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Master-Detail

Several tabs in Glint display a list of items alongside a detail view — issues and their detail panels, stashes and their diffs, files and their editor. These tabs use a master-detail layout that adapts automatically to your pane arrangement.

Two Modes

Split Mode

When the tab has room to show both list and detail side by side, it renders an inline detail panel within the tab itself. Click an item in the list to see its full detail on the right, without opening a separate tab.

A resizable divider between the list and detail panels lets you adjust the proportions. Your divider position is remembered per tab type.

List Mode

When the tab is in the top-left pane and there’s a pane to the right, the tab switches to list mode. The list expands to fill the entire pane, and clicking an item opens its detail as a separate tab in the adjacent right pane.

This is useful with multi-pane layouts — the left pane becomes a navigation index, and the right pane shows the detail content you’re working with.

How Mode Is Determined

The mode depends on the tab’s position in your layout:

  • Top-left pane with a pane to the right — list mode
  • All other positions — split mode (inline detail)

There’s no manual toggle. The mode updates automatically when you change your layout — splitting panes, closing panes, or applying a layout preset.

Ctrl+Click

Ctrl+Click always opens the item as a separate detail tab, regardless of which mode you’re in. This is the same behavior as Ctrl+Click elsewhere in Glint.

Tabs with Master-Detail

TabDetail Shows
ChangesInline diff viewer for the selected file
File BrowserInline file editor/preview
Commit HistoryCommit detail (files, message, metadata)
Issue ListFull issue detail (header, body, timeline)
PR ListFull PR detail (timeline, files)
StashesStash detail (metadata, file diffs)
ReflogReflog entry detail (operation, old/new commits, diffs)
ReleasesRelease detail (notes, assets, status)
Context ListIssue context preview

Working with Layouts

Master-detail works well with layout presets:

  • Single pane (Alt+1) — all master-detail tabs use split mode with inline detail
  • Side-by-Side (Alt+2) or wider layouts — tabs in the left pane use list mode, opening detail tabs on the right
  • Studio (Alt+3) and other multi-column layouts — the top-left pane uses list mode; other panes use split mode

Mode Transitions

When you change your layout and a tab switches modes:

  • Split to list — the inline detail panel hides and the list expands to full width. Any detail tabs you opened previously remain open.
  • List to split — the inline detail panel reappears. If you had an item selected, it’s shown again inline.

No tabs are opened or closed during transitions.

Unsaved Changes

If you’re editing something in the inline detail panel (like a file in the File Browser’s split mode) and click a different item, Glint prompts you to save or discard before switching — the same behavior as closing a tab with unsaved changes.