electronics-inventory/future-plans.md

# Future Plans

## KV store

### Extract into shared library
`kv-store.mjs` is already copied into at least 3 projects (`electronics-inventory`,
`fs-views`, `publication-tool`). Should live in its own Gitea repo as an installable
npm package (`npm install git+https://...`) so changes propagate rather than drift.

### Delta / revision tracking
Add a delta log alongside the main snapshot file (e.g. `inventory.ndjson.deltas`)
that records every `set`/`delete` as a timestamped entry. The main file stays a
clean current-state snapshot; the delta file accumulates the full history. Enables
undo, audit trails, and debugging data corruption.

## App architecture

### parse_url mutates too many module-level variables
`parse_url()` directly assigns to a large number of module-level state variables
(`section`, `grid_view_state`, `grid_tab`, `current_grid_id`, `grid_draft`,
`current_panel_idx`, `grid_source_id`, `highlight_cell`, `selected_component_id`).
This is fragile and hard to reason about.

Preferred direction: represent the full UI state as a single immutable state object,
and have `parse_url()` return a new state value rather than mutating globals:
```js
function parse_url(path) {
    return { section, grid_view_state, current_grid_id, ... };
}
state = parse_url(location.pathname); render(state);
```

### render() if/else chain
The render dispatcher is a long chain of bare `else if` branches. Replace with a
lookup table:
```js
const SECTION_RENDERERS = {
    components: render_components,
    inventory:  render_inventory,
    fields:     render_fields,
    grids:      render_grids,
    templates:  render_templates,
};
function render() { sync_nav(); SECTION_RENDERERS[section]?.(); }
```

### app.mjs monolith
`app.mjs` is large. Consider splitting into per-section modules
(`views/components.mjs`, `views/grids.mjs`, etc.) that each export their render
function and own their local state.

### DRY / SSoT audit
As the app grows, patterns are being duplicated rather than centralized. Areas to
review:
- Field sorting: same sort-by-name logic appears in both detail view and edit dialog
- Field rendering: `render_field_value()` exists but call sites still sometimes
  inline display logic
- Component display name: `component_display_name()` is the SSoT but there may be
  call sites that still use `c.name` directly
- Server-side: PDF conflict checks, sanitize calls, and rename logic are inline in
  route handlers — could be extracted into a `pdf_service` helper
- General pass to identify and eliminate copy-paste between routes and between
  render functions before the codebase grows further

## Field system

### Improvements

#### Field display in component detail should use a table
Currently rendered as CSS grid rows but columns don't align because each row is
independent. Use an actual `<table>` so name and value columns line up across all
fields. This is tabular data and a table is the right element.

#### Field value parser chain
Similar to how name formatters use a template chain, field values could be passed
through a parser chain that returns structured data based on field name/type hints.
Examples:

- A field whose name contains `tolerance` could parse `20` as `{ negative: 20, positive: 20 }`
  and `-10/+30` as `{ negative: 10, positive: 30 }`
- URL detection (currently hardcoded in `render_field_value()`) could be one parser
  in this chain rather than a special case
- Mouser/Digi-Key part numbers could be detected and return a structured link target

The parser chain would mirror the template system: user-defined or built-in parsers
keyed by field name pattern, tried in order, returning structured data or `null` to
pass through to the next. `render_field_value()` would then receive parsed data and
render accordingly.

#### Field rendering integrations
With or without a parser chain, `render_field_value()` should gain:
- Mouser/Digi-Key part number fields → auto-craft links to product pages
- More URL-like patterns (without `https://` prefix)

#### Field selector filter
When adding a field to a component in the edit dialog, the dropdown becomes
unwieldy with many fields. Add a filter/search input to the field selector.

#### Parametric search
Allow searching/filtering components by field values, not just names. Examples:
- `resistance < 10k`, `package = 0603`, `voltage_rating >= 50`
- Cross-field queries: find all 0603 resistors under 10kΩ
- Should integrate with the existing word-split search or replace it with a
  richer query language
- Depends on field types (numeric vs string) for range queries to work correctly

### Long term

#### Field grouping / linkage
Some fields naturally belong together (e.g. `frequency_stability` and
`frequency_stability_temp_range`). Options:
- Soft linkage: tag fields with a group name, display grouped in the UI
- Structured fields: a field can be a record type with named sub-fields
  (e.g. `stability: { value: 10, unit: "ppm", temp_low: -40, temp_high: 85 }`)

Structured records are the more powerful option but require a schema system and
more complex UI. Grouping/linkage is a lighter short-term win.

#### Renderer/parser result cache
Once parsers and formatters run per-render, a cache keyed on field value + template
version would avoid redundant work on large inventories. Invalidated when any
template changes. Not urgent — premature until the parser chain exists.

#### Field types
Currently all field values are free-text strings. Typed fields (numeric,
enum/dropdown) would enable better formatting, validation, and range-aware search.
Prerequisite for parametric search with range operators.

#### Measurement dimensions and unit conversion
Instead of a bare unit string on a field, associate a field with a measurement
dimension (e.g. `temperature`, `resistance`, `frequency`, `voltage`). The dimension
defines the set of valid units and the conversion factors between them (°C, °K, °R,
°F for temperature; Ω, kΩ, MΩ for resistance; etc.).

SI prefixes (k, M, µ, n, p, etc.) are not separate units — they are a presentation
layer on top of a unit. `25kΩ` should be stored as
`{ value: "25", prefix: "k", unit: "Ω" }` — preserving the original string value
and prefix exactly as entered, so no precision or notation is lost.

A canonical numeric form is derived from the stored triple only when needed for
comparison or search queries (e.g. `R < 10k` → compare canonical floats). Display
always reconstructs from the stored `value + prefix + unit`, so `4k7` stays `4k7`
and `25.0` stays `25.0`.

This would allow:
- Lossless storage of entered values (significant digits, notation style preserved)
- Parametric search with cross-prefix comparisons via derived canonical values
- Unit conversion on query (e.g. `temp > 200K` matching a stored `-73°C`)
- Catching unit mismatches at entry time

## PDF / files

### File picker search filter
The file picker dialog has no search/filter input. With many datasheets this becomes
unwieldy. Add a filter input at the top of the list that narrows by display name and
filename.

### PDF page count and multi-page navigation
Currently only the first page thumbnail is shown. Could show page count and allow
browsing pages in the lightbox.

## Inventory

### Inventory URL reflects selected entry
Similar to how components now reflect `/components/:id` in the URL, inventory
entries have no URL state — refreshing loses context.

## Grids

### Grid URL state
Navigating into a grid viewer updates the URL correctly, but the grid list and
draft state have no URL representation.