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Enhancement: Dashboard "Structure" for Docs #728

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opened 2026-10-05 03:02:32 +02:00 by adam · 5 comments
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:32 +02:00
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Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

In documentation-heavy projects, organizing content purely by content type (e.g., all Markdown files in a flat list) becomes difficult to navigate at scale. The current Frontmatter CMS dashboard doesn't mirror the folder structure of the underlying filesystem, which limits intuitive navigation and makes it harder to understand the content's hierarchy—especially for teams working with structured documentation (e.g., guides, references, tutorials).

Describe the solution you'd like

I’d like the CMS dashboard to optionally support a “Structure” view that mirrors the project’s actual folder hierarchy. This would allow users to browse and manage documentation in a tree-like format, similar to how files are arranged in the repository. Ideally, this would include:

  • Collapsible folders based on directory structure
  • Ability to click into files directly from this view
  • Optional toggle between "flat content type view" and "structure view"

This would make the CMS feel more aligned with how developers and writers conceptualize and organize documentation projects.

Describe alternatives you've considered

  • Using tags, categories, or custom fields to emulate hierarchy. While this works, it doesn’t visually or functionally replicate the nested folder structure, and it requires additional manual configuration.
  • Navigating and editing files directly via VS Code instead of the CMS dashboard. This bypasses the dashboard entirely, which negates the benefits of a visual content management interface.

Additional context

This would especially benefit documentation sites using structured formats (e.g., Docusaurus, Astro, or custom static site generators), where directory depth often conveys meaning (e.g., /guides/advanced/ vs /guides/basics/). A structure-aware dashboard would make the CMS more intuitive for both technical and non-technical contributors.

**Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** In documentation-heavy projects, organizing content purely by content type (e.g., all Markdown files in a flat list) becomes difficult to navigate at scale. The current Frontmatter CMS dashboard doesn't mirror the folder structure of the underlying filesystem, which limits intuitive navigation and makes it harder to understand the content's hierarchy—especially for teams working with structured documentation (e.g., guides, references, tutorials). **Describe the solution you'd like** I’d like the CMS dashboard to optionally support a “Structure” view that mirrors the project’s actual folder hierarchy. This would allow users to browse and manage documentation in a tree-like format, similar to how files are arranged in the repository. Ideally, this would include: - Collapsible folders based on directory structure - Ability to click into files directly from this view - Optional toggle between "flat content type view" and "structure view" This would make the CMS feel more aligned with how developers and writers conceptualize and organize documentation projects. **Describe alternatives you've considered** - Using tags, categories, or custom fields to emulate hierarchy. While this works, it doesn’t visually or functionally replicate the nested folder structure, and it requires additional manual configuration. - Navigating and editing files directly via VS Code instead of the CMS dashboard. This bypasses the dashboard entirely, which negates the benefits of a visual content management interface. **Additional context** This would especially benefit documentation sites using structured formats (e.g., Docusaurus, Astro, or custom static site generators), where directory depth often conveys meaning (e.g., `/guides/advanced/` vs `/guides/basics/`). A structure-aware dashboard would make the CMS more intuitive for both technical and non-technical contributors. <!-- github-sync-id:2962112450 -->
adam closed this issue 2026-10-05 03:02:32 +02:00
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:33 +02:00
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Interesting idea!

Interesting idea! <!-- github-comment-id:2783014033 -->
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:34 +02:00
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I'd like to add my support for this idea. In fact, it's probably the main thing that stopped me from using Front Matter the last time I tried it.

I'd like to add my support for this idea. In fact, it's probably the main thing that stopped me from using Front Matter the last time I tried it. <!-- github-comment-id:2974795547 -->
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:34 +02:00
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@Sooryasanand @nerdictranslator in the latest beta version, the new structure view is available fo you to give it a try. Let me know what you think.

@Sooryasanand @nerdictranslator in the latest beta version, the new structure view is available fo you to give it a try. Let me know what you think. <!-- github-comment-id:3271729151 -->
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:35 +02:00
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@Sooryasanand @nerdictranslator in the latest beta version, the new structure view is available fo you to give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Alright, I'll give it a look. I don't know if it'll replace Obsidian as my current Hugo CMS (probably not until someone comes up with the equivalent of Obsidian Bases for VS Code, they're so useful), but I'm very glad to see that you've all been working on this.

Front Matter is an awesome project.

> @Sooryasanand @nerdictranslator in the latest beta version, the new structure view is available fo you to give it a try. Let me know what you think. Alright, I'll give it a look. I don't know if it'll replace Obsidian as my current Hugo CMS (probably not until someone comes up with the equivalent of Obsidian Bases for VS Code, they're so useful), but I'm very glad to see that you've all been working on this. Front Matter is an awesome project. <!-- github-comment-id:3272437667 -->
adam commented 2026-10-05 03:02:36 +02:00
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@Sooryasanand Alright, I gave it a try. Other than the general convenience of being able to skip straight to the content folder, it's not all that different from using the file browser... though it does let me have a different panel open at the same time, which is nice.

My thoughts so far:

  1. I'd also like to be able to browse through folders in the grid view if at all possible.
  2. Being able to select/navigate to a folder and click a button to create a file inside it is pretty essential to the average mouse-user workflow, and though if I'm perfectly comfortable manually writing paths, I wouldn't mind being able to do that too. Annnd I just discovered that manually typing paths doesn't work when you click the Create content button.
  3. Being able to move files around between folders would be good, too.

Basically, you're going to need basic file manipulation features for us folder-hierarchy-as-site-hierarchy types. We generally find ourselves needing to move files around when reorganizing content. The current Structure view is a good view... but it's mostly just a "view" at this point.

It might be worth it to add an option for using folders as hierarchy to the project initialization process. And maybe an option for specifying a default file name for the first file in each new folder. (This could also be included in your default SSG/framework profiles. Different SSGs are partial to things like index.md, _index.md, and so on.)

Well, I know that's a lot I just dropped on you, as implementing those things is no doubt a fair bit of work. But, you know, just my two cents.

Also, I just discovered the data file UI. Nice. Dunno how I missed that before.

@Sooryasanand Alright, I gave it a try. Other than the general convenience of being able to skip straight to the content folder, it's not all that different from using the file browser... though it does let me have a different panel open at the same time, which is nice. My thoughts so far: 1. I'd also like to be able to browse through folders in the grid view if at all possible. 2. Being able to select/navigate to a folder and click a button to create a file inside it is pretty essential to the average mouse-user workflow, and though if I'm perfectly comfortable manually writing paths, I wouldn't mind being able to do that too. Annnd I just discovered that manually typing paths doesn't work when you click the `Create content` button. 3. Being able to move files around between folders would be good, too. Basically, you're going to need basic file manipulation features for us folder-hierarchy-as-site-hierarchy types. We generally find ourselves needing to move files around when reorganizing content. The current Structure view is a good view... but it's mostly just a "view" at this point. It might be worth it to add an option for using folders as hierarchy to the project initialization process. And maybe an option for specifying a default file name for the first file in each new folder. (This could also be included in your default SSG/framework profiles. Different SSGs are partial to things like index.md, _index.md, and so on.) Well, I know that's a lot I just dropped on you, as implementing those things is no doubt a fair bit of work. But, you know, just my two cents. Also, I just discovered the data file UI. Nice. Dunno how I missed that before. <!-- github-comment-id:3272799123 -->
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Reference: adam/vscode-front-matter#728