Column layout option that minimizes height

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CheeseNaan avatarCheeseNaan
{"ops":[{"insert":"In deck view, the category columns are currently sorted alphabetically. This can cause impractical layouts when two large categories end up in the same column, making that column a lot taller than the others. \nI would like a column display option that minimizes height instead of the alphabetical sort. I know there is the draggable categories option, but I feel the use case is different (moving related categories together vs. general display strategy).\n"}]}
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{"ops":[{"insert":"We actually used to do this, and the layout has a lot more problems than you might expect. \n\nFor one, it's extremely complicated, and very slow. The reason for this is because in order to do what you're asking, we have to implement a packing algorithm in order to figure out the \"correct\" placement of cards. The extra complexity long term prevented us from adding a lot of extra QoL improvments that are now tentpoles of the site (eg: card size options, draggable categories, etc). It's also quite slow to run, which makes loading pages slower. The reason for this is because rather than deterministically placing categories, the algorithm needs to run 1-3 times (for the best results) prior to loading the content. \n\nBut here's the worst part of what you're describing (and ultimately why we moved away from what you're suggesting). By algorithmically changing where stuff gets placed, things tend to get shuffled around the page in unintuitive ways. Basically, if you rely on an algorthm to pack the stacks more tightly, you're beholden to the output of that algorithm, which will always change based on the content of the deck. Since every deck is different (or even the same deck across different screen sizes), the layouts end up seeming near random. This problem gets exasperated if you re-run the algorthm at any point outside of the initial page load. If you re-run the algorthm between changes, stuff can end up moving around while you're editing, and it's a pretty sub-par experience.\n\nWhen we removed what you're asking for, we implemented draggable categories. That way if the user wants to setup whatever layout they want, they're more than welcome to do so. Since all categories are placed manually in that mode, it sidesteps all of the issues, and provides users with the most control possible.\n"}]}
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CheeseNaan avatarCheeseNaan
{"ops":[{"insert":"That makes sense, thanks for the explanation !\n"}]}
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