Restore layout type as an option
What's the Issue?
In AnyType, we can freely assign layout types to objects. This is a Type option that mostly seems to impact the header area and some behavior, while still keeping what you can put in the body fairly free-from. In AnyTwo, the formats assume much more intention around how you use them, which limits some use cases. Profile, for example, does not let you put text in the body, and relegates content to a drawer.
Why is it an issue?
The assumptions baked in limit some users, myself included. I use profile for real-life people, yes, but I also use it for characters. Not only is the rounded image more aesthetically pleasing for a character profile, but in AnyTwo, profile format seems to be the only way to use uploaded images as the icon for an object. I upload portraits of my characters and use those as their "Icons" in AnyType.
How could this be addressed?
I see 2 paths:
- Restore previous functionality, not limiting/providing additional options for how format impacts the body of an object
What makes more sense to me and respects AnyTwo's mini-app mode, provide extensive new options for Page icons, which, to match what I would want, would be:
- The option to upload custom images for all object icons
- Icon size: Large/medium/small. (Profile image is definitely larger than the regular page icon in AnyType, which is appreciated for this use case).
- Round or Square option for the icon image
2 Comments
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This is an interesting post, I see it more as feedback than a feature request at this point.
1. Page customisation is definitely limiting at this point and something we'll further improve. The fact that you can only upload images to some formats but not others is more an artifact of prototyping than intention.
2. It's true that mini apps will offer a much more opinionated perspective on how object layouts are rendered, which can be great for some people but not for others. In the long term, we see mini apps as being even user-generated and customised—so you could create a setup that matches your needs for characters/world-building. You would not be locked in to what exists.
3. How much customisability we offer, and where, is a really important question right now and something we're actively tackling before we enter the next testing phase. So look forward to us sharing more ideas soon.
I will mark this post as closed because our architectural changes coming up may impact how you view this situation. You can always comment again to re-open or write a new post. 🙂
Great, thanks for the thoughtful response. Will look forward to the update.
Custom-built mini apps sounds like a great approach and I look forward to testing those when they're ready as well.
For what it's worth, customizability was my #1 feature when I was migrating to AnyType from Notion--not just from layout control but overall, hence my CSS injections request--with Aesthetic being #2 (Anytype is very, very clean and beautiful and I appreciate the attention to detail there), and the final thing that convinced me was being able to link multiple object types to one relation property, funnily enough.
Thanks again!