Reduce desktop LHN row height to 44px by MelvinBot · Pull Request #84651 · Expensify/App

MelvinBot · 2026-03-09T22:16:32Z

Explanation of Change

The LHN navigation rows on the Account Settings, Workspace Editor, Reports/Search, and Domain pages all use a fixed 52px height. On desktop, this wastes vertical space and forces users to scroll when many navigation items are present. This PR reduces the row height to 44px on desktop while keeping 52px on mobile to preserve comfortable tap targets.

The sectionMenuItem style is converted from a static style object (in staticStyles) to a dynamic function (in dynamicStyles) that accepts shouldUseNarrowLayout and returns the appropriate height. All consuming components are updated to call the function with the layout flag.

Fixed Issues

$ #84641
PROPOSAL: #84641 (comment)

Tests

Open the app on desktop (wide browser window)
Navigate to Account Settings (click avatar in bottom left)
Verify the navigation menu rows are 44px tall (more compact than before)
Navigate to a Workspace editor page
Verify the workspace navigation rows are also 44px tall
Navigate to the Reports/Search page
Verify the search type menu items and saved searches in the left nav are 44px tall
Resize the browser to a narrow mobile-width viewport
Verify the navigation rows return to 52px height on narrow layout

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

Offline tests

N/A — This is a styling-only change that does not involve network requests or data.

QA Steps

Open the app on desktop (wide browser window)
Navigate to Account Settings, Workspace Editor, and Reports/Search pages
Verify the LHN navigation rows appear more compact (44px height) on desktop
Verify the rows remain at 52px height on mobile/narrow layouts
Verify no visual glitches or layout issues with the menu items

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Web: Desktop

Account Settings (44px rows):

Workspace Editor (44px rows):

Reports/Search (44px rows):

Android: Native

No change on mobile — rows remain at 52px.

Android: mWeb Chrome

No change on mobile — rows remain at 52px.

iOS: Native

No change on mobile — rows remain at 52px.

iOS: mWeb Safari

No change on mobile — rows remain at 52px.

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Same as Web: Desktop screenshots above — 44px rows on wide layout.

Convert sectionMenuItem from a static style to a dynamic function that accepts shouldUseNarrowLayout, returning 44px height on desktop and keeping 52px on mobile. Update all consuming components to pass the layout flag. Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot · 2026-03-09T22:28:41Z

The failing check is ESLint check (full codebase lint). This failure is unrelated to this PR's changes.

Analysis: The ESLint warnings are all in files that are NOT part of this PR's diff:

src/pages/workspace/travel/WorkspaceTravelInvoicingExportPage.tsx:184 — react-hooks/set-state-in-effect
src/pages/workspace/upgrade/WorkspaceUpgradePage.tsx:90,134 — react-hooks/preserve-manual-memoization
src/pages/workspace/workflows/approvals/WorkspaceWorkflowsApprovalsEditPage.tsx:126 — react-hooks/set-state-in-effect
src/pages/workspace/workflows/approvals/WorkspaceWorkflowsApprovalsExpensesFromPage.tsx:51 — react-hooks/set-state-in-effect

Evidence: This PR only modifies these files:

src/components/HighlightableMenuItem.tsx
src/pages/Search/SavedSearchList.tsx
src/pages/Search/SearchTypeMenuItem.tsx
src/pages/domain/DomainInitialPage.tsx
src/pages/settings/InitialSettingsPage.tsx
src/pages/workspace/WorkspaceInitialPage.tsx
src/styles/index.ts

There is zero overlap between the failing files and the PR's changed files. The Changed files ESLint check (which lints only the files changed in this PR) passed. The full ESLint check has also been failing on main independently (e.g., run 22701323826), confirming this is a pre-existing issue.

codecov · 2026-03-09T23:27:39Z

Codecov Report

❌ Looks like you've decreased code coverage for some files. Please write tests to increase, or at least maintain, the existing level of code coverage. See our documentation here for how to interpret this table.

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
src/pages/Search/SearchTypeMenuItem.tsx	`0.00% <ø> (ø)`
src/pages/domain/DomainInitialPage.tsx	`0.00% <ø> (ø)`
src/pages/settings/InitialSettingsPage.tsx	`0.00% <ø> (ø)`
src/pages/workspace/WorkspaceInitialPage.tsx	`0.00% <ø> (ø)`
src/styles/variables.ts	`100.00% <ø> (ø)`
src/pages/Search/SavedSearchList.tsx	`0.00% <0.00%> (ø)`
src/pages/Search/SuggestedSearchSkeleton.tsx	`0.00% <0.00%> (ø)`
src/components/HighlightableMenuItem.tsx	`0.00% <0.00%> (ø)`
src/styles/index.ts	`46.90% <0.00%> (-0.74%)`	⬇️
... and 8 files with indirect coverage changes

github-actions · 2026-03-10T00:09:50Z

🚧 @shawnborton has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

melvin-bot · 2026-03-10T00:30:04Z

@thesahindia Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

shawnborton · 2026-03-10T00:31:07Z

@eVoloshchak was assigned on the original issue, so perhaps they should review.

cc @Expensify/design too. This is ready.

dubielzyk-expensify · 2026-03-10T01:38:55Z

We should also update the skeleton loaders to be 44px as well. I don't think they are at the moment?

shawnborton · 2026-03-10T01:46:40Z

That's a great shout - @MelvinBot can you update the skeleton loaders in the left hand navigation to be 44px tall on desktop too? I think only the Reports page has LHN skeletons.

The SuggestedSearchSkeleton component had NAV_ITEM_HEIGHT hardcoded to 52px. Since this skeleton is only rendered on desktop (wide layout), it should match the new 44px row height introduced for desktop LHN items. Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

melvin-bot · 2026-03-10T01:53:26Z

@eVoloshchak Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

MelvinBot · 2026-03-10T01:53:27Z

Updated the SuggestedSearchSkeleton component to use 44px row height instead of 52px. Since this skeleton is only rendered on desktop (wide layout), it now matches the new compact row height.

Change: src/pages/Search/SuggestedSearchSkeleton.tsx — NAV_ITEM_HEIGHT from 52 → 44.

github-actions · 2026-03-10T01:55:43Z

🚧 @shawnborton has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

eVoloshchak · 2026-03-11T09:40:31Z

src/styles/index.ts

+            paddingHorizontal: 16,
+            paddingVertical: shouldUseNarrowLayout ? 8 : 4,
+            height: shouldUseNarrowLayout ? 52 : 44,
+            alignItems: 'center' as const,


Suggested change

alignItems: 'center' as const,

alignItems: 'center',

Removed the as const assertion.

…HNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Eugene Voloshchak <eVoloshchak@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot · 2026-03-11T09:45:35Z

Merged the latest main into this branch. No conflicts were encountered — the merge was clean. Changes have been pushed.

…HNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

…' into claude-reduceDesktopLHNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot · 2026-03-11T09:47:39Z

Fixed the failing ESLint check: The branch had a stale --max-warnings=334 threshold from package.json, but the codebase currently has 335+ warnings. Merged main into the branch to pick up the updated threshold (--max-warnings=335). None of the ESLint warnings were from files changed in this PR — they were all pre-existing warnings in other files.

MelvinBot · 2026-03-11T09:57:32Z

All checks are now passing after the earlier merge of main into this branch (which picked up the updated --max-warnings=335 ESLint threshold). Here's the current status:

ESLint check ✅ (was failing due to pre-existing warnings exceeding the old threshold — fixed by merging main)
TypeScript check ✅
All Jest tests (jobs 1–8) ✅
Storybook tests ✅
Prettier, spellcheck, unused styles, CLA ✅
Codecov ✅
perf-tests — still running (pending)

No code changes were needed — the previous ESLint failure was resolved by the main merge.

eVoloshchak · 2026-03-11T10:01:23Z

@MelvinBot, address comments #84651 (comment) and #84651 (comment)

- Add sectionMenuItemHeight (52) and sectionMenuItemHeightCompact (44) to variables.ts instead of hardcoding in the sectionMenuItem style - Update SuggestedSearchSkeleton to reference the shared variable - Remove unnecessary 'as const' from alignItems Co-authored-by: Eugene Voloshchak <eVoloshchak@users.noreply.github.com>

eVoloshchak · 2026-03-11T14:57:50Z

Reviewer Checklist

I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
- I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
- I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
- I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
- I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
- Android: HybridApp
- Android: mWeb Chrome
- iOS: HybridApp
- iOS: mWeb Safari
- MacOS: Chrome / Safari
If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
- I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
- I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
- I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
- I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
- I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
- I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
- I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
- I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
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I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
If a new component is created I verified that:
- A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
- All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
- The file is named correctly
- The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
- The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
- For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
- Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
- All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
- The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
If any new file was added I verified that:
- The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
- A similar style doesn't already exist
- The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
- I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
- I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: HybridApp

Simulator Screenshot - iPhone 15 Pro - 2026-03-11 at 16 00 24

iOS: mWeb Safari

Simulator Screenshot - iPhone 15 Pro - 2026-03-11 at 16 04 47

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screen.Recording.2026-03-11.at.15.56.55.mov

eVoloshchak

LGTM!

melvin-bot · 2026-03-11T15:09:40Z

We did not find an internal engineer to review this PR, trying to assign a random engineer to #84641 as well as to this PR... Please reach out for help on Slack if no one gets assigned!

shawnborton · 2026-03-11T15:27:52Z

All you @cristipaval

OSBotify · 2026-03-12T13:53:26Z

✋ This PR was not deployed to staging yet because QA is ongoing. It will be automatically deployed to staging after the next production release.

github-actions · 2026-03-12T13:57:50Z

🚧 @cristipaval has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

github-actions · 2026-03-12T14:02:12Z

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #84651.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
❌ FAILED ❌	❌ FAILED ❌
The QR code can't be generated, because the Android build failed	The QR code can't be generated, because the iOS build failed

Web 🕸️
https://84651.pr-testing.expensify.com

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

OSBotify · 2026-03-12T23:18:20Z

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/cristipaval in version: 9.3.37-0 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

mitarachim · 2026-03-13T03:52:58Z

Deploy Blocker #85170 was identified to be related to this PR.

OSBotify · 2026-03-16T10:06:46Z

🚀 Deployed to production by https://github.com/cristipaval in version: 9.3.37-10 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

MelvinBot added the Design label Mar 9, 2026

MelvinBot assigned shawnborton Mar 9, 2026

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MelvinBot requested a review from a team March 9, 2026 22:16

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MelvinBot mentioned this pull request Mar 9, 2026

[$250] New Feature: Reduce desktop LHN row height to improve navigation visibility #84641

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Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into claude-reduceDesktopL…

3c206a1

…HNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Eugene Voloshchak <eVoloshchak@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot and others added 2 commits March 11, 2026 09:46

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into claude-reduceDesktopL…

6e442b9

…HNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/claude-reduceDesktopLHNRowHeight…

1663c3b

…' into claude-reduceDesktopLHNRowHeight Co-authored-by: Shawn Borton <shawnborton@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot dismissed JmillsExpensify’s stale review via 8800655 March 11, 2026 10:05

eVoloshchak approved these changes Mar 11, 2026

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cristipaval merged commit 0e75f00 into main Mar 12, 2026
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cristipaval deleted the claude-reduceDesktopLHNRowHeight branch March 12, 2026 13:16

This was referenced Mar 12, 2026

Investigate workflow job failing on main: test / test (job 7) #85077

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Deploy Checklist: New Expensify 2026-03-12 #85146

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[$250] iOS - Workspace - Workspace settings gray out briefly after swiping back #85170

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MelvinBot commented Mar 9, 2026

Explanation of Change

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Tests

Offline tests

QA Steps

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

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