feat(frontend.chat): thread preview and single active thread

frontend/src/components/Message.vue

@@ -97,9 +97,18 @@ watch(() => [props.message.format, props.message.content], ([newFormat, newConte
     </template>
 
     <template v-if="message.type == 'thread-header'">
-      <div class="content">
+      <div class="thread-header"
-        Thread {{message.threadId}} ({{message.messageCount}} messages)
+        :class="{ 'thread-active': message.active }"
-        <a href="#" @click.prevent="$emit('toggleThread', message.threadId, !message.expanded)">{{message.expanded ? "Hide" : "Show"}}</a>
+        @click="!message.active && message.threadId != null && $emit('open-thread', message.threadId)"
+      >
+        <div class="thread-title">
+          {{ message.threadId == null ? 'New Thread' : `Thread ${message.threadId}` }}
+          <span v-if="message.messageCount" class="thread-count">({{ message.messageCount }} messages)</span>
+        </div>
+        <div v-if="message.preview" class="thread-preview">
+          <span class="thread-preview-sender">{{ message.preview.sender }}:</span>
+          {{ message.preview.content }}
+        </div>
       </div>
     </template>
 
@@ -182,4 +191,59 @@ watch(() => [props.message.format, props.message.content], ([newFormat, newConte
 .resource .content {
   font-family: monospace;
 }
+
+.thread-header {
+  align-self: center;
+  width: fit-content;
+  max-width: 40em;
+  padding: 5px 16px;
+  border-radius: 12px;
+  border: 1px dashed var(--color-border);
+  background-color: var(--color-background-soft);
+  font-size: 80%;
+  text-align: center;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  user-select: none;
+}
+
+.thread-header:hover {
+  border-style: solid;
+}
+
+.thread-header .thread-title {
+  font-weight: bold;
+  opacity: 70%;
+}
+
+.thread-header .thread-count {
+  font-weight: normal;
+  opacity: 80%;
+}
+
+.thread-header .thread-preview {
+  font-style: italic;
+  opacity: 60%;
+  max-width: 100%;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
+.thread-header .thread-preview-sender {
+  font-style: normal;
+  font-weight: bold;
+}
+
+.thread-header.thread-active {
+  border-style: solid;
+  cursor: default;
+}
+
+.thread-header.thread-active .thread-title {
+  opacity: 100%;
+}
+
+.thread-header:hover {
+  border-style: solid;
+}
 </style>

frontend/src/views/Chat.vue

@@ -31,23 +31,24 @@
   });
 
   // UI State
-  const expandedThreads = ref({}); // Object<int: bool>, to simulate a Set<int>
+  const isNewThread = ref(true); // "New Thread" UI state
   const editingMessageId = ref(null);
   const noteMode = ref(false);
   const messageRunMap = ref({});
 
   const editInfo = computed(() => {
+    const parts = [isNewThread.value ? 'New Thread' : `Thread ${currentThreadId.value}`]
     if (editingMessageId.value != null) {
       if (noteMode.value) {
-        return `Editing Note ${editingMessageId.value}`;
+        parts.push(`Editing Note ${editingMessageId.value}`);
       } else {
-        return `Editing ${editingMessageId.value}`;
+        parts.push(`Editing ${editingMessageId.value}`);
       }
     } else if (noteMode.value) {
-      return 'Editing Note';
+      parts.push('Editing Note');
-    } else {
-      return null;
     }
+
+    return parts.join(' - ');
   });
 
   let _isMounted = false;
@@ -61,6 +62,25 @@
   let _messageNonce = 1;
 
 
+  // === Thread Helpers === //
+
+  const THREAD_STALE_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000;
+
+  function messageTime (message) {
+    // Accept the common backend timestamp field names and formats
+    const t = message.timestamp ?? message.time ?? message.createdAt;
+    if (t == null) return null;
+    const ms = typeof t == 'number' ? (t < 1e12 ? t * 1000 : t) : Date.parse(t);
+    return isNaN(ms) ? null : ms;
+  }
+
+  function isMessageStale (message) {
+    const time = messageTime(message);
+    // No timestamp available -> treat as stale; a new thread is the safer default
+    return time == null || (Date.now() - time) > THREAD_STALE_MS;
+  }
+
+
   // === State Management === //
 
   async function loadChatState (newId) {
@@ -98,6 +118,7 @@
         if (unsent) {
           if (unsent.content == it.content) {
             unsent.id = it.id;
+            unsent.threadId = it.threadId;
             addMessage(unsent);
             return;
           } else {
@@ -132,15 +153,14 @@
       threadId: it.threadId,
     }));
 
-    // Always send messages in a thread, determine which one to start with
+    // Continue the last thread only if it is recent (under 10 minutes old);
+    // otherwise start in "New Thread" state
     if (response.messages.length > 0) {
       const lastMessage = response.messages[response.messages.length - 1];
-      const lastThread = lastMessage.threadId;
+      if (lastMessage.threadId != null && !isMessageStale(lastMessage)) {
-      if (lastThread == null) {
+        activateThread(lastMessage.threadId);
-        startNewThread();
       } else {
-        currentThreadId.value = lastMessage.threadId;
+        startNewThread();
-        expandThread(lastMessage.threadId, true);
       }
     } else {
       startNewThread();
@@ -152,7 +172,7 @@
     // Reset UI State
     editingMessageId.value = null;
     noteMode.value = false;
-    // don't reset expandedThreads, it's nice to keep for the session
+    // thread state was set above; no need to reset
   }
 
   async function unloadChatState () {
@@ -209,6 +229,7 @@
   function addMessage (message, options={}) {
     requestRescroll();
     if (options.unsent) {
+      message.id = _messageNonce++;
       unsentMessages.value.push(message);
     } else {
       messages.value.push(message);
@@ -223,17 +244,24 @@
 
     if (!content.trim()) return; // Don't send empty messages
 
-    let threadId = currentThreadId.value;
     let messageId = editingMessageId.value;
     let isNote = noteMode.value;
 
     if (messageId == null) {
+      // "New Thread" is a UI state: the thread is only created upstream
+      // here, once there is a message to put into it
+      let threadId = await resolveSendThread();
+      if (threadId == null) {
+        elem.innerText = content; // let the user retry
+        return;
+      }
+
       backend.sendAction("send-chat-message", {
         chatId, content, threadId,
         kind: isNote ? 'note' : null,
       }).then((response) => {
         if (response['error']) {
-          print("Error sending chat message: ${response['error']}");
+          ui.alert("Error sending chat message: " + response['error']);
         }
       });
 
@@ -252,7 +280,7 @@
         'kind': isNote ? 'note' : null,
       }).then((response) => {
         if (response['error']) {
-          print("Error updating message: ${response['error']}");
+          ui.alert("Error updating message: " + response['error']);
         }
       });
 
@@ -263,6 +291,21 @@
     if (isNote) noteMode.value = false;
   }
 
+  async function resolveSendThread () {
+    // Returns the threadId to send into, creating the thread upstream
+    // if we're in "New Thread" state
+    if (!isNewThread.value) return currentThreadId.value;
+
+    const res = await backend.sendAction("create-chat-thread", {chatId});
+    if (res.threadId == null) {
+      ui.alert("Error creating thread" + (res.error ? `: ${res.error}` : ""));
+      return null;
+    }
+    currentThreadId.value = res.threadId;
+    isNewThread.value = false;
+    return res.threadId;
+  }
+
   function computeChatEntries (messages) {
     let entries = [];
     let threadGroups = {}; // Map<int, message[]>
@@ -276,12 +319,20 @@
       }
     }
 
-    function addThreadHeader (threadId, group) {
+    function addThreadHeader (threadId, group, options={}) {
+      let preview = null;
+      const last = group[group.length - 1];
+      if (last && !options.active) {
+        let content = String(last.content || '').split('\n')[0].trim();
+        if (content.length > 100) content = content.slice(0, 100) + '…';
+        preview = {sender: senderName(last.sender), content};
+      }
       entries.push({
         type: 'thread-header',
         threadId,
+        active: !!options.active,
         messageCount: group.length,
-        expanded: Boolean(expandedThreads.value[threadId]),
+        preview,
       });
     }
 
@@ -294,56 +345,56 @@
       }
     }
 
+    // Only the active thread is ever open; every other thread collapses
+    // into a single preview header
+    const activeThreadId = isNewThread.value ? null : currentThreadId.value;
+    let activeHeaderAdded = false;
+
     // Second pass: Build the display list with correct ordering
     for (let _msg of messages) {
-      // New message object with updated name
       const message = Object.assign({}, _msg, {sender: senderName(_msg.sender)});
 
-      // Non-threaded messages, notes, and resources go directly to the entry list
       if (message.threadId == null) {
         entries.push(message);
+        continue;
+      }
 
-      } else {
+      let threadId = message.threadId;
-        let threadId = message.threadId;
+      let group = threadGroups[threadId];
-        let group = threadGroups[threadId];
 
-        // If the thread is expanded, add messages as they appear
+      if (threadId === activeThreadId) {
-        if (expandedThreads.value[threadId]) {
+        if (!activeHeaderAdded) {
-          // Add the thread header before the first message
+          addThreadHeader(threadId, group, {active: true});
-          if (message.id == group[0].id) {
+          activeHeaderAdded = true;
-            addThreadHeader(threadId, group);
-          }
-          entries.push(message);
-        } else {
-          // Add collapsed thread header in place of the last message
-          if (message.id == group[group.length-1].id) {
-            addThreadHeader(threadId, group);
-          }
         }
+        entries.push(message);
+      } else if (message.id == group[group.length - 1].id) {
+        // Collapsed: one preview card in place of the thread's last message
+        addThreadHeader(threadId, group);
       }
     }
 
-    // Add current thread mannually if it has no messages
+    // "New Thread" UI state: placeholder where the new thread will start
-    const current = currentThreadId.value;
+    if (isNewThread.value) {
-    if (current != null && threadGroups[current] == null) {
+      addThreadHeader(null, []);
-      addThreadHeader(current, []);
     }
 
     return entries;
   }
 
-  function expandThread (threadId, value) {
+  function activateThread (threadId) {
-    expandedThreads.value[threadId] = value;
+    if (threadId == null) return; // "New Thread" placeholder isn't clickable
+    // Continuing a thread: it becomes the one open thread
+    currentThreadId.value = threadId;
+    isNewThread.value = false;
     requestRescroll();
   }
 
-  async function startNewThread () {
+  function startNewThread () {
-    const res = await backend.sendAction("create-chat-thread", {chatId});
+    // Pure UI state — nothing is created upstream until a message is sent
-    console.log("Starting a new thread", res);
+    isNewThread.value = true;
-    if (res.threadId != null) {
+    currentThreadId.value = null;
-      currentThreadId.value = res.threadId;
+    requestRescroll();
-      expandThread(res.threadId, true);
-    }
   }
 
   async function addRemoteResource () {
@@ -360,7 +411,8 @@
     })));
     if (!selected) return;
 
-    const threadId = currentThreadId.value;
+    const threadId = await resolveSendThread();
+    if (threadId == null) return;
     backend.sendAction("send-chat-message", {
       chatId, content: selected, threadId,
       kind: 'resource', subkind: 'remote',
@@ -491,10 +543,10 @@
     <div class="messages-container" ref="chatContainerElem">
       <Message 
         v-for="msg in chatEntries" 
-        :key="msg.id || msg.threadId" 
+        :key="msg.id ?? ('thread-' + msg.threadId)" 
         :message="msg" 
         @open-menu="chatEntryContextMenu"
-        @toggle-thread="expandThread"
+        @open-thread="activateThread"
 
         :cancellable="messageRunMap[msg.id]"
         @cancel="runs.cancelRun(messageRunMap[msg.id])"