If you are considering patio door curtains, you might benefit from a screen guys experience with them, I have had the chance to see a lot of window treatments in my time.
Personally I like having a fancy valance over the patio door. It adds decoration but it does not get in the way of the operation of the panels. There must be a million different ways that you can apply your personal style to a valence, in color, texture and shape.
Side panels can be added to, so long as they are secured so they dont get blown out in a strong wind. Both the valence and the side panels are usually held on with velcro, making it really easy to remove the panels for cleaning.
The velcro is secured to a simple piece of lumber, held on the wall with standard angle brackets It is a two person job to get them reinstalled though, if you try it by yourself the valence usually ends up peeling off the velcro faster than you can reattach it!
Again the side panels have a lot of latitude for self expression. They cover up the handles and other hardware on the patio panels too. For the actual window covering vertical blinds that part in the middle and pull to both sides make a lot of sense as patio door curtains.
The solid vinyl kind are really easy to keep clean too and are weighty enough that they dont get blown outside easily.
One problem with patio door curtains or drapes in front is that whenever you open the door on a windy day, the curtains can get sucked out the door.
Regardless if you have an aluminum or wooden or vinyl entrance, the curtain will probably find the only sharp edge and snag on it. Considering how much curtains cost these days, that can be a real disaster. So if you are considering curtains, bear this in mind.
You can use the same curtain fabric and have side panels made which hang down the sides of the window. These can be secured so they wont blow out.
Then use a good vertical blind to cover the window area. Make the vertical blind pull back to the side of the entrance that does not open, so it can be moved out of the way when you exit or enter.
We have used solid patterned vinyl vertical blinds on our patio doors and we find these are a good choice. The solid vinyl a more rigid than the fabric verticals and so does not tend to get sucked out in a strong wind.
Its also easy to clean with soap and water. Blinds near an open window tend to get dirty quickly. We found we had to clean ours at least twice a year especially near the bottom of the blinds.
You also need to have the blinds slide out of the way of the sliding panel, over to the non-opening side.
Watch out for handles and locks that might snag on the curtains or blinds. You need to space the blinds far enough off the wall to clear all these items.
Thats one reason a nice top valence is very helpful because it hides the brackets you use to hold the blinds away from the wall.