In interface design, atab is agraphical user interface object that allows multipledocuments orpanels to be contained within a singlewindow, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents.[1] It is an interface style most commonly associated withweb browsers,web applications,text editors, and preference panels, withwindow managers andtiling window managers.
Tabs are modeled after traditional card tabs inserted in paper files or card indexes (in keeping with thedesktop metaphor). They are usually graphically displayed on webpages or apps as they look on paper.
Tabs may appear in a horizontal bar or as a vertical list. Horizontal tabs may have multiple rows. In some cases, tabs may be reordered or organized into multiple rows throughdrag and drop interactions. Implementations may support opening an existing tab in a separate window orrange-selecting multiple tabs for moving, closing, or separating them.[2]
The WordVision word processor[3] for theIBM PC in 1982[4] was perhaps the first commercially available product with a tabbed interface.[4]
Don Hopkins developed and released several versions of tabbed window frames for theNeWS window system as free software, which the window manager applied to all NeWS applications, and enabled users to drag the tabs around to any edge of the window.[5]
TheNeWS version of UniPress'sGosling Emacs text editor was another early product with multiple tabbed windows in 1988.[6] It was used to develop an authoring tool forBen Shneiderman'shypermedia browserHyperTIES (the NeWS workstation version of The Interactive Encyclopedia System), in 1988 at theUniversity of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab.[7][8] HyperTIES also supportedpie menus for managing windows and browsing hypermedia documents withPostScriptapplets.
WhileBoeing Calc already utilized tabbed sheets (as so-calledword pads) since at least 1987,[9][10]Borland'sQuattro Pro popularized tabs for spreadsheets in 1992.Microsoft Word in 1993 used them to simplify submenus.[4] In 1994,BookLink Technologies featured tabbed windows in itsInternetWorks browser. That same year, the text editorUltraEdit also appeared with a modern multi-row tabbed interface. The tabbed interface approach was then followed by theInternet Explorer shellNetCaptor in 1997. These were followed by several others likeIBrowse in 1999, andOpera in 2000 (with the release of version 4 - although an MDI interface was supported before then), MultiViews October 2000, which changed its name into MultiZilla on April 1st, 2001 (anextension for theMozilla Application Suite[11]),Galeon in early 2001,Mozilla 0.9.5 in October 2001, Phoenix 0.1 (nowMozilla Firefox) in October 2002,Konqueror 3.1 in January 2003, andSafari in 2003. With the release ofInternet Explorer 7 in 2006, all major web browsers featured a tabbed interface.
Users quickly adopted the use of tabs in web browsing and web search. A study of tabbed browsing behavior in June 2009 found that users switched tabs in 57% of tab sessions, and 36% of users used new tabs to opensearch engine results at least once during that period.[12]
Numerous additional browser tab capabilities have emerged since then. One example is visual tabbed browsing inOmniWeb version 5, which displays preview images of pages in a drawer to the left or right of the main browser window. Another feature is the ability to re-order tabs and tobookmark all of the webpages opened in tab panes in a given window in a group or bookmark folder (as well as the ability to reopen all of them at the same time).Microsoft Internet Explorer marks tab families with different colours.
Tab behavior in an application is determined by the underlyingwidget toolkit (for example Firefox usesGTK) framework. Due to lack of standardization, behavior may vary from one application to the next, which can result in usability challenges.
Tab hoarding isdigital hoarding of web browser tabs. Users may accumulate tabs as reminders of tasks to research or complete[13] (rather than using dedicatedreminder software). They may use multiple browser windows to organize tabs or directfocus;[13] however, leaving multiple windows open can exacerbate tab clutter.[14]
Tab hoarding can lead tostress andinformation overload,[14]distraction, and reduced computer performance. It can develop into emotional attachment to the set of open tabs,[15] including fear of losing them upon acrash or otherreboot,[13] and conversely,relief when tabs are properly restored.[16] Tab hoarders have attributed the behavior toanxiety,[17]fear of missing out,[18]procrastination,[19] and poorpersonal information management practices.[20][15]
The prevalence of tab hoarding is acknowledged by browser vendors such asMozilla, and has inspiredmemory and tab management features in browsers andextensions.[16] Such features include tab grouping, which allows related tabs to be visually organized[21] and collapsed; conversion of tabs into a list ofhyperlinks;[20] and alternativeinterface paradigms, such as framing high-leveltasks as first-class objects instead of tabs.[22][15] A 2021 study developedUI design considerations which could enable better tools and changes to the code of web browsers that allowknowledge workers and other users to better manage and utilize their browser tabs.[15][23][further explanation needed]
CSS frameworks which have tabs includeBootstrap,[24]Tailwind CSS[25] andFoundation.[26]
Widget toolkits which have tabs includeGTK using theNotebook[27] widget as well as the Adwaita library using theTabBar[28] widget.Qt using theQTabWidget widget.[29]
Available under[4]