meatshell/docs/ui-layout.md

UI layout boundaries

The UI should follow a FinalShell-style work layout: navigation on the left, tabs and terminal workspace in the center, and operational tools as separate panels. Keep one terminal per tab. Terminal split panes are intentionally not part of the product surface because they couple session lifecycle, resize, SFTP, resource sampling, and focus handling too tightly.

Independent Components

AppShell

Owns the top-level layout only:

• left navigation width
• main workspace area
• top-right global actions
• modal/popup mounting

It should not own terminal rendering, SFTP state, or session form details.

ConnectionNavigator

Left-side session tree/list, similar to FinalShell's connection manager:

• session groups
• saved sessions
• quick connect entry points
• edit/delete/import actions

This should replace putting the full session list on the welcome page as the primary workflow. The welcome page can remain a light empty state.

WorkspaceTabs

Owns tab metadata and switching:

• welcome tab
• terminal tabs
• close/select/new-tab commands

It should not know about SFTP rows, terminal spans, or resource graphs.

TerminalWorkspace

Owns the active terminal tab content area:

• one TerminalView per active terminal tab
• keyboard focus routing
• terminal resize forwarding
• terminal status line

No split panes. If multiple terminals are needed, open multiple tabs.

TerminalToolbar

Commands around the terminal should be separate from terminal rendering:

• command input
• run/save snippet buttons
• snippet popup
• find toggle
• copy/paste/clear actions

This keeps terminal grid rendering focused on VT output and selection.

FilePanel

SFTP should be an independent panel, not terminal internals:

• remote path
• remote tree
• file list
• upload/download/view/edit/delete
• loading/status text

It can be docked below or to the right of the terminal, but its data model should remain separate from terminal spans and cursor state.

ResourcePanel

Local/remote machine stats should be independent:

• connection status
• CPU/memory/swap
• network graphs
• disk usage

It may live in the left sidebar initially, but it should not be mixed with session navigation logic.

TransferManager

Global transfer history/progress:

• active transfers
• completed transfers
• failed transfers
• clear/open download folder actions

This remains global because downloads can outlive tab focus.

SessionEditor

Session creation and editing should stay modal and isolated:

• SSH/Telnet/Serial fields
• auth fields
• key picker
• validation and save/cancel

It should not manipulate tab/terminal models directly.

Current Refactor Priority

1. Remove terminal split panes and keep one terminal per tab.
2. Move session navigation out of the welcome screen into an independent left component.
3. Split TerminalView into terminal grid, command toolbar, and SFTP/file panel.
4. Keep resource stats and transfer manager as independent global panels.