Forum Discussion
josh_bodner
Microsoft
MicrosoftIntroducing the new Extensions menu on the toolbar
Extensions are small applications that enhance the browser’s functionality. Once you install an extension, you can notice the extension icon appearing on the toolbar. If you have several extensions i...
It's fine that you have added a dropdown lightweight extension manage like the favourites and history and downloads ones, especially as it can, like them, be turned off. It is NOT fine that you've removed the toolbar overflow area. A dropdown extension manager is NOT the same thing as or a replacement for a toolbar overflow area as in the one you've removed from the top of the More menu.
I HAD 9 extension toolbar buttons in the toolbar, and 18 in the toolbar overflow, where they were arranged logically for me by me so I could quickly find buttons in the overflow when I need them, the ones I use quite often grouped in the upper line by type, the ones where the buttons are never used as they don't do anything on the lowest line.
Now I have a SCROLLING dropdown of 27, one button per line, every single button including the ones already on the toolbar in alphabetical order regardless of whether they are already on the toolbar, lesser used but not on the toolbar or useless. AND I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING when I need it.
This is dreadful. When Chrome did this I finally gave up on any thought of using it. Now you are making the same mistake when I was expecting better from you. An extension manager is NOT the same as a toolbar overflow, and you've added the first but REMOVED the second, whereas I couldn't care less about the first but need the second.
An Extension manager has ALL extensions, whether visible on the toolbar, not visible but useful, or of no use as pressing the button does nothing in alphabetical order, and tools with each for managing the extensions. A toolbar overflow has ONLY the extensions NOT visible on the toolbar, and is just for pressing the button for whatever effect that has, and allows the user to re-order them to taste just as in the toolbar.
For me, Canary and Dev today became unusable. I will do each update and check each only to see if I get a useable toolbar overflow back. That could be maintaining separate dropdown extension manager and toolbar overflow by carrying on with the former as is and adding back the latter as was. Or it could be adding sufficient options that the new extensions manager can be reconfigured as a toolbar overflow - HIDE extensions visible in the toolbar and allow re-ordering in the list, although the one button per line and scrolling needed as compared with the old toolbar over flow is NOT good. But if you don't add back a preoperly functional toolbar overflow, that's Edge dead and gone for me.
Please do not follow Google stupidity. A dropdown extension manager is conceptually and functionally a different thing to a toolbar overflow for people who use a lot of extensions, and you have removed the toolbar overflow. For me a toolbar overflow is a sine qua non for a useable browser. I really hope you guys really think about this and restore a good toolbar overflow.
I HAD 9 extension toolbar buttons in the toolbar, and 18 in the toolbar overflow, where they were arranged logically for me by me so I could quickly find buttons in the overflow when I need them, the ones I use quite often grouped in the upper line by type, the ones where the buttons are never used as they don't do anything on the lowest line.
Now I have a SCROLLING dropdown of 27, one button per line, every single button including the ones already on the toolbar in alphabetical order regardless of whether they are already on the toolbar, lesser used but not on the toolbar or useless. AND I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING when I need it.
This is dreadful. When Chrome did this I finally gave up on any thought of using it. Now you are making the same mistake when I was expecting better from you. An extension manager is NOT the same as a toolbar overflow, and you've added the first but REMOVED the second, whereas I couldn't care less about the first but need the second.
An Extension manager has ALL extensions, whether visible on the toolbar, not visible but useful, or of no use as pressing the button does nothing in alphabetical order, and tools with each for managing the extensions. A toolbar overflow has ONLY the extensions NOT visible on the toolbar, and is just for pressing the button for whatever effect that has, and allows the user to re-order them to taste just as in the toolbar.
For me, Canary and Dev today became unusable. I will do each update and check each only to see if I get a useable toolbar overflow back. That could be maintaining separate dropdown extension manager and toolbar overflow by carrying on with the former as is and adding back the latter as was. Or it could be adding sufficient options that the new extensions manager can be reconfigured as a toolbar overflow - HIDE extensions visible in the toolbar and allow re-ordering in the list, although the one button per line and scrolling needed as compared with the old toolbar over flow is NOT good. But if you don't add back a preoperly functional toolbar overflow, that's Edge dead and gone for me.
Please do not follow Google stupidity. A dropdown extension manager is conceptually and functionally a different thing to a toolbar overflow for people who use a lot of extensions, and you have removed the toolbar overflow. For me a toolbar overflow is a sine qua non for a useable browser. I really hope you guys really think about this and restore a good toolbar overflow.
- Pros of this extension menu that you are not mentioning.
1) in the (...) menu, only extension icons were shown, not their names, if extensions had similar icons or weird new icons, user wouldn't know which one is which, had to hover over them and spend so much time to see each of their tooltips.
2) the new extension toolbar shows one extension at a line, with their full name, so even if the icon is not helpful for identifying the extension, the name will fill in the gap.
3) the new extension icon keeps everything in a fixed place. you said you had some extensions in the (...) menu and some in the toolbar. in the previous design, that wouldn't be important, if you resized Edge window and had to drag the address bar/omnibox to better see the results and URL, you would lose your custom locations, after returning to bigger Edge window size and dragging the address bar to the left.
so reading your post, these are the features that can be implemented to help your case:
1) ability to sort extensions alphabetically or recently used
2) ability to use drag and drop to relocate extension icons in the the extension toolbar.
you can send these using the feedback button on Edge so they can be properly registered in the feedback system.
