Add a setting to control the default collapse/expand state of feed categories #30

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opened 2026-06-30 06:05:58 -07:00 by serrebi · 2 comments

serrebi commented

2026-06-30 06:05:58 -07:00

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When the tree view is fully expanded, users with a large number of feeds and deep category hierarchies face the following issues:

The sidebar becomes very long, requiring excessive scrolling to find specific feeds.
Information noise increases, making it harder to quickly locate relevant categories.
Startup or navigation feels less efficient, as the UI renders and displays a large amount of data that the user may not immediately need.

Users should be able to choose the initial state of the category tree based on their personal workflow and the size of their feed collection.

Desired behavior

Provide a user-configurable option to define the default expansion state of the feed category tree. The setting should allow users to choose between:

“All items collapsed” — the tree starts with all categories and subcategories hidden, showing only top‑level categories.
“All items expanded” — the current default behavior, where the entire tree is visible on start.

The selected preference should be persisted across sessions and applied whenever BlindRSS is launched.

Proposed solution

Add a new setting in BlindRSS preferences: “Default state of the feed category tree” (or similar wording).

The setting should:

Be a simple toggle or dropdown with two options:
- “All items collapsed” (recommended default for users with many feeds)
- “All items expanded” (current default behavior)
Persist the user’s choice in the application’s configuration storage.
Apply the chosen state whenever BlindRSS is launched.
Not affect the user’s manual expansions/collapses during a session; the setting only controls the initial state on launch.

Acceptance criteria

A new setting “Default state of the feed category tree” is available in the preferences UI.
The setting offers two clear options: “All items collapsed” and “All items expanded”.
When “All items collapsed” is selected, the category tree starts with only top‑level categories visible; all subcategories are hidden until manually expanded.
When “All items expanded” is selected, the tree behaves as it does now — all categories and subcategories are visible on launch.
The user’s preference is saved and restored across application restarts.
Manual expansions/collapses performed by the user during a session are not overwritten by the default setting on partial UI refreshes.
Keyboard navigation and accessibility requirements are preserved for all new UI elements and tree interactions.

BlindRSS currently expands all categories and subcategories by default when the application starts. While this can be helpful for users with a small number of feeds, it becomes cumbersome for users who organize their feeds into many nested categories. When the tree view is fully expanded, users with a large number of feeds and deep category hierarchies face the following issues: - The sidebar becomes very long, requiring excessive scrolling to find specific feeds. - Information noise increases, making it harder to quickly locate relevant categories. - Startup or navigation feels less efficient, as the UI renders and displays a large amount of data that the user may not immediately need. Users should be able to choose the initial state of the category tree based on their personal workflow and the size of their feed collection. #### Desired behavior Provide a user-configurable option to define the default expansion state of the feed category tree. The setting should allow users to choose between: - “All items collapsed” — the tree starts with all categories and subcategories hidden, showing only top‑level categories. - “All items expanded” — the current default behavior, where the entire tree is visible on start. The selected preference should be persisted across sessions and applied whenever BlindRSS is launched. #### Proposed solution Add a new setting in BlindRSS preferences: **“Default state of the feed category tree”** (or similar wording). The setting should: - Be a simple toggle or dropdown with two options: - “All items collapsed” (recommended default for users with many feeds) - “All items expanded” (current default behavior) - Persist the user’s choice in the application’s configuration storage. - Apply the chosen state whenever BlindRSS is launched. - Not affect the user’s manual expansions/collapses during a session; the setting only controls the initial state on launch. #### Acceptance criteria - [ ] A new setting “Default state of the feed category tree” is available in the preferences UI. - [ ] The setting offers two clear options: “All items collapsed” and “All items expanded”. - [ ] When “All items collapsed” is selected, the category tree starts with only top‑level categories visible; all subcategories are hidden until manually expanded. - [ ] When “All items expanded” is selected, the tree behaves as it does now — all categories and subcategories are visible on launch. - [ ] The user’s preference is saved and restored across application restarts. - [ ] Manual expansions/collapses performed by the user during a session are not overwritten by the default setting on partial UI refreshes. - [ ] Keyboard navigation and accessibility requirements are preserved for all new UI elements and tree interactions.

serrebi commented

2026-06-30 09:05:46 -07:00

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Owner

Implemented in v1.71.0.

New Settings → General → "Feed category tree on startup" with two options: All items expanded (the previous default) and All items collapsed (only top-level categories visible on launch).
The choice is persisted and applied whenever BlindRSS starts.
Manual expand/collapse during a session is now remembered (per category) and re-applied across tree rebuilds, so background/partial refreshes no longer overwrite your choices. Previously every refresh silently re-expanded the whole tree — that's fixed too.

Keyboard navigation and accessibility are preserved for the new setting and the tree.

Implemented in **v1.71.0**. - New **Settings → General → "Feed category tree on startup"** with two options: **All items expanded** (the previous default) and **All items collapsed** (only top-level categories visible on launch). - The choice is persisted and applied whenever BlindRSS starts. - Manual expand/collapse during a session is now remembered (per category) and re-applied across tree rebuilds, so background/partial refreshes no longer overwrite your choices. Previously every refresh silently re-expanded the whole tree — that's fixed too. Keyboard navigation and accessibility are preserved for the new setting and the tree.

serrebi closed this issue

2026-06-30 12:37:23 -07:00

serrebi commented

2026-06-30 12:37:23 -07:00

Author

Owner

Thanks! The issue is resolved and I’m closing it now.

Thanks! The issue is resolved and I’m closing it now.