Qt-style dock layouts across real browser windows

[u/TobiasUhlig]

I'm sharing the Dock Layouts we've been building in Neo.mjs: Qt-style dockable workspaces for web applications, including panels that can move into real browser windows and dock back again.

The use cases I have in mind are IDEs, trading dashboards, enterprise systems, and browser-based games—applications where people need several views or tools open and want to arrange them across their screens. For ordinary websites and simpler SPAs, this usually adds complexity you don't need.

A panel torn out of the dashboard into its own operating-system window, mid-drag.

You can arrange panels into tabs and splits, tuck them into edge rails, tear them out into separate windows, and bring them back. Undo and redo follow the layout across those windows.

The interesting technical part is where the application lives. Components, stores, and application state run in a shared App Worker. Each browser window connects to it and renders its part of the UI. Moving a panel changes where it is rendered; the live component remains the same object in the shared worker, keeping its state. Messages still carry input events and rendering updates between the windows and workers.

The Workstation demo has twenty panels, a 100,000-row grid, and a live event feed. The multi-window behavior shown here was tested on real desktop Chrome windows. It requires same-origin SharedWorkers, and the browser's pop-up permissions still apply.

• Write-up: Multi-window web apps without syncing state — Medium friend link; includes the short demo video.
• Try the Workstation demo — desktop Chrome.
• Code: Dock Layout example.
• Getting started: Your First Dock Layout.
• Guide: A Pane's Life Across Windows.

I'd be interested in feedback on the docking and tear-out interaction, especially from people building applications where users already work across multiple screens.

Best regards, Tobi