T
Teemu Paavolainen
Description:
Allow users to selectively hide widget names on the canvas while still keeping those names available for internal referencing (e.g. in actions, bindings, widget lists, etc.). This would make it possible to name dials and other controls in a meaningful way for configuration and routing, without being forced to show those names visually on the performance UI.
Problem:
Currently, when a widget (e.g. a dial) is given a name like “Master length” and configured with items 1–16, the widget shows both the title (“Master length”) and the item/value text on the canvas. This can make performance layouts visually cluttered, especially when many controls are tightly packed.
If the user leaves the widget unnamed to avoid visual clutter, it becomes harder to work with that widget in actions and routing:
  • In action targets or widget lists, unnamed widgets are shown only as “Dial 21”, “Dial 22”, etc.
  • Users have to repeatedly re-check which numbered dial they meant to use.
  • This slows down configuration and makes large templates harder to maintain.
So there is a conflict between:
  • Wanting
    clear, descriptive names
    for routing, actions and project maintenance.
  • Wanting a
    clean, minimal performance UI
    without extra labels.
Proposed Solution:
Introduce options to decouple the
internal name
of a widget from its
visual label
on the canvas:
  • Per-widget toggle or dropdown, for example:
- “Show name on canvas: On / Off”
- Or separate modes such as:
- “Show internally only (no label on canvas)”
- “Show on canvas and in lists”
- “Hide on canvas but keep in lists”
  • Ensure that:
- The widget’s name is always visible wherever widgets are listed or selected (actions, bindings, inspector, etc.).
- Turning off “Show name on canvas” removes the text label from the performance view but does not affect how the widget appears in configuration dialogs.
  • Optional refinements:
- A global preference for default behavior of new widgets (e.g. “New widgets hide names on canvas by default”).
- Per-view overrides (e.g. names visible in Edit mode, automatically hidden in Performance mode).
- A small icon or subtle indicator in the editor to show that a widget has a name even if its label is hidden on the canvas.
Benefits:
  • Cleaner layouts:
    Users can keep performance views minimal, avoiding overlapping or redundant labels.
  • Better maintainability:
    Widgets can still have descriptive names for actions, routing and template management, making complex projects easier to understand.
  • Improved workflow:
    No more guessing whether a target is “Dial 21” or “Dial 22” – the named widget remains clearly identifiable in all configuration contexts.
  • Scalable for large rigs:
    Particularly helpful for users with many controls on screen (MIDI controllers, large performance templates, complex routing setups).
Examples:
  • A “Master length” dial controlling loop lengths from 1–16:
- In the editor and action lists it appears as “Master length”.
- On the canvas, the user hides the name so only the numeric value (1–16) is shown, keeping the UI compact.
  • Multiple similar dials for different sections:
- “Intro length”, “Verse length”, “Chorus length” are all clearly named in actions and bindings, but on the performance canvas, only the values or icons are shown, avoiding three stacked text labels.
  • A grid of small dials controlling FX parameters:
- Each dial has a technical name for internal routing.
- On the canvas, all names are hidden so the user sees only the values and relies on an external reference or muscle memory, resulting in a very clean, instrument-like surface.
This summary was automatically generated by GPT-5.1 Thinking on 2025-11-19
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Original Post:
Option to selectively hide widget names
Currently, if I name a dial as "Master length," for example, with 1 to 16 as the Items within it, both the title and the items are shown on the widget itself. If I don't name the dial, I need to always re-check which dial I want to target for some action: was it dial 21 or 22? Hence it would be useful to see the name in the latter context (making it easy to sort widgets for different actions), but hide it onscreen when it's not necessary.