In old Observable, cells always had the “sidebar flash” when re-executed (I think?).
In new Observable, it seems to depend on the editing mode (not sure about my terminology).
For example, consider the boss’ Game of Life notebook:
Old Observable: Patterns in Conway’s Game of Life / Mike Bostock | Observable
The oscillators, which keep re-executing, get the flashing sidebar.
Same notebook in new Observable: https://observablehq.com/@mbostock/patterns-in-conways-game-of-life
No flashing sidebars. Unless you activate “Tinker mode” and then the flashing is there.
Is this intended? When exactly is it there versus not there?
Maybe I’m just a creature of habit, but I find the flash a nice visual indicator of re-execution, which aids in understanding how the notebook functions, and can distinguish between a cell that is not running versus a cell that is running, but whose output isn’t changing. (But perhaps it is considered a distraction in a published notebook that isn’t about “how notebooks work”?)
Thanks,
Adam