Dato is a great CMS that allows easy field creation. However, it generates a lot of white space in the editor. To improve the layout, I would like to propose changing the view from the basic one-column block layout to a four-column grid, allowing users to predefine the width of each field.
For instance, two single-line text fields could be displayed next to each other, each occupying 50% (two columns) of the width.
This change would provide more control over the content editor display, reduce unnecessary white space, and make the layout clearer and more compact.
These improvements can be achieved with a few modifications:
Implement styling changes to the content editor (see grid-styling.png).
Add an extra width option to all fields, except for Modular Content and a few others that should remain full width (see field-setting-width.png).
Render the defined width as a class to the form__field container.
Just so you don’t feel ignored (since you bumped it), I just wanted to say that the devs watch this forum and use it to help guide development of new features, but it’s usually by the # of votes and no one feature is guaranteed to be implemented (more details in How DatoCMS Feature Requests work).
Personally, though, I love this idea. It reminds me of the customizable layout options in Wordpress’s Advanced Custom Fields. I hope more people vote for it! Would love to see it implemented, personally – I only work support, but if I could add new features, I’d do it myself
I would love to see more customization options in the CMS layout. Enhanced control over the layout would help keep the content clear and manageable.
As you can see in the screenshots, I’ve already experimented with the styling and functionality of the fields. However, we’re currently unable to add or modify the classes of these fields, which prevents us from customizing the interface.
I realize now that I might have been a bit impatient with my previous “bump.” My thinking was that this feature would have a low impact on the codebase, while significantly improving the UI and control over the CMS and field presentation.
I hope that the DatoCMS Devs decide to pick up this feature request, but will wait patiently until then.
