NAP-6: discussion about "Features" menu

[jni]

Some analysis tools act not on layer data but on layer features, e.g. napari-clusters-plotter's dimensionality reduction:

BiAPoL/napari-clusters-plotter#392

For these tools, the existing menus (visualize, annotate, data, layer type, transform, measure, filter, register, project, segment, track, and classify) are an awkward fit, because they evoke "standard" layer data types.

@DragaDoncila proposed a "Layer > Features" menu as a catch-all place for acting on Features.

This issue is meant to act as a discussion space for how to classify this and other related tools, such as table views.

[jo-mueller]

Just to directly follow up the discussion. There are some arguments against and in favor of introducing a feature-centric submenu in the Layer dropdown.

• Pro: Working on features is a bit orthogonal to what many other plugins do and hence may deserve its own category.

• Con: Introducing a feature-specific menu would go a bit against the Layer-paradigm of sorting plugins according to what they do and not on what sort of layers they do it.

[TimMonko]

What if instead there was a new Menu which encompassed non-File / non-Layer widgets. clusters-plotter is a good example, as are widgets/plugins that have more thorough complex workflows - like batch, or integrating full workflows (like something that will pre-process, segment, and quantify in one widget). I can't think of an appropriate name for this Menu, perhaps even 'Advanced' as a suggestion to get ideas rolling.

[DragaDoncila]

widgets/plugins that have more thorough complex workflows - like batch, or integrating full workflows (like something that will pre-process, segment, and quantify in one widget)

I guess I always imagined plugins with more complex worfklows e.g. those that have widgets that are designed to work "in sequence" or what you describe as maintaining their own submenu under Plugins -> My Plugin while additions to Layers or File -> IO Utilities are for more generic widgets/commands that can function "on their own" on a wide range of layer data

[jni]

a new Menu which encompassed non-File / non-Layer widgets

I think features should still be considered a part of layers, though. But otherwise yes, new top-level menus are definitely in play.

maintaining their own submenu

I think of that only as a stopgap, because the plugins menu is indeed a huge mess in general. So in the end I do think we will need to expand, e.g., adding a "workflow" menu, for example. (Or maybe something more general than that.) But to reiterate, I don't think napari-clusters-plotter feature dimensionality reduction should go there.

[TimMonko]

So in the end I do think we will need to expand, e.g., adding a "workflow" menu, for example. (Or maybe something more general than that.)

Good good, this is the only reason my plugin napari-ndev hasn't been added to NAP-6 menus yet, it just doesn't fit what's there.

[jni]

can you elaborate on the use case @TimMonko? What contributions does ndev have? (ie I'm curious whether none fit out of many, or whether it's like a monowidget with tons of functionality…)

[jni]

Relevant Zulip discussion (moved from core-devs): https://napari.zulipchat.com/#narrow/channel/212875-general/topic/NAP-6.20pigeonholes/near/516142145