Bug 172148 - Add a vertical sheet tabs sidebar
Summary: Add a vertical sheet tabs sidebar
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Calc (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Sidebar-New-Decks
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Reported: 2026-05-17 20:45 UTC by questions2000
Modified: 2026-06-24 01:01 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

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Description questions2000 2026-05-17 20:45:11 UTC
Description:
This might not even get read, but hopefully someone would really consider something like this to be added, I think this could really be beneficial to many users.

Suggesting to add a new vertical sheet tab list sidebar.

I am aware that there are already a few somewhat similar variations of sheet tabs in list form
-Navigator sidebar
-Context menu of the `+` add new sheet icon in the sheet tab bar
-`Go To Sheet` dialog
but none of them really achieve what I am suggesting.

The sidebar I am suggesting will look and function like the current sheet tab bar, only in vertical form.
(This way it will hopefully make use of appearance and functionality coding that already exists/is being used by the current sheet tab bar, so less work will be needed to create this)

APPEARANCE
-Would show sheets tabs in list from top to bottom
-Background colors used in sheet bar would be used in sidebar.  The color rectangle would be the entire width of the sidebar.
-Text would be left justified (as opposed to centered used in sheet bar)
-The sidebars width could be adjusted
-I would still make it possible to have the current sheet tab bar at the bottom of screen, be visible, when this sidebar is also visible.
-I would however consider adding a way to be able to hide the current sheet tab bar that appears at bottom of Calc.  This would be for users who want to only use sidebar.
-This sidebar would be able to be added to the left or right side of screen
-If amount of sheets goes beyond the height of sidebar, mouse scroll wheel would allow the list to be vertically scrolled (like how the current sheet tab bar does horizontally)
If could be done in a subtle way, would probably show a vertical scrollbar on its right side (only when sheet list height goes beyond screen height)
-Because sidebar width could be narrowed, I guess would also add a horizontal scrollbar at the bottom (only when sheet name width is longer then the current sidebars width)


FUNCTIONALITY / ACTIONS
-All the hotkeys used in current sheet bar would still apply to this sidebar list
-Single click on sheet names would load that sheet in view
-Double click on sheet would call up rename dialog
-Could also still use ALT+LMB to inline rename sheet tabs
-Would be able to drag sheets to manual change their sort order
-Drag + CTRL key would copy tab
-Hold CTRL would allow user to select multiple sheet tabs at same time
-Right click would open that sheet tabs context menu
-Can change sheet tab colors
-Can delete sheets
etc. (again all actions would be same as current sheet tab bar)

-Add two new shortcuts for
Bottom sheet tab bar to show/hide
This new vertical sheet tab sidebar to show/hide


Actual Results:
 

Expected Results:
 


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
BENEFITS
-Can be easier to see in list form
-Can see all/more tabs at the same time (compared to the sheet bar horizontal view approach currently used)
-Longer sheet names easier to see
-All sheet name text will be left justified making easier to read
-Being able to see the other names above and below could be beneficial.

OTHER
In replies below I will also mention some extra bonus feature ideas if anyone is interested.
I will title these replies with the following text (if want to do a keyword search on this page)
"BONUS FEATURE"
Comment 1 questions2000 2026-05-17 20:45:27 UTC
BONUS FEATURE 1
(this could really be nice to offer, I would be interested in this one)
Allow CTRL + Mouse scroll wheel inside of this sidebar to allow for font sizes to be able to be increased/decreased, like a "zoom" functionality for the sidebar pane.
Comment 2 questions2000 2026-05-17 20:45:49 UTC
BONUS FEATURE 2
Would probably be too tricky to add this but, because now in a list form, might be interesting to have some way of allowing user to applying indentations to desired sheet tab names, giving an appearance of nodes and subnodes

Main sheet name1
    Sub sheet name (visual illusion that it is indented)
Main sheet name2

The only thing I can think of at the moment to achieve this would be some kind of setting field that allows user to assign a prefix symbol character activator that if detected in a sheets name, would apply an indent.

Example:
In a settings field if user decides that # symbol prefix will perform an indent.
Main sheet
#sub sheet (1 indentation)
##sub sheet (2 indentations) and so on

The symbol user assigns in field, if detected at the beginning of any sheet names, would not actually appear in the sheet name.
So the current bottom sheet tab bar that shows sheet names would not actually visually show the # symbols.
They would only be visual/editable when renaming sheet names.

This suggestion could help users organize their sheet tabs visually a little more if decide to use this.
Comment 3 raal 2026-06-07 12:59:20 UTC
This reminds me the Firefox's vertical tabs https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-sidebar-access-tools-and-vertical-tabs#w_enable-the-updated-sidebar

We have vertical list of sheets in Navigator already. Look at the Navigator deck in Sidebar.
Comment 4 questions2000 2026-06-20 02:31:32 UTC
@raal
Good response, I literally mention the "Navigator" sidebar at about the top of this thread post.
Navigator unfortunately does not function in this way for most of the things I have mentioned in this post.

I have also made many posts regarding adding these kinds of functionalities to the Navigator sidebar in case this suggestion is not agreed with.
And even though I presented them as settings, I have already received a -1 type of post or two about them.

If you or any other developers / users are interested can see this post/the links I put in a response in that post / responses by others to that post, here 172297

Thanks again