modal panels

docs/source/plugins/developing_plugins.rst

@@ -1773,12 +1773,11 @@ in the App.
 Panels can be defined in either Python or JS, and FiftyOne comes with a
 number of :ref:`builtin panels <plugins-design-panels>` for common tasks.
 
-Depending on the ``surfaces`` panel config, panels can be scoped to either
-the grid or the modal. You can open these panels from the "+" menu, which
-is available in both the grid and modal views. Whereas grid panels enable
-extensibility at the macro level, allowing you to work with entire datasets,
-modal panels provide extensibility at the micro level, focusing on individual
-samples and scenarios.
+Panels can be scoped to the App's grid view or modal view via their
+:ref:`config <panel-config>`. Grid panels enable extensibility at the macro
+level, allowing you to work with entire datasets or views, while modal panels
+provide extensibility at the micro level, focusing on individual samples and
+scenarios.
 
 Panels, like :ref:`operators <developing-operators>`, can make use of the
 :mod:`fiftyone.operators.types` module and the
@@ -1837,10 +1836,9 @@ subsequent sections.
                 # Whether to allow multiple instances of the panel to be opened
                 allow_multiple=False,
 
-                # Whether the panel should be available in the grid view
-                # modal view, or both
+                # Whether the panel should be available in the grid, modal, or both
                 # Possible values: "grid", "modal", "grid modal"       
-                surfaces="grid modal" # default = "grid"
+                surfaces="grid",  # default = "grid"
 
                 # Markdown-formatted text that describes the panel. This is
                 # rendererd in a tooltip when the help icon in the panel
@@ -2124,7 +2122,7 @@ Panel config
 
 Every panel must define a
 :meth:`config <fiftyone.operators.panel.Panel.config>` property that
-defines its name, display name, and other optional metadata about its
+defines its name, display name, surfaces, and other optional metadata about its
 behavior:
 
 .. code-block:: python
@@ -2148,8 +2146,26 @@ behavior:
 
             # Whether to allow multiple instances of the panel to be opened
             allow_multiple=False,
+
+            # Whether the panel should be available in the grid, modal, or both
+            # Possible values: "grid", "modal", "grid modal"
+            surfaces="grid",  # default = "grid"
+
+            # Markdown-formatted text that describes the panel. This is
+            # rendererd in a tooltip when the help icon in the panel
+            # title is hovered over
+            help_markdown="A description of the panel",
         )
 
+The ``surfaces`` key defines the panel's scope:
+
+-   Grid panels can be accessed from the ``+`` button in the App's
+    :ref:`grid view <app-fields-sidebar>`, which allows you to build macro
+    experiences that work with entire datasets or views
+-   Modal panels can be accessed from the ``+`` button in the App's
+    :ref:`modal view <app-sample-view>`, which allows you to build interactions
+    that focus on individual samples and scenarios
+
 .. _panel-execution-context:
 
 Execution context

docs/source/release-notes.rst

@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ What's New
 
 - The `FiftyOne Brain <https://github.com/voxel51/fiftyone-brain>`_ is now
   fully open source. Contributions are welcome!
-- Introducing Modal Panels, bringing the ability to develop and use panels in
-  the App's sample modal
+- Added :ref:`Modal Panels <panel-config>`, bringing the ability to develop and
+  use panels in the App's sample modal
   `#4625 <https://github.com/voxel51/fiftyone/pull/4625>`_
 - All datasets now have :ref:`automatically populated <default-sample-fields>`
   `created_at` and `last_modified_at` fields on their samples and frames