Does inkscape have a navigator panel/window/thingy?

[Torynado]

Hi!  I'm familiar with adobe illustrator but new to inkscape.  Does inkscape have a Navigator Panel?  I'm not looking for zoom commands but an actual window that can be moved around the UI similar to the layers panel. 

Below is a link from google image search of what i'm looking for:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/viewing-artwork/_jcr_content/main-pars/image_1.img.png/wa_10.png

idk if i can live without it 

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't think Inkscape has anything like that.  But to be honest I don't understand what it is or what it does.  Can you explain what its purpose is?

I think someone else has recently asked about that (maybe somewhere else though) and has said they want to try and make an extension which provides it.  But since I don't understand it very well, I'm not sure if you're both asking for the same thing.

What does this frame navigate, and what all does it do?

Similar to Layers panel.....?  Do you mean Inkscape's or AI's?  Any dialog can be moved around the interface in Inkscape, if it's undocked.  Do you mean Layers menu > Layers?  Or are you referring to the new Objects dialog, which is Objects menu > Object.  Objects dialog is similar to Layers, but provides a lot of additional functionality.  Or something else?

[Torynado]

 

"Similar to Layers panel.....? "
-Simply that is can be moved around the UI if undocked.

The navigator was one of the first AI tools I learned and quickly became attached to.  The red box in the image represents your current zoom level and where you are on the main window.  You can click and drag that red box around(panning) and make it larger or smaller(zoom) to change your view of the main window.  It can be especially handy to keep track of precisely where you are if your zoomed in super close. 

It's a quality of life thing 

[Moini]

I've seen this feature requested somewhere, but wouldn't know what to search for in the bug reports...

[brynn]

I seem to recall that recent request was on the mailing list, the one who was going to try and make an extension.  But there may be previous feature requests.

I found this one, requesting something similar to GIMP which sounds similar to AI:  https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/170105  Is quite old request.
I'm not sure what this is, but it also sounds similar:  https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/172073

Torynado, do you mean that moving the red rectangle around, in that small window, actually pans the whole canvas?  And together with zooming, it really is an advanced kind of feature.  I can see how it would be hard to give it up.  On the other hand, it doesn't seem like Inkscape's panning and zooming takes any longer.  It's just a different way to do it.

The best thing I can say is that Inkscape being open source, anyone is welcome to submit a feature request (in the bug tracker https://launchpad.net/inkscape) or even to create a new feature themselves, if they are a programmer.  And now we have the option for funded development too (https://inkscape.org/en/support-us/funded-development/).

Inkscape does have a panning feature.  If I recall, it's the spacebar.  When you hold down the spacebar, the mouse can drag the whole canvas around.  Still not the same as what you describe, but just to let you know.