# Relicario fullscreen UX redesign

**Date:** 2026-04-30
**Status:** Spec, awaiting review
**Surface:** Browser extension fullscreen vault UI (`extension/src/vault/`)

## Goals

- Make the fullscreen vault tab (`vault.html`) feel like a first-class app, not a popup form stretched across a wide monitor.
- Add structural affordances (keyboard nav, command palette, multi-select) that the popup cannot fit and that match the project's monospace/terminal aesthetic.
- Improve form-level affordances (smart inputs) in a way the popup can also adopt where space allows.
- Establish a consistent visual language — typography, glyphs, focus states, button conventions — shared between popup and fullscreen.

## Non-goals

- Sidebar/empty-state rework (deliberately out of scope; current sidebar layout stays as-is).
- Mobile responsive design (fullscreen is desktop-only; popup handles narrow widths).
- New item types, schema changes, or sync-protocol changes.
- Theme system / light mode (single dark theme stays).

## Scope summary

| Theme | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| **A.** Two-column form layout, sticky save bar | Fullscreen only |
| **B.** Visual polish: glyphs, focus rings, required pill, "esc to cancel" subtitle | Both (popup adopts what fits) |
| **C.** Smart inputs (8 affordances) | Both — same code path in `popup/components/types/login.ts` |
| **E.** Keyboard nav, ⌘K palette, three-pane shell, multi-select, drag-drop attach, unsaved-changes guard, recent items | Fullscreen only |
| **Glyph button convention** | Both (icons-only, native tooltips) |

---

## Architecture

### Component map (after redesign)

```
extension/src/vault/
├── vault.ts              # entry point — restructured for 3-pane shell
├── vault.html            # split panes: nav | list | detail
├── vault.css             # restyled — see "visual language" below
├── shell/
│   ├── three-pane.ts     # NEW — pane sizing, divider drag
│   ├── keymap.ts         # NEW — global keyboard handler
│   ├── command-palette.ts # NEW — ⌘K overlay
│   └── unsaved-guard.ts  # NEW — beforeunload + in-app intercept
├── selection.ts          # NEW — multi-select state
└── components/           # existing — backup-panel, import-panel

extension/src/popup/components/types/
├── login.ts              # restructured form, 8 smart-input affordances
├── secure-note.ts        # adopts shared visual language
├── identity.ts           # ditto (later phase)
├── card.ts               # ditto (later phase)
├── key.ts                # ditto (later phase)
├── totp.ts               # ditto (later phase)
└── document.ts           # ditto (later phase)

extension/src/shared/
├── glyphs.ts             # NEW — icon glyph constants & button helper
├── shortcuts.ts          # NEW — keymap registry consumed by vault
└── form-affordances/     # NEW — reusable smart-input mixins
    ├── url-affordances.ts    # fill-from-tab, hostname chip
    ├── group-autocomplete.ts # datalist
    ├── password-tools.ts     # reveal toggle, strength bar
    └── totp-tools.ts         # live preview, QR decode
```

### Data flow

No changes to the message-bus contract. New SW handlers needed:

- `get_active_tab_url` — popup-only message; SW reads `chrome.tabs.query({active:true, lastFocusedWindow:true})`, returns `{ url, title }`. Used by URL fill-from-tab affordance.
- `list_groups` — popup-only; reads manifest, returns deduplicated set of all group strings (for datalist autocomplete).
- `list_recently_viewed` — popup-only; returns last N item IDs from a per-device LRU stored in `chrome.storage.local`.

Existing handlers (`rate_passphrase`, `get_totp`, `add_item`, etc.) are reused as-is.

### Dependencies

- **`jsqr`** — `~50KB` minified. QR-image → otpauth-URI decoder for TOTP-from-QR. Loaded lazily (only when the user clicks the `◫` button).
- No other new runtime deps. `zxcvbn` already integrated via `rate_passphrase`.

---

## Visual language

The single source of truth for shared style is `extension/src/shared/glyphs.ts` (constants) and `vault.css` / `popup.css` (CSS tokens).

### Typography

- Body: `ui-monospace, "JetBrains Mono", "SF Mono", monospace` (already present).
- Numerals: `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` on TOTP code, countdowns, item counts.
- Labels: lowercase, weight 400, color `var(--text-muted)`.
- Section headers (form sub-sections): uppercase, letter-spacing 1px, weight 500, with a 1px bottom border.

### Color tokens (additive — no existing colors removed)

```css
:root {
  --accent:        #d49b3a;  /* amber, brand */
  --accent-soft:   rgba(212, 155, 58, 0.18);
  --focus-ring:    0 0 0 2px rgba(212, 155, 58, 0.35);
  --bg-input:      #0e1620;
  --bg-pane:       #1a2230;
  --border-subtle: #2a3848;
  --text:          #cdd6e0;
  --text-muted:    #8b97a8;
  --text-dim:      #6b7888;
  --danger:        #c75a4f;
  --success:       #6cb37a;
}
```

### Glyph convention

All action glyphs are unicode (no emoji), monochrome, with `title=` tooltips. Defined as constants in `shared/glyphs.ts`:

| Glyph | Constant | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `⊙` / `⊘` | `GLYPH_REVEAL` / `GLYPH_HIDE` | Password reveal toggle |
| `↻` | `GLYPH_GENERATE` | Password / passphrase generate |
| `⤓` | `GLYPH_FILL_FROM_TAB` | Fill URL from active tab |
| `◫` | `GLYPH_QR` | Paste/upload QR image |
| `≡` | `GLYPH_MONO` | Toggle notes monospace |
| `▦` | `GLYPH_TRASH` | Trash nav (replaces 🗑) |
| `⌬` | `GLYPH_DEVICES` | Devices nav (replaces 📺) |
| `⚙` | `GLYPH_SETTINGS` | Settings nav (kept) |
| `⏻` | `GLYPH_LOCK` | Lock nav (replaces 🔒) |
| `⌘ K` | (literal) | Command palette label |

Buttons use a shared `.glyph-btn` class: 28px min-width, monospace, neutral background, hover lift.

### Focus state

Single token `--focus-ring` applied to all focusable form elements via `:focus-visible`. Browser default outline is suppressed. Combined with a 1px amber border on the focused input.

### Required-field pill

Replaces the trailing `*` marker. A `<span class="req-pill">required</span>` after the label text:

```css
.req-pill {
  display: inline-block; font-size: 9px; padding: 1px 5px;
  background: var(--accent-soft); color: var(--accent);
  border-radius: 2px; margin-left: 6px; vertical-align: middle;
  text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;
}
```

---

## A. Form layout (fullscreen only)

The fullscreen `vault.html` form pane gets a two-column layout for login items. Other types stay single-column for now.

### Layout rules

```
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ◀ new login                              ⌘+S to save      │
│ unsaved · esc to cancel                                    │
├──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┤
│ IDENTITY                 │ CREDENTIALS                     │
│ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ title    [required]  │ │ │ username                    │ │
│ │ url + ⤓              │ │ │ password ⊙ ↻                │ │
│ │ group (autocomplete) │ │ │   strength: ████░           │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ │ │ totp secret ◫               │ │
│                          │ │   live: 492 837 · 23s       │ │
│                          │ └─────────────────────────────┘ │
├──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────┤
│ NOTES                                                       │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ...                                                    │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                             │
│ ▾ custom sections & fields    ▸ attachments                │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  STICKY SAVE BAR   [cancel] [save]                         │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

- Pane content max-width: `960px`, centered horizontally in the pane.
- Two columns: equal width, 24px gap. Stack to single column under 720px viewport (degrades gracefully for narrow windows).
- Notes / custom sections / attachments are full-width below the columns.
- **Sticky save bar:** position `sticky` at the bottom of the form pane, with a fade gradient above so content scrolls under it. Always reachable, even on long forms.

### Header treatment

- Heading "new login" / "edit login" left-aligned.
- Subtitle below: "unsaved · esc to cancel" (when dirty) or "no changes" (when pristine).
- Right side: keyboard hint "⌘+S to save" (visual only — not a button).
- The popout-to-tab `⤴` button is **removed** from the fullscreen form (it's a no-op in this context). It stays in the popup form.

### Fields per item type (column assignment)

Only `login` is two-column. Other types (`secure_note`, `identity`, `card`, `key`, `totp`, `document`) remain single-column with the polish/visual-language updates applied.

---

## B. Visual polish (both surfaces, popup adopts what fits)

Six tweaks, applied via `vault.css` / `popup.css`:

1. **Popout button:** removed from fullscreen forms. Stays in popup forms.
2. **Sidebar glyphs:** emoji → unicode constants from `shared/glyphs.ts`.
3. **Required pill:** `<span class="req-pill">required</span>` replaces trailing `*`.
4. **Focus ring:** `--focus-ring` token on `:focus-visible`.
5. **Form header subtitle:** "unsaved · esc to cancel" / "no changes" status line.
6. **Rhythm:** input padding raised from 5px → 6px, line-height 1.4 → 1.5, label margin tweaks for breathing room.

The popup adopts (3), (4), (5 — minus "esc to cancel" since popup escape closes the popup). Popup keeps (2) sidebar glyphs. Layout (sticky bar / two-column) does not apply to popup.

---

## C. Smart inputs (both surfaces)

Each affordance lives in `shared/form-affordances/` so the popup and fullscreen forms call the same module.

### C1. Fill URL from current tab

- New SW message: `get_active_tab_url` → `{ url: string, title: string } | null`. Uses `chrome.tabs.query({active:true, lastFocusedWindow:true})`, filters out `chrome://` / extension URLs.
- Glyph button `⤓` next to the URL input. Click → fetch → set URL field; if title field is empty, set title too.
- No-op (button disabled) if no usable active tab (e.g., user opened vault.html and no other tab).

### C2. Hostname chip next to URL

- Live: parse the URL with `URL` constructor on each input event (debounced 200ms).
- If it parses, show a chip with the first letter of the hostname on a colored background + the bare hostname underneath the input.
- No network fetch. No favicon download. Pure visual confirmation.

### C3. Group autocomplete (datalist)

- New SW message: `list_groups` → `{ groups: string[] }`. Reads `state.manifest.items`, collects unique non-empty `group` values, sorts.
- Form's group input gets `<datalist>` attribute. Browser handles dropdown UI.
- One round-trip on form open; cached for the form's lifetime.

### C4. Password reveal toggle

- Glyph button `⊙` (hidden) / `⊘` (revealed) next to password input.
- Click toggles `input.type` between `password` ↔ `text` and swaps glyph.
- Resets to `password` when the form is unmounted (paranoia: don't leak revealed-state across navigation).

### C5. Inline strength bar (zxcvbn)

- Below password input: 5-segment bar + label "strength: weak / fair / good / strong · ~10ⁿ guesses".
- Drives off existing `rate_passphrase` SW message. Debounced 150ms (already done in `setup-helpers.ts`; reuse the helper).
- Color: red (score 1) → amber (score 2-3) → green (score 4) per existing palette.

### C6. TOTP live code preview

- Below the totp-secret input: when the field contains a valid base32 string (length ≥ 16, charset `A-Z2-7`), show "492 837 · 23s" in a dashed-bordered preview box.
- Drives off a new SW message: `preview_totp` → `{ code, expires_at }`. Or reuse `get_totp` with a transient secret. **Preferred:** new `preview_totp_from_secret { secret_b32 }` so we don't pollute the get_totp path with unsaved data.
- Updates every second (interval ticker, torn down on unmount).

### C7. TOTP from QR image (paste / upload)

- Glyph button `◫` opens a small inline panel with three sources:
  1. **Paste:** listen for `paste` event on the panel; extract image from clipboard.
  2. **Upload:** `<input type=file accept=image/*>`.
  3. **Drop:** drag image into the panel area.
- Lazy-load `jsqr` (`import('jsqr')` only when panel opens). Decode → if URI starts with `otpauth://`, parse the `secret` query param → fill the totp-secret field.
- On failure: inline error "no QR found" / "not a TOTP URI".

### C8. Notes monospace toggle

- Small glyph button `≡` near the notes label. Toggles `font-family` between body and `ui-monospace` for the textarea.
- Persisted per-item in `chrome.storage.local` keyed by item ID (purely a display preference, not encrypted state).

---

## E. Power-user features (fullscreen only)

### E1. Three-pane shell

```
┌─────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐
│ NAV │ LIST + SEARCH    │ DETAIL / FORM                    │
│     │                  │                                  │
│ +   │ /search          │  ...                             │
│ ▦   │ ───────────────  │                                  │
│ ⌬   │ GitHub           │                                  │
│ ⚙   │ GitLab           │                                  │
│ ⏻   │ Reddit           │                                  │
│     │ ...              │                                  │
└─────┴──────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘
  60px       320px (resizable)        flex: 1
```

- Leftmost pane (60px): icon-only nav (`+ new`, `▦ trash`, `⌬ devices`, `⚙ settings`, `⏻ lock`). Hover tooltips show labels.
- Middle pane (320px default, resizable via drag divider, persisted in `chrome.storage.local`): search input + item list.
- Right pane (fills remaining width): current view (detail, form, settings, devices, etc.).
- Resizable divider between middle and right panes; min 240px / max 60% of viewport.

Migration from current 2-pane: extract the bottom nav buttons from the sidebar into the new leftmost pane. Existing list rendering moves to the middle pane unchanged.

### E2. Keyboard navigation

A new `extension/src/vault/shell/keymap.ts` registers a single global keydown handler. Shortcuts only fire when no input/textarea is focused (or `/` always focuses search):

| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| `j` / `↓` | Next item in list |
| `k` / `↑` | Previous item in list |
| `Enter` | Open detail of selected item |
| `e` | Edit currently-open item |
| `/` | Focus search |
| `Esc` | Close detail / cancel form / clear search |
| `⌘N` / `Ctrl+N` | New item (open type-selection) |
| `⌘L` / `Ctrl+L` | Lock vault |
| `⌘S` / `Ctrl+S` | Save current form (when editing/adding) |
| `⌘K` / `Ctrl+K` | Open command palette |
| `gg` | Jump to top of list |
| `G` | Jump to bottom of list |
| `x` | Toggle multi-select on focused list row |

Implementation: small dispatch table; consumers register handlers tagged by view (`list`, `detail`, `form`); the keymap module routes based on current view + focus state.

### E3. Command palette (⌘K)

- Modal overlay, centered, ~520px wide.
- Input at top; fuzzy-matches against all decrypted item titles + URLs + groups + a handful of static actions ("new login", "lock", "open settings", etc.).
- Up/down arrow + enter to select; ⌘K or Esc to close.
- Implementation: simple substring + token matching (no third-party fuzzy lib). Renders top 8 results.
- Actions executed via the existing `navigate()` host method.

### E4. Unsaved-changes guard

- New `extension/src/vault/shell/unsaved-guard.ts` exports `setDirty(dirty: boolean)` / `isDirty()`.
- Form components call `setDirty(true)` on any input change, `setDirty(false)` on save/cancel/initial render.
- Browser tab close: `window.addEventListener('beforeunload', e => isDirty() && e.preventDefault())`.
- In-app navigation: `navigate()` host method checks `isDirty()`, shows a toast confirmation ("Discard changes?" — keep editing / discard).

### E5. Multi-select bulk operations

- New `extension/src/vault/selection.ts` holds a `Set<ItemId>` of selected items.
- List rows render a checkbox (only visible on hover, or always when ≥1 item selected).
- Shift-click a row toggles selection. `x` keymap toggles focused row.
- Footer action bar appears when selection is non-empty: "N selected" + buttons (move to group, trash).
- Bulk operations call existing per-item handlers in a loop, with a single manifest write at the end. SW handler: `bulk_trash_items` and `bulk_move_to_group` to keep the round-trips down.

### E6. Drag-drop attachments anywhere on form

- The whole form pane becomes a drop target when a drag enters with `dataTransfer.types.includes('Files')`.
- Overlay shows "⤓ drop to attach" with the per-attachment size cap.
- Drop → forwards files to existing `attachments-disclosure.ts` upload pipeline, which already handles encryption and SW round-trip.

### E7. Recent items in sidebar

- New SW message: `record_view_item { id }` (called when detail pane renders an item) and `list_recently_viewed { limit }` (called by sidebar on render).
- Backed by an LRU in `chrome.storage.local` (per-device, NOT in the encrypted vault — leaks no data because only IDs are stored, and IDs are random opaque strings).
- Sidebar shows a "recent" mini-section above the main list (last 3 items, collapsible).

---

## Parity matrix (popup vs fullscreen)

| Feature | Popup | Fullscreen |
|---|---|---|
| Two-column form layout | — | ✓ (login only) |
| Sticky save bar | — | ✓ |
| Header subtitle | "esc to close" | "esc to cancel · ⌘+S to save" |
| Popout-to-tab button | ✓ | — |
| Sidebar glyphs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Required pill | ✓ | ✓ |
| Focus ring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart inputs (C1–C8) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Three-pane shell | — | ✓ |
| Keyboard nav | — | ✓ |
| Command palette | — | ✓ |
| Unsaved-changes guard | — | ✓ (popup auto-closes on Esc; loss is implicit) |
| Multi-select bulk ops | — | ✓ |
| Drag-drop attachments | partial (existing) | ✓ (whole form pane) |
| Recent items section | — | ✓ |

---

## Implementation phases (suggested split)

The work is large enough to want phased landings. Each phase is independently shippable.

### Phase 1: Visual foundation
- `shared/glyphs.ts`, color tokens, focus ring, required pill, sidebar glyph migration, popout button removal in fullscreen.
- Touches both popup and fullscreen CSS.
- Smallest, lowest-risk; sets the visual baseline for everything else.

### Phase 2: Form layout + smart inputs
- `shared/form-affordances/` modules.
- Two-column login form in fullscreen, sticky save bar, header subtitle.
- All 8 smart inputs wired in `login.ts` (touches popup too).
- New SW messages: `get_active_tab_url`, `list_groups`, `preview_totp_from_secret`.
- Lazy-load `jsqr` for QR decode.

### Phase 3: Three-pane shell + keyboard nav
- `vault/shell/three-pane.ts`, `keymap.ts`, `unsaved-guard.ts`.
- Restructure `vault.html` and `vault.ts` for the new shell.
- All shortcuts wired.

### Phase 4: Command palette + multi-select + drag-drop + recent items
- `vault/shell/command-palette.ts`, `vault/selection.ts`.
- Drag-drop attach overlay.
- `record_view_item` / `list_recently_viewed` SW handlers.
- Bulk SW handlers: `bulk_trash_items`, `bulk_move_to_group`.

---

## Testing approach

Existing `vitest` setup with `happy-dom` is sufficient for the new components. Per-phase test additions:

- **Phase 1:** Snapshot test for `shared/glyphs.ts` constants. Visual regression: manual.
- **Phase 2:** Per-affordance unit tests in `shared/form-affordances/__tests__/`. Each tests the parse/format logic and DOM mutation in isolation. Form integration test that mounts the login form and exercises all 8 affordances.
- **Phase 3:** Keymap dispatch table tests (verify each key resolves to the right handler given current view+focus). Three-pane shell test: mount, simulate divider drag, verify width persistence.
- **Phase 4:** Command palette fuzzy-match tests (input → expected result ordering). Multi-select selection-state tests. Bulk-op handler tests (router.test.ts pattern).

No new e2e infrastructure; manual QA pass per phase with the rebuilt extension loaded in Chrome.

---

## CLI parity

The user's design philosophy: every user-facing capability lands on **both** CLI and extension together. Most of this spec is UI-shaped (form layout, three-pane shell, command palette, drag-drop) and has no CLI counterpart by nature. The remaining items where this design introduces a genuine parity gap:

| Feature | CLI counterpart | Status |
|---|---|---|
| **C3** group autocomplete | `relicario` clap completion script with dynamic group enumeration for `--group <TAB>` | **In scope** — bundle with C3 |
| **C5** password strength bar | New `relicario rate <passphrase>` subcommand printing zxcvbn score + guess count | **In scope** — bundle with C5 |
| **C7** TOTP from QR | New flag `relicario add login --totp-qr <path-to-image>` (and `edit`) | **In scope** — bundle with C7 |
| **E5** multi-select bulk ops | `relicario rm <q1> <q2> ...` (vararg) and bulk move/group counterparts | **In scope** — bundle with E5 |
| **E7** recent items | `relicario list --recent <N>` flag (LRU stored in vault dir) | **In scope** — bundle with E7 |

Items with parity already satisfied:

- **C4 password reveal** ↔ existing `get --show` flag
- **C6 TOTP code preview** ↔ existing `get` (`get` always shows the code; live preview is UI-only nicety)
- **C8 notes monospace** ↔ CLI prints monospace by default
- **E2 keyboard nav** ↔ CLI is keyboard-native
- **E3 command palette** ↔ CLI subcommand discovery via `--help`
- **E4 unsaved guard** ↔ CLI is single-action per invocation; nothing to lose
- **E6 drag-drop attach** ↔ existing `attach <id> <file>`

The CLI counterparts above land in the same phase as their extension counterpart (e.g., `rate` subcommand ships in Phase 2 with C5, not as a follow-up). The implementation plan must pair them.

---

## Out of scope / deferred

- Sidebar empty-state ("no items" CTA, etc.) — explicitly skipped per brainstorm.
- Light theme / theme picker.
- Mobile / narrow fullscreen layouts (under 720px).
- Vim-style chord shortcuts beyond `gg` / `G`.
- Pinned/favorite items as a sidebar section (favorite field already exists; not surfacing it differently right now).
- Auto-save drafts (unsaved guard catches the common case; full draft persistence is a separate effort).
- Form-level diff view ("you changed 3 fields") — would be nice but not asked for.
