element-web/docs/widget-layouts.md

Widget layout support

Rooms can have a default widget layout to auto-pin certain widgets, make the container different sizes, etc. These are defined through the io.element.widgets.layout state event (empty state key).

Full example content:

{
  "widgets": {
    "first-widget-id": {
      "container": "top",
      "index": 0,
      "width": 60,
      "height": 40
    },
    "second-widget-id": {
      "container": "right"
    }
  }
}

As shown, there are two containers possible for widgets. These containers have different behaviour and interpret the other options differently.

top container

This is the "App Drawer" or any pinned widgets in a room. This is by far the most versatile container though does introduce potential usability issues upon members of the room (widgets take up space and therefore fewer messages can be shown).

The index for a widget determines which order the widgets show up in from left to right. Widgets without an index will show up as the rightmost widgets. Tiebreaks (same index or multiple defined without an index) are resolved by comparing widget IDs. A maximum of 3 widgets can be in the top container - any which exceed this will be ignored (placed into the right container). Smaller numbers represent leftmost widgets.

The width is relative width within the container in percentage points. This will be clamped to a range of 0-100 (inclusive). The widgets will attempt to scale to relative proportions when more than 100% space is allocated. For example, if 3 widgets are defined at 40% width each then the client will attempt to show them at 33% width each.

Note that the client may impose minimum widths on the widgets, such as a 10% minimum to avoid pinning hidden widgets. In general, widgets defined in the 30-70% range each will be free of these restrictions.

The height is not in fact applied per-widget but is recorded per-widget for potential future capabilities in future containers. The top container will take the tallest height and use that for the height of the whole container, and thus all widgets in that container. The height is relative to the container, like with width, meaning that 100% will consume as much space as the client is willing to sacrifice to the widget container. Like with width, the client may impose minimums to avoid the container being uselessly small. Heights in the 30-100% range are generally acceptable. The height is also clamped to be within 0-100, inclusive.

right container

This is the default container and has no special configuration. Widgets which overflow from the top container will be put in this container instead. Putting a widget in the right container does not automatically show it - it only mentions that widgets should not be in another container.

The behaviour of this container may change in the future.