manual_slop/conductor/edit_workflow.md

Manual Slop Edit Tool Workflow

The Problem

The manual-slop_edit_file tool requires exact string matches (character-for-character). Whitespace differences cause failures. The Python file uses 1-space indentation.

The Rules

1. ALWAYS Use Small, Incremental Edits

WRONG: Replace large blocks (50+ lines) RIGHT: Replace 3-10 lines at a time, verify, repeat

2. Verify Before Editing

Before ANY edit to a function you haven't touched recently:

1. Run: git checkout -- src/gui_2.py
2. Run: py_check_syntax on src/gui_2.py
3. Get current state with get_file_slice

3. Reading Before Editing (CRITICAL)

• Use get_file_slice to get the EXACT text including all whitespace
• Copy text directly from the tool output - do NOT reformat
• If using get_definition, verify the text matches before editing

4. The Edit Tool Parameters (snake_case)

{
  "path": "src/gui_2.py",      # Required: file path
  "old_string": "exact text",    # Required: must match EXACTLY
  "new_string": "replacement",  # Required: replacement text
  "replace_all": false           # Optional: replace all occurrences
}

5. 1-Space Indentation in Python

• Class methods: def (0 spaces, then 1)
• Method body: (2 spaces total)
• Nested blocks: (3 spaces total)
• NO 4-space indentation anywhere in this file

6. The Decorator-Orphan Pitfall (Added 2026-06-07)

When inserting new methods before an existing @property def:

@property
def perf_profiling_enabled(self) -> bool:
    ...

If you anchor on def perf_profiling_enabled and insert before it, the @property decorator on the line above is left orphaned on the line right before YOUR new method. Now @property decorates your method (which is no longer a property), and the original setter @perf_profiling_enabled.setter blows up at import with 'function' object has no attribute 'setter'.

Fix: Anchor on a non-decorated landmark, or include the decorator in the replacement:

• old_string = self._init_actions()\n\n @property\n def perf_profiling_enabled
• new_string = self._init_actions()\n\n def your_new(...)\n ...\n\n @property\n def perf_profiling_enabled

This keeps the @property attached to its original method.

7. ast.parse() Is Not Enough (Added 2026-06-07)

py_check_syntax only confirms ast.parse() succeeds. Semantic errors (wrong decorator targets, wrong base class, wrong attribute, missing self) are NOT caught. After any multi-line edit, ALWAYS:

1. Import the module: python -c "from src.app_controller import AppController"
2. Instantiate the class
3. Call the new method in the way it's expected to be called (ctrl.foo_ts for a property, ctrl.foo_ts() for a method)

8. Do Not Use set_file_slice For Multi-Line Content (Added 2026-06-07)

set_file_slice does literal line replacement by design. It does not reindent, does not normalize EOL, does not parse decorators. Use it for surgical line-level edits (3-10 lines). If you need to insert or replace a multi-method block, use manual-slop_edit_file with verified exact-text old_string/new_string, or use py_add_def / py_update_definition for class/method-level work.

Step-by-Step Workflow for gui_2.py

Before ANY edit:

git checkout -- src/gui_2.py

Check current state:

py_check_syntax path=src/gui_2.py
get_file_slice path=src/gui_2.py start_line=X end_line=Y

For each edit:

1. Make the smallest possible change (3-10 lines)
2. Run py_check_syntax to verify
3. If syntax error, immediately git checkout -- src/gui_2.py
4. Only proceed if syntax is OK

If edit fails with "old_string not found":

• The text you're trying to replace doesn't EXACTLY match
• Use get_file_slice to get the exact text
• Copy it character-for-character including whitespace
• Try again with exact match

If syntax error after edit:

git checkout -- src/gui_2.py

Then try again with smaller edit.

Alternative: Update Definition Approach

For large function rewrites, use py_update_definition:

name: function_name
path: src/gui_2.py
new_content: complete new function source

This replaces the entire function at once using AST detection.

Context Composition Requirements

Current Broken State

Files & Media works. Context Composition needs:

1. Add state tracking at start of function:

if not hasattr(self, 'ctx_files_open'):
  self.ctx_files_open = True
if not hasattr(self, 'ctx_shots_open'):
  self.ctx_shots_open = True

2. Files section with collapsing header and child window:

if imgui.collapsing_header("Files", self.ctx_files_open):
  imgui.begin_child("ctx_files_child", imgui.ImVec2(-1, 200), True)
  # table code here
  imgui.end_child()

3. Screenshots section with collapsing header and child window:

if imgui.collapsing_header("Screenshots", self.ctx_shots_open):
  imgui.begin_child("ctx_shots_child", imgui.ImVec2(-1, 100), True)
  # screenshot list here
  imgui.end_child()

4. Fixed presets bar with push_item_width(150) on the combo

5. Remove the batch action bar entirely (Full/Agg/Sig/Def/None/Sel All/Del buttons)

Key Files

• src/gui_2.py - Main GUI (1-space indentation, CRLF)
• src/models.py - Data models including FileItem
• Context Composition function: line ~2748

Test Command

uv run sloppy.py

If Everything Goes Wrong

git checkout -- src/gui_2.py
git checkout -- src/models.py