Getting Started with Tabs in Fences 6
Last month, we released the first beta of Fences 6 which includes new tab functionality. While tabs are self-explanatory, how they function and the different designs available, is worthy of a blog post.
To get started, install Fences 6 and create two Fence groups on your desktop or select any of the Fence groups on your desktop if you used the default onboarding layout. With your mouse, drag one Fence group on top of another to enable the tabbed experience. When this action is performed, you will see a tool tip that says to “Drop to add tab” by letting go of your mouse button, and this will create the tabbed layout.
With the tab experience enabled, you can hold shift to move tabs around inside the group or you can right-click on a tab and move it one step to the left or right by clicking the desired option from the context menu. The other option is to hold shift and by dragging the tab far enough outside of the Fences group area, you will see the option to drop the Fence group in the new location on your desktop.
Like all Stardock apps, there are robust customization options available as well. In total, there are four different tab design options to choose from and you can find them under the Personalization tab in the configuration panel.
The four options are:
- Menu only – this option allows you to have “hidden” tabs, you cannot see the other tabs unless you change the view in the context menu to the tab you would like to see.
- Flat – The header is a uniform color with the tab that is in focus showing white lettering and the non-focused tabbed have a grey appearance.
- Segmented – The header of the in-focus tab matches the design style of Windows 10 and the color of the Fence group that is selected while the out-of-focus tabs have a grey style.
- Rounded – The tabs have a rounded design that matches the style of Windows 11 with the in-focus tab have a darker appearance and the out-of-focus tabs have a greyed out style.
Bringing tabs to the desktop has been highly requested that past few years and we are excited to make this a reality with our latest release. While it always sounds easy to “just add tabs”, because Fences 6 is embedded in the desktop experience, functionality becomes a bit more nuanced as you have to account for the traditional workflows that exist while making sure the new experience is intuitive.
We put a lot of effort into trying to make sure the tab UI and UX match that of the workflows that are foundational to the desktop experience. But this is a beta and if we are missing a feature or function that would help improve the experience, make sure to let us know in our forums. And if you haven’t tried Fences 6 yet, you can learn more about the app here.