manual_slop/conductor/tracks/gui_layout_refinement_20260223/proposal.md

GUI Reorganization Proposal: The "Integrated Workspace"

Vision

Transform the current scattered window layout into a cohesive, professional workspace that optimizes expert-level AI interaction. We will group functionality into four primary dockable "Hubs" while maintaining the flexibility of floating windows for secondary tasks.

1. Context Hub (The "Input" Panel)

Goal: Consolidate all files, projects, and assets.

• Components:
  • Tab 1: Projects (Project switching, global settings).
  • Tab 2: Files (Base directory, path list, wildcard tools).
  • Tab 3: Screenshots (Base directory, path list, preview).
• Benefits: Reduces eye-scatter when gathering context; shared vertical space for lists.

2. AI Settings Hub (The "Brain" Panel)

Goal: Unified control over AI persona and parameters.

• Components:
  • Section (Collapsing): Provider & Models (Provider selection, model fetcher, telemetry).
  • Section (Collapsing): Tunings (Temperature, Max Tokens, Truncation Limit).
  • Section (Collapsing): System Prompts (Global and Project-specific overrides).
• Benefits: All "static" AI configuration in one place, freeing up right-column space for the chat flow.

3. Discussion Hub (The "Interface" Panel)

Goal: A tight feedback loop for the core chat experience.

• Layout:
  • Top: Discussion History (Scrollable region).
  • Middle: Message Composer (Input box + "Gen + Send" buttons).
  • Bottom: AI Response (Read-only output with "-> History" action).
• Benefits: Minimizes mouse travel between input, output, and history archival. Supports a natural top-to-bottom reading flow.

4. Operations Hub (The "Diagnostics" Panel)

Goal: High-density monitoring of background activity.

• Components:
  • Tab 1: Comms History (The low-level request/response log).
  • Tab 2: Tool Log (Specific record of executed tools and scripts).
  • Tab 3: Diagnostics (Performance telemetry, FPS/CPU plots).
• Benefits: Keeps "noisy" technical data out of the primary workspace while making it easily accessible for troubleshooting.

Visual & Tactile Enhancements (Arcade FX)

• State-Based Blinking: Unified blinking logic for when the AI is "Thinking" vs "Ready".
• Density: Transition from simple separators to titled grouping boxes and compact tables for token usage.
• Color Coding: Standardized color palette for different tool types (Files = Blue, Shell = Yellow, Web = Green).

Implementation Strategy

1. Docking Defaults: Define a default docking layout in gui.py that arranges these four Hubs in a 4-quadrant or 2x2 grid.
2. Refactor: Modify gui.py to wrap current window contents into these new Hub functions.
3. Persistence: Ensure dpg_layout.ini continues to respect user overrides for this new structure.