now recommend against their use.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/userexperience/conceptual/applehiguidelines/Windows/Windows.html|title=OS X Human Interface Guidelines|quote=Drawers are rarely used in modern Mac apps. As much as possible, redesign your UI to avoid using drawers; if you’re creating a new app, avoid adding a drawer to the design.}}</ref> Formerly drawer-heavy apps, like [iCal](/source/Calendar_(Apple)) and [Adium](/source/Adium), now contain no drawers at all, and instead display an optional sidebar within the main window.

The [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)) mobile operating system also uses the term "drawers" to refer to a type of sidebar menu widget, usually accessible by swiping from the left edge of the screen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/8/20791457/google-android-q-back-gesture-controversy-app-drawer-navigation|title=Android Q’s back gesture controversy, explained|last=Bohn|first=Dieter|date=2019-08-08|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-08-25}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Graphical control elements}}

Category:Graphical control elements

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sidebar (computing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidebar_(computing)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidebar_(computing)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.