Feature Request: Overview Window

Asked by Duncan

I would like to put forward a feature request for Inkscape called the 'Overview Window' floating subwindow feature:

- Description: The 'Overview Window' contains a thumbnail-like view of the whole (or customised portion) of the inkscape canvas displayed in a parent inkscape window, with a rectangle representing the part of the inkscape canvas that is actually displayed in said parent inkscape window. What the Overview Window specifically displays (in relation to 'layers', the 'page', the whole canvas 'display' etc) could be chosen in a seperate 'Overview Window setup' dialog window, accessed from the view menu list.

- Explanation: It is in effect a floating window, without scroll-bars or menu/tool-bars, but with a 'close window' & 'pin on top' button on the top window bar. As mentionned previously, each inkscape (duplicate) window could potentially have an Overview Window, and when you click on a location in the Overview Window it's parent inkscape window's displayed canvas content (from the whole/chosen portion of canvas) changes to where you clicked in the Overview Window (maintaining in the parent window the zoom level). If the Overview Window is resized then subsequently the level of zoom it represents slightly changes (eg if the Overview Window window is expanded then the level of zoom on the Overview Window increases, so no scroll bars need appear on the floating window).

- Extra features: The resizable Overview Window could also have the added capability of window transparancy, and 'rolled up/down' potential to minimise it's impact on screen space/aesthetics.

- The main purpose of the Overview Window would be being firstly getting an overall idea of the content of the inkscape canvas, and secondly allows the user to quickly change the (parent) inkscape window's displayed canvas content, without having to zoom out & back in or using the scroll bars.

- It could require 2 new view menu items:
    - An 'activate/deactivate Overview Window' item.
    - A 'setup Overview Window' item, for choosing eg:
        - Which layers to include in Overview Window.
        - What size/portion of the canvas to display (eg 'page'/'drawing'/'selection'/'custom portion (not directly related to objects selected on the canvas)').

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said :
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This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.