feature requests: clear screen; hide contact list

[ashmanskas]

I have two suggestions for new features [basically implemented as of 2024-03-18 -- many thanks!]:

• For privacy, it would be very handy to be able to hit control+L (or similar) to clear the screen, since I often leave signal running on my office machine. [Many thanks @scottnonnenberg-signal for pointing out 2024-03-18 that now CTRL/CMD+shift+C closes the current conversation, which basically achieves the desired effect!]

• All of my signal chatting is with one person (spouse!). It would be great to be able to hide or shrink the contact list on the left side of the UI so that only the conversation is visible. For now, I slide the window to the left edge of the screen to achieve this. [As of some time before 2024-03-18, contact list can be shrunk down to icon width, which basically achieves the desired effect!]

• [Third request now moot -- thanks!] @scottnonnenberg kindly pointed out that deleting a contact is already possible, via the "delete messages" menu item for the conversation. This is handy because some people in my iOS contact list are people with whom I never intend to signal.

[scottnonnenberg]

Regarding your second item, on version 1.0.39 and above you should be able to select that user, then select 'delete messages' in the top-right menu. That should make the contact go away.

[ghost]

A key shortcut to delete conversations would be nice. Also a "boss" shortcut could be interesting.
Since this is a privacy-focused messaging platform, it would be really nice to have all these features in the desktop (in a similar way the previews can be hidden in the multitasking on iOS, just to say).

[ghost]

I've created a pull request #1904
where the conversations can be closed. The contact list will still be visible though.

[ripssi]

adding a possiblity to hide the contact list would be great ...

[capybarbu]

adding a possiblity to hide the contact list would be great ...

yeah, i often use signal & some other apps side by side (usually signal is on the right 1/3 of my screen & main app on the 2/3 on the left) on my laptop. And i only need the active conversation, not the contact list, so hiding it completely or at least reduce it to profile pictures would be very nice !

[dnut]

The matrix client Element (previously riot.im) has a nice solution for the second bullet. You can directly modify the width of the sidebar. If you shrink it (or the window) below a certain width, the sidebar collapses to be icons only. I'd love to see the same behavior in signal.

[saegl5]

+1 for hiding contact list

[Flaburgan]

About hiding contact list, see #2454

[krstp]

A good workaround: #3433
Keep in mind the total width window is still constrained to total width as if the full list was present, so no way to make chat skinny/slender/tall, even when making gutter 75px.

[livejamie]

+1 for hiding or collapsing the contact list

[innesian]

App is a bit bulky, the contact list should be visible as needed. I would think most users can identify chats by icons and don't have so many as to need that bar open 24/7. But a hide/show would give everyone the UI they want/need.

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[arekm]

It's still a valid issue.

[ashmanskas]

I also feel that this is still a valid issue. Since privacy is the main purpose of Signal, I would find it very helpful to be able to hit ctrl+L to insert a column's worth of blank space into the current conversation, or somehow to blank out the current conversation until the next time I type or touch the scrollbar. Usually Signal Desktop is open on my office machine to whatever my spouse and I are chatting about. If you're on the phone with your spouse when your office door opens, you discreetly suspend the conversation. As it stands, I have to minimize the Signal Desktop app when I'm not actively conversing.

An alternative would be to have a place to touch the UI (as well as a keyboard shortcut) to deselect the current conversation and leave the UI in a state in which no conversation is selected and the RHS of the UI is blank. One could then touch the desired contact name to bring the conversation text into view.

My current workaround, if I don't want to minimize, is to select my "Note to Self" conversation, which usually just contains links to news clips I intend to read later.

It would also be nice to be able to drag the left/right divider to the left, so that only the contact icons are visible, as @innesian noted.

-Bill

[opencoca]

It's unfortunate that this wasn't updated for clarity. This kinda is a feature now, though still missing they keyboard shortcut. As of March 17th 2024 you can adjust the width of the convo list by selecting.

Would be great to add keyboard shortcut(s) to this functionality.

g the border and sliding it till only avatar images are shown.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

Thanks! I'll also mention that CMD/CTRL+Shift+C will close the current conversation, kinda like a 'clear screen' gesture.

[Flaburgan]

@scottnonnenberg-signal the usual shortcut to close something inside an app is Ctrl + w, I guess it could be this one here too?