Tree View
VertiTab's Tree View organizes your tabs in a hierarchical structure based on their relationships, making it easier to understand how tabs are connected and manage related content together.
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Tree View is available for free with a registered account. No premium subscription is required to use this feature. However, advanced customization options require a premium subscription.
How to Enable Tree View
- Open VertiTab's sidebar panel
- Click the Display Mode button in the toolbar
- Select Tree View from the dropdown menu
Understanding Tree Structure
Tree View is built on the concept of openerTabId - a browser property that tracks which tab opened another tab. This creates natural parent-child relationships:
Tree Components
- Root Tabs: Tabs that weren't opened by another tab, or whose parent tab no longer exists
- Child Tabs: Tabs that were opened by clicking links or using "Open in new tab" from another tab
- Tree Hierarchy: Multiple levels of relationships where child tabs can have their own children
Visual Representation
- Tree Lines: Connecting lines show the relationship between parent and child tabs
- Indentation: Child tabs are indented to show their level in the hierarchy
- Expand/Collapse Icons: Click to show or hide child tabs of a parent
Manual Tree Building
You can manually create tree relationships by dragging tabs onto each other. When you drag a tab over another tab, a hover menu appears with options:
Available Actions
- Move Tabs: Moves the dragged tab(s) to be positioned near the target tab
- Add to Group: Creates or adds tabs to a tab group
- Group Tabs as Tree: Creates a parent-child relationship between the dragged tab(s) and the target tab
Drag & Drop Tree Building
- Drag to Create Parent-Child: Drag a tab onto another tab and select "Group Tabs as Tree" to make the target tab the parent
- Multi-Tab Tree Building: Select multiple tabs, then drag them onto a target tab to create multiple children under one parent
- Tree Reorganization: Drag tabs within the tree to reorganize the hierarchy
Group vs Tree Priority
The Prefer Tab Groups Over Tree Structure setting determines how Tree View handles tab groups:
Group Priority (Default: Disabled)
When disabled (tree priority):
- Tree relationships are maintained across tab groups
- Parent-child relationships are preserved even when tabs are in different groups
- Focus is on the tree structure rather than group organization
Group Priority (When Enabled)
When enabled (group priority):
- Tree relationships are limited to tabs within the same group
- Moving tabs between groups breaks parent-child relationships
- Groups take precedence over tree structure
- Tabs maintain tree relationships only with other tabs in their group
New Tab Behavior
The tabTreeIgnoreOpenerOnNewTab setting controls whether new tabs automatically establish parent-child relationships:
Default Behavior (Setting Disabled)
- New tabs opened from existing tabs automatically become children of the opener
- Creates an automatic tree structure based on browsing behavior
Independent New Tabs (Setting Enabled)
- New tabs are created as independent root tabs
- No automatic parent-child relationships are established
- Useful for users who prefer manual tree organization
Advanced Customization (Premium)
With a premium subscription, you can customize the visual appearance of Tree View:
Tree Lines
- Style: Choose from solid, dashed, dotted, or no lines
- Width: Adjust the thickness of connecting lines
- Color: Set custom colors for tree lines (or use random colors)
- Opacity: Control transparency of tree lines
Tree Icons
- Icon Type: Choose from square, circle, arrow, triangle, or folder icons
- Hover Display: Show expand/collapse icons only on hover
Spacing and Layout
- Horizontal Indent: Adjust the horizontal spacing between tree levels
- Vertical Indent: Control the vertical spacing between tree items
Behavior Options
- Close Tree with Parent: When enabled, closing a parent tab automatically closes all its children
- Sort by Relationships: Automatically organize tabs based on their tree relationships in the browser
Tips for Effective Tree Usage
Natural Browsing: Let Tree View automatically organize tabs as you browse - opening links in new tabs creates natural hierarchies
Manual Organization: Use drag & drop to create logical groupings when automatic relationships don't match your mental model
Combine with Groups: Use both tree structure and tab groups for maximum organization - trees for relationships, groups for topics
Clean Up Regularly: Remove unnecessary parent-child relationships by dragging tabs to become root tabs
Visual Customization: Adjust tree line styles and spacing to match your preferences and improve readability
Tree View transforms tab management from a flat list into an organized hierarchy that reflects how you actually browse and think about related content.