Has to be revisited
Not completed yet, missing mockups
Story
If I select a content element on a page I'm currently editing, Magnolia presents me a list of common actions I can execute on it. With these, I can add new elements, edit the element, move or delete it, etc., if I have the necessary rights to do so. I can also retrieve a list of all actions defined on my element, but it's the common actions which are visible by default.
Magnolia also offers me additional information a selected content element if available and if this makes sense in the current context. I could get to see comments attached to a particular paragraph, a list of changes applied on the current page or understand whether all content has already been translated into all required languages since I checked the last time.
Description of desired behavior
Similar to AdminCentral, the Actions sidebar offers me a list of actions applicable to the currently selected element. In case of page editing, this is either the page itself or a selected paragraph or area. The sidebar is shown in a column on the right side of the screen (left side on RTL setups).
The sidebar has three distinctive parts. The header at the top shows the Magnolia logo, but is mainly used to signal notifications for waiting or missed messages such as errors or warnings. Visually, it takes up the appearance of the header also visible in AdminCentral and thus seconds in flagging the space on the page dedicated to controls and settings.
The middle part right below the header starts with the list of actions and may also show additional information on the currently selected content element. It is implemented using an Actions Rack, which uses a dedicated unit for presenting and handling actions. A dedicated page contains detailed descriptions on how the list of actions and other units behave and work together.
Finally, the lower part of the sidebar just above the bottom edge consists solely of a batch showing a configurable name and color. The batch helps a user to quickly identify the Magnolia instance she's currently working on.
Collapsing the Actions sidebar
The sidebar can be collapsed so it uses up less space. When collapsed, only icons for the common actions, copy&paste, undo/redo are visible. This toolbar like version also contains a simplified header just large enough to contain a message notification icon. A simplified badge without the name but featuring the same configured color is still visible as well.
Care must be taken to ensure that changing from the expanded view of the sidebar to the collapsed one does not disorient and confuse the user. Use the animations to smoothen the transitions as defined for the Actions Rack and slide the preview up and down instead of abruptly opening and closing it.
Sketch only
The following paragraph is not final yet, but already captures how notifications will work once multiple message services exist.
Show message notifications
If incoming messages arrive or important system messages wait to be acknowledged, a notification icon lights up. Since the space available to the header is minimal in the collapsed state of the sidebar, only the icon of the last reporting service may show its icon; the icons of all other message services remain hidden. By default, the icon of the whats-changed service (represented by the "home" icon in the mockup below) is shown, if nothing has to be signaled.
//mockup showing how the collapsed sidebar shows a notification
If the user visits the service currently showing its icon and thus checks the newly arrived messages, he resets the icon to unlit state. The next service requiring to signal new messages may then show its icon.
//mockup showing the example below
As an example, let's assume there is one error waiting in the system messages list and two items I'm watching have changed. The system messages service goes first and shows its icon signaling the error. The user clicks on it, is [taken to the list of system messages] where he acknowledges that he's seen the error message. The icon return to unlit state, but as there are also changes that we want to know about, the whats-changed service then shows its icon signaling the two changes it has detected. If the user also acknowledges these, no notifications remain. The header finally shows the unlit "home" icon.