Use case or problem
The overall experience with thh settings menu is quite strange and feels hindering, especially when you are like me trying out everything Obsidian and the comunity plug ins have to offer.
When trying out new themes or plugins or settings, I brows them, install them and then I want to be able to quickly navigate through my files to explore the new looks/features. I’d have to close the settings to do that
And this problem in my opionion interrupts the flow of the sandbox like character of obsidian.
- Activate new setting
- close settings menu
- look for whats changed
- Want to adapt the setting?
- search for the setting again
- adapt it
- repeat from point 3
That workflow is just not encouraging users to try out everything Obsidian has to offer. I want to have a look at the plugin descriptions/hotkey settings/theme browser completely seperate from working environment.
Proposed solution
Make the settings a seperate window
If it is a seperate window, you could tab out of it and quickly tab into it again. No interruption whatsoever.
Whats also possible (but it’s just a workarround) the sidebars and panes for second window so you could try out the settings in the second Obsidian window. This is already requested a while ago.
Current workaround (optional)
Opening a new window would be currently the best workaroound. However, the problem with the latter is, that a second Obsidian window is only an editor view without the sidebars and tehrefore another hassle to try everything out as many plugins have pane options for example.
Related feature requests (optional)
The option for pop out windows to have panes as a main window was already suggested in 2022. Why is it still only an editor with tabs?