diff --git a/future-plans.md b/future-plans.md index dd56c36..3f268bf 100644 --- a/future-plans.md +++ b/future-plans.md @@ -215,6 +215,34 @@ Key design points: - A storage grid can have multiple view layers (e.g. lid photo, tray photo, labeled overlay) +### Irregular grid layouts and merged cells +Real storage boxes rarely have perfectly uniform grids. Two distinct physical +configurations need to be supported: + +**Type A — uniform grid with merged cells:** A regular N×M grid where some adjacent +cells are physically merged into one larger cell (always an integer multiple of the +base cell size). Common in component assortment boxes. A merged cell is both a +physical and logical unit — you store one thing in it. + +**Type B — stacked sub-grids:** A container where each row (or section) has a +different column count and cell size. Example: 5 rows of 5 small columns, then 1 +row of 4 medium columns, then 1 row with a single large drawer. Cells are not +multiples of a common base — the sections are structurally independent. + +**Logical merging (multi-select):** Independent of the above, a user should be able +to designate several cells as one logical storage location (e.g. a large component +that physically spans 3 cells). This is a storage/inventory concern rather than a +grid layout concern. + +**Open question — architecture:** Should this be: +1. A single generic nested/hierarchical grid model flexible enough to encode both + types (more complex but unified), or +2. Two explicit grid styles (`uniform+merges` and `stacked-sections`) that cover + the common cases without a fully general solution? + +Option 2 is likely sufficient for real-world boxes and much easier to implement and +display. Worth prototyping before committing to a generic model. + ### Multi-cell grid storage selection A component stored in a grid should be able to span multiple cells, since larger parts often occupy more than one cell. The graphical cell picker in the inventory