nextcloud / nextcloud/server

Clearly differentiate between applications and extensions

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#55,784 9 comments 3 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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0. Needs triage design enhancement feature: apps management
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
We currently refer to system-level extensions as “applications”, which creates confusion for end users.
From a developer’s perspective, everything in Nextcloud is technically an app, but this internal terminology should not bleed into the user interface.

Describe the solution you’d like
Introduce a clear conceptual and visual separation in the App Store (and in the Admin settings) between:

  • Applications → Actual apps that appear as icons in the app menu (e.g. Files, Talk, Deck, Calendar).
  • Extensions → System modules or integrations that extend Nextcloud’s functionality but are not standalone apps (e.g. brute force settings, external storage, theming).

cc @nextcloud/designers

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First steps

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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Begin by reviewing the App Store and Admin settings, focusing on where the interface currently calls system-level extensions applications. Done means users can visually and conceptually distinguish standalone applications from extensions in both areas, using the examples listed in the issue as reference.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
design, frontend
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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