Use modal window to show contacts when creating a new chat

Description

The current behavior of the pencil button to start a new chat is very confusing. If there are already many chats in the sidebar there is no immediate visible change when clicking the pencil button. The contacts are only added to the end of the list. I don’t think it guides to user well to perform the intended action.

I propose to open a modal window when the pencil icon is clicked. It would contain the contact list and a search bar allowing to filter the contacts. Selecting a contact closes the modal window and starts a new chat in the main view. The modal window also has a close button that clearly cancels the ongoing action. This modal window could later be extended to allow creating group chats when this feature becomes available upstream.

Additional information

Installation method: Flatpak

Version: 0.10.1-beta.3

Additional information: