komp_ac/canvas/CANVAS_MIGRATION.md

Canvas Library Migration Guide

Overview

This guide covers the migration from the legacy canvas library structure to the new clean, modular architecture. The new design separates core canvas functionality from suggestions features, providing better type safety and maintainability.

Key Changes

1. Modular Architecture

# Old Structure (LEGACY)
src/
├── state.rs              # Mixed canvas + suggestions
├── actions/edit.rs       # Mixed concerns
├── gui/render.rs         # Everything together
└── suggestions.rs        # Legacy file

# New Structure (CLEAN)
src/
├── canvas/               # Core canvas functionality
│   ├── state.rs         # CanvasState trait only
│   ├── actions/edit.rs  # Canvas actions only
│   └── gui.rs           # Canvas rendering
├── suggestions/         # Suggestions dropdown features (not inline autocomplete)
│   ├── state.rs         # Suggestion provider types
│   ├── gui.rs           # Suggestions dropdown rendering
│   ├── actions.rs       # Autocomplete actions
│   └── gui.rs           # Autocomplete dropdown rendering
└── dispatcher.rs         # Action routing

2. Trait Separation

• CanvasState: Core form functionality (navigation, input, validation)
• Suggestions module: Optional dropdown suggestions support

3. Rich Suggestions

Replaced simple string suggestions with typed, rich suggestion objects.

Migration Steps

Step 1: Update Import Paths

Find and Replace these imports:

# OLD IMPORTS
use canvas::CanvasState;
use canvas::CanvasAction;
use canvas::ActionContext;
use canvas::HighlightState;
use canvas::CanvasTheme;
use canvas::ActionDispatcher;
use canvas::ActionResult;

# NEW IMPORTS
use canvas::canvas::CanvasState;
use canvas::canvas::CanvasAction;
use canvas::canvas::ActionContext;
use canvas::canvas::HighlightState;
use canvas::canvas::CanvasTheme;
use canvas::dispatcher::ActionDispatcher;
use canvas::canvas::ActionResult;

Complex imports:

# OLD
use canvas::{CanvasAction, ActionDispatcher, ActionResult};

# NEW
use canvas::{canvas::CanvasAction, dispatcher::ActionDispatcher, canvas::ActionResult};

Step 2: Clean Up State Implementation

Remove legacy methods from your CanvasState implementation:

impl CanvasState for YourFormState {
    // Keep all the core methods:
    fn current_field(&self) -> usize { /* ... */ }
    fn get_current_input(&self) -> &str { /* ... */ }
    // ... etc

    // ❌ REMOVE these legacy methods:
    // fn get_suggestions(&self) -> Option<&[String]>
    // fn get_selected_suggestion_index(&self) -> Option<usize>
    // fn set_selected_suggestion_index(&mut self, index: Option<usize>)
    // fn activate_suggestions(&mut self, suggestions: Vec<String>)
    // fn deactivate_suggestions(&mut self)
}

Step 3: Implement Rich Autocomplete (Optional)

If you want suggestions dropdown features:

use canvas::{SuggestionItem};

impl YourFormState {
    fn supports_suggestions(&self, field_index: usize) -> bool {
        // Define which fields support suggestions
        matches!(field_index, 2 | 3 | 5) // Example: only certain fields
    }

    // Manage your own suggestion state or rely on FormEditor APIs

    // Manage your own suggestion state or rely on FormEditor APIs
}

Add suggestions storage to your state (optional, if you need to persist outside the editor):

pub struct YourFormState {
    // ... existing fields
    // Optional: your own suggestions cache if needed
    // pub suggestion_cache: Vec<SuggestionItem>,
}

Step 4: Migrate Suggestions

Old way (simple strings):

let suggestions = vec!["John".to_string(), "Jane".to_string()];
form_state.activate_suggestions(suggestions);

New way (rich objects):

let suggestions = vec![
    SuggestionItem::new(
        hit1,                                    // Your data object
        "John Doe (Manager) | ID: 123".to_string(), // What user sees
        "123".to_string(),                       // What gets stored
    ),
    SuggestionItem::simple(hit2, "Jane".to_string()), // Simple version
];
form_state.set_autocomplete_suggestions(suggestions);

Step 5: Update Rendering

Old rendering:

// Manual suggestions rendering
if editor.is_suggestions_active() {
    suggestions::gui::render_suggestions_dropdown(/* ... */);
}

New rendering:

// Canvas handles everything
use canvas::canvas::render_canvas;

let active_field_rect = render_canvas(f, area, form_state, theme, edit_mode, highlight_state);

// Suggestions dropdown (if active)
if editor.is_suggestions_active() {
    canvas::suggestions::render_suggestions_dropdown(
        f, f.area(), active_field_rect.unwrap(), theme, &editor
    );
}
}

Step 6: Update Method Calls

Replace legacy method calls:

# OLD
form_state.deactivate_suggestions();

# NEW - Option A: Add your own method
impl YourFormState {
    pub fn deactivate_suggestions(&mut self) {
        self.autocomplete_active = false;
        self.autocomplete_suggestions.clear();
        self.selected_suggestion_index = None;
    }
}
editor.ui_state_mut().deactivate_suggestions();

# NEW - Option B: Suggestions via editor APIs
editor.ui_state_mut().deactivate_suggestions();

Benefits of New Architecture

1. Clean Separation of Concerns

• Canvas: Form rendering, navigation, input handling
• Autocomplete: Rich suggestions, dropdown management, async loading

2. Type Safety

// Old: Stringly typed
let suggestions: Vec<String> = vec!["user1".to_string()];

// New: Fully typed with your domain objects
let suggestions: Vec<SuggestionItem<UserRecord>> = vec![
    SuggestionItem::new(user_record, display_text, stored_value)
];

3. Rich UX Capabilities

• Display vs Storage: Show "John Doe (Manager)" but store user ID
• Loading States: Built-in spinner/loading indicators
• Async Support: Designed for async suggestion fetching
• Display Overrides: Show friendly text while storing normalized data

4. Future-Proof

• Easy to add new suggestion features
• Canvas features don't interfere with suggestions
• Modular: Use only what you need

Advanced Features

Display Overrides

Perfect for foreign key relationships:

// User selects "John Doe (Manager) | ID: 123"
// Field stores: "123" (for database)
// User sees: "John Doe" (friendly display)

impl CanvasState for FormState {
    fn get_display_value_for_field(&self, index: usize) -> &str {
        if let Some(display_text) = self.link_display_map.get(&index) {
            return display_text.as_str(); // Shows "John Doe"
        }
        self.inputs().get(index).map(|s| s.as_str()).unwrap_or("") // Shows "123"
    }
    
    fn has_display_override(&self, index: usize) -> bool {
        self.link_display_map.contains_key(&index)
    }
}

Progressive Enhancement

Start simple, add features when needed:

// Week 1: Basic usage
SuggestionItem::simple(data, "John".to_string());

// Week 5: Rich display
SuggestionItem::new(data, "John Doe (Manager)".to_string(), "John".to_string());

// Week 10: Store IDs, show names
SuggestionItem::new(user, "John Doe (Manager)".to_string(), "123".to_string());

Breaking Changes Summary

1. Import paths changed: Add canvas:: or dispatcher:: prefixes
2. Legacy suggestion methods removed: Replace with SuggestionItem-based dropdown or custom methods
3. No more simple suggestions: Use SuggestionItem for typed suggestions
4. Trait split: AutocompleteCanvasState is now separate and optional

Troubleshooting

Common Compilation Errors

Error: no method named 'get_suggestions' found Fix: Remove legacy method from CanvasState implementation

Error: no 'CanvasState' in the root Fix: Change use canvas::CanvasState to use canvas::canvas::CanvasState

Error: trait bound 'FormState: CanvasState' is not satisfied Fix: Make sure your state properly implements the new CanvasState trait

Migration Checklist

• Updated all import paths
• Removed legacy methods from CanvasState implementation
• Added custom suggestion methods if needed
• Updated usage to SuggestionItem
• Updated rendering calls
• Tested form functionality
• Tested suggestions functionality (if using)

Example: Complete Migration

Before:

use canvas::{CanvasState, CanvasAction};

impl CanvasState for FormState {
    fn get_suggestions(&self) -> Option<&[String]> { /* ... */ }
    fn deactivate_suggestions(&mut self) { /* ... */ }
    // ... other methods
}

After:

use canvas::canvas::{CanvasState, CanvasAction};
use canvas::SuggestionItem;

impl CanvasState for FormState {
    // Only core canvas methods
    fn current_field(&self) -> usize { /* ... */ }
    fn get_current_input(&self) -> &str { /* ... */ }
    // ... other core methods only
}

// Use FormEditor + SuggestionsProvider for suggestions dropdown
    type SuggestionData = Hit;
    
    fn supports_suggestions(&self, field_index: usize) -> bool {
        self.fields[field_index].is_link
    }
    
    // Maintain suggestion state through FormEditor and DataProvider
    
    // Maintain suggestion state through FormEditor and DataProvider
}

This migration results in cleaner, more maintainable, and more powerful code!