Thread visualization

[benbucksch]

Build a thread bar, which visualizes email discussions and shows who replied to who.

Logic

• Messages are represented only by the person (avatar, random image, name, or initials of name). We do not show subject, date in this view. Read/unread is shown by visual style.
• Replies are shown using lines connecting the reply to the replied-to message.
• It highlights the currently selected message. Clicking on a node selects that message and allows to read it, and also focuses the graph on that msg.

Placement

• We have a vertical and horizontal version (for desktop and mobile, respectively)
• It is shown between message list and message.
• It should be narrow (or small, respectively). If there are too many responses, deeper replies are grouped using a "+20" (number of msgs not showing) next to the bottom-most or right-most message.

Algorithm

• If a msg is a reply, it's indented one level more to the right, and a short curvy diagonal line joins the line to its left.
  
• ... unless it's the only reply, in which case it's not indented, but directly below the previous message, and has a line straight up.
  
• ... unless (space issue) it has multiple replies and there already is a message to its right, which also has replies.
• Line goes straight down from a message, unless it has no replies

Illustration

Lines and placement:

Old, deprecated:

Avatars: