inline-editor
The inline-editor skill implements a file editing interface within the file browser preview pane, allowing users to edit files directly using terminal editors like vim or nano without leaving the TUI. It uses tmux to manage the editor backend while keeping the file tree visible, routing keyboard input to the editor through a TTY model and capturing output for display in the preview pane.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/marcus/sidecar /tmp/inline-editor && cp -r /tmp/inline-editor/.claude/skills/inline-editor ~/.claude/skills/inline-editorSKILL.md
# Inline Editor Implementation
## Overview
The inline editor (`tmux_inline_edit`) lets users edit files directly within the file browser preview pane using their preferred terminal editor (vim, nvim, nano, etc.) without leaving the TUI. The file tree remains visible during editing.
**Core Principle**: This is NOT a terminal emulator. Tmux manages the PTY backend; Sidecar acts as an input/output relay, similar to the workspace plugin's interactive mode.
## Architecture
### Components
1. **Entry Layer** (`internal/plugins/filebrowser/inline_edit.go`): Creates tmux sessions, manages editor lifecycle
2. **Rendering Layer** (`internal/plugins/filebrowser/view.go`, `inline_edit.go`): Renders editor content within preview pane
3. **Input Layer** (`internal/plugins/filebrowser/plugin.go`, `mouse.go`): Routes keys/clicks to editor or confirmation dialog
4. **TTY Model** (`internal/tty/tty.go`): Handles tmux capture, cursor overlay, and input forwarding
### Data Flow
```
User presses 'e' on file
-> enterInlineEditMode()
-> tmux new-session -d -s {sessionName} {editor} {path}
-> InlineEditStartedMsg
-> handleInlineEditStarted()
-> tty.Model.Enter()
-> Start polling tmux capture-pane
-> renderInlineEditorContent() in preview pane
-> User types -> tty.Model forwards to tmux
-> User exits -> SessionDeadMsg or exit keys
-> exitInlineEditMode()
-> Refresh preview
```
## Key Files
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `internal/plugins/filebrowser/inline_edit.go` | Editor lifecycle, confirmation dialog, dimension calculations |
| `internal/plugins/filebrowser/view.go` | Preview pane rendering, gradient border |
| `internal/plugins/filebrowser/mouse.go` | Click-away detection |
| `internal/plugins/filebrowser/plugin.go` | State management, Update routing |
| `internal/tty/tty.go` | TTY model for tmux interaction (shared with workspace) |
| `internal/app/update.go` | App-level key routing for inline edit context |
## Critical Implementation Details
### 1. Preview Pane Rendering (Not Full-Screen)
The editor renders within `renderPreviewPane()`, NOT as a full-screen takeover. The file tree stays visible.
```go
// view.go - renderPreviewPane()
func (p *Plugin) renderPreviewPane(visibleHeight int) string {
if p.inlineEditMode && p.inlineEditor != nil && p.inlineEditor.IsActive() {
return p.renderInlineEditorContent(visibleHeight)
}
// ... normal preview rendering
}
```
### 2. Dimension Calculations
The tty.Model needs exact dimensions matching the preview pane content area:
```go
func (p *Plugin) calculateInlineEditorWidth() int {
if !p.treeVisible {
return p.width - 4 // borders + padding
}
p.calculatePaneWidths()
return p.previewWidth - 4
}
func (p *Plugin) calculateInlineEditorHeight() int {
paneHeight := p.height
innerHeight := paneHeight - 2 // pane borders
contentHeight := innerHeight - 2 // header lines
if len(p.tabs) > 1 {
contentHeight-- // tab line
}
return contentHeight
}
```
**These MUST stay in sync with `renderInlineEditorContent()` layout calculations.**
### 3. Confirmation Behavior
**Rule: session alive = show confirmation, session dead = exit immediately.**
Always show confirmation when the session is alive, regardless of file modification status. Vim's modification status cannot be reliably detected externally.
```go
func (p *Plugin) isInlineEditSessionAlive() bool {
if p.inlineEditSession == "" {
return false
}
err := exec.Command("tmux", "has-session", "-t", p.inlineEditSession).Run()
return err == nil
}
```
Check session alive status:
1. At the start of `Update()` when in inline edit mode - if dead, exit immediately
2. In click-away handling - if dead, skip confirmation and clean up
### 4. Exit Confirmation Dialog
State fields:
```go
showExitConfirmation bool // Dialog visible
pendingClickRegion string // Where user clicked
pendingClickData interface{} // Click data (tree index, tab index)
exitConfirmSelection int // 0=Save&Exit, 1=Exit without saving, 2=Cancel
```
Options:
- **Save & Exit**: Sends editor-appropriate save-and-quit sequence, waits for session death
- **Exit without saving**: Kills tmux session immediately
- **Cancel**: Returns to editing
### 5. Click-Away Detection
Mouse regions are registered during render. Clicks between items may miss regions, so always include position-based fallback:
```go
if p.inlineEditMode && p.inlineEditor != nil && p.inlineEditor.IsActive() {
action := p.mouseHandler.HandleMouse(msg)
handleClickAway := func(regionID string, regionData interface{}) (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
if !p.isInlineEditSessionAlive() {
p.exitInlineEditMode()
p.pendingClickRegion = regionID
p.pendingClickData = regionData
return p.processPendingClickAction()
}
p.pendingClickRegion = regionID
p.pendingClickData = regionData
p.showExitConfirmation = true
p.exitConfirmSelection = 0
return p, nil
}
if action.Type == mouse.ActionClick {
if action.Region != nil {
switch action.Region.ID {
case regionTreePane, regionTreeItem, regionPreviewTab:
return handleClickAway(action.Region.ID, action.Region.Data)
}
}
// Fallback: position-based detection
if p.treeVisible && action.X < p.treeWidth {
return handleClickAway(regionTreePane, nil)
}
}
// Forward to tty model
return p, p.inlineEditor.Update(msg)
}
```
### 6. Gradient Border Feedback
Visual indicator that edit mode is active:
```go
if p.inlineEditMode && p.inlineEditor != nil && p.inlineEditor.IsActive() {
rightPane = styles.RenderPanelWithGradient(previewContent, p.previewWidth,
paneHeight, styles.GetInteractiveGradient())
}
```
### 7. Mouse Support (SGR Protocol)
Full mouse interaction including text selectio>
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