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: py_check_syntax on src/<file>.py
2. Get current state with get_file_slice (the exact lines you're about to touch)
3. Read the contract: does this function/field/method's signature, yield shape, or return type have callers I need to update?
```

DO NOT use `git checkout` or `git restore` to "revert" your way to a clean state. That destroys in-progress work. If a previous edit left the file in a broken state, ask the user.

### 3. Reading Before Editing (CRITICAL)

- Use `get_file_slice` to get the EXACT text including all whitespace and EOL
- Copy text directly from the tool output - do NOT reformat
- If using `get_definition`, verify the text matches before editing
- For `set_file_slice`: confirm the exact `start_line` and `end_line` (1-indexed, inclusive) by reading the file first. Off-by-one is a common silent failure.

### 4. The Edit Tool Parameters (snake_case)

```python
{
  "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**:

```python
@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. `set_file_slice` IS Valid for Multi-Line Content (Revised 2026-06-09)

The previous rule ("Do not use set_file_slice for multi-line content") was wrong. `set_file_slice` does literal line replacement by design and is the right tool for 3-10 line surgical edits.

**When to use which tool:**

- **`set_file_slice`** for surgical 3-10 line edits where you know the exact line range. Verify the line range with `get_file_slice` first. The `start_line` and `end_line` are 1-indexed and inclusive. The new content must reproduce the line count exactly (or be a precise replacement of the same N lines).
- **`manual-slop_edit_file`** for exact-string replacement when you don't know the line range, or when the edit has a unique anchor string.
- **`py_update_definition`** for whole-function replacement (AST-detected).
- **`py_add_def`** for adding a new method/class to a class.
- **`py_remove_def`** for removing a method/class.

**The contract-change check (mandatory for any edit that changes a public interface):**

Before any edit, search the codebase for callers of the function/symbol/yield shape you're changing. If your edit changes:
- A function signature (add/remove/rename a parameter)
- A return type or yield shape (e.g. `yield process, gui_script` → `yield process, gui_script, workspace_path`)
- A class hierarchy (add/remove a base class, change a method's name)
- A module-level function name (rename)
- A public attribute name

...you MUST update ALL callers in the same atomic commit. Use `py_find_usages` to locate them. If you change a contract and don't update callers, you have broken the codebase.

**The whitespace-and-EOL rule (mandatory for set_file_slice):**

The `new_content` must preserve:
- The file's line ending convention (CRLF on Windows, LF on Linux — pick from the surrounding file, not from your text editor's default)
- The indentation of the surrounding code (1 space per level, per `conductor/code_styleguides/python.md` §1)
- The number of lines replaced (`start_line`..`end_line` must equal `len(new_content.splitlines())`)

If you mismatch any of these, the file will fail to parse. Run `py_check_syntax` and a real `import` after every `set_file_slice`.

### 9. No Diagnostic Noise in Production Code (Added 2026-06-09)

`sys.stderr.write(f"[XYZ_DIAG] ...")` lines added to `src/*.py` for debugging are technical debt the moment they ship. If you need to instrument for a one-time investigation:

- Write the diag output to a log file: `tests/artifacts/<test_name>.diag.log`
- Or to a standalone diagnostic script under `/tmp/diag_<name>.py` that imports the production module and exercises it
- Or read the production source with `get_file_slice` and reason about it directly

Do NOT add diag lines to `src/*.py` "temporarily." If you must add them for a single test run, they are part of the same atomic commit as the fix — they do not live uncommitted in the working tree. If you "revert everything," that means the diag lines are also reverted.

## Step-by-Step Workflow for gui_2.py

### Check current state:

```powershell
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 report to the user to address.
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 and EOL
- Try again with exact match

### If `set_file_slice` produces wrong indentation:

- You wrote the wrong indent in `new_content`. The tool did what you asked.
- Re-read the file with `get_file_slice` to confirm the surrounding indent
- Rewrite the `new_content` with the correct indent
- Do NOT use `git checkout` to "revert"

## Alternative: Update Definition Approach

For large function rewrites, use `py_update_definition`:

```md
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:

    ```python
    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:

    ```python
    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:

    ```python
    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

```powershell
uv run sloppy.py
```