Add OpenPylon Kanban board design document
Comprehensive design spec for a local-first Kanban desktop app covering architecture, data model, UI design, accessibility, import/export, and interaction patterns.
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docs/plans/2026-02-15-openpylon-kanban-design.md
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# OpenPylon — Local-First Kanban Board Design Document
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**Date:** 2026-02-15
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**Status:** Approved
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## Overview
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OpenPylon is a local-first Kanban board desktop app for personal projects and task management. No account required, no cloud sync — a fast, drag-and-drop board that saves to local JSON files. Replaces Trello ($5-10/mo), Asana ($11/mo), Monday.com ($9/mo).
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## Tech Stack
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- **Runtime:** Tauri (Rust backend, system webview, ~5MB bundle)
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- **Frontend:** React + TypeScript
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- **State:** Zustand (monolithic store per board, debounced JSON persistence)
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- **Styling:** Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
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- **Drag & Drop:** dnd-kit
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- **Undo/Redo:** zundo (Zustand temporal middleware)
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## Architecture: Monolithic State Store
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Single Zustand store per board, loaded entirely into memory from JSON on open. All mutations go through the store and auto-save back to disk with debounced writes (500ms). Board data is small (even 500 cards is ~1MB of JSON), so full in-memory loading is fine.
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---
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## Data Model
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### Directory Structure
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```
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~/.openpylon/
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├── settings.json # Global app settings
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├── boards/
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│ ├── board-<ulid>.json # One file per board
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│ └── board-<ulid>.json
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└── attachments/
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└── board-<ulid>/ # Copied attachments (when setting enabled)
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└── <ulid>-filename.png
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```
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### Schema
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```typescript
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interface Board {
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id: string; // ULID
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title: string;
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color: string; // Accent color stripe for board list
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createdAt: string; // ISO 8601
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updatedAt: string;
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columns: Column[];
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cards: Record<string, Card>; // Flat map, referenced by columns
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labels: Label[]; // Board-level label definitions
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settings: BoardSettings; // Per-board settings (attachment mode, etc.)
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}
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interface Column {
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id: string;
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title: string;
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cardIds: string[]; // Ordered references
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width: "narrow" | "standard" | "wide"; // Collapsible widths
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}
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interface Card {
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id: string;
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title: string;
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description: string; // Markdown
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labels: string[]; // Label IDs
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checklist: ChecklistItem[];
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dueDate: string | null;
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attachments: Attachment[];
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createdAt: string;
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updatedAt: string;
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}
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interface Label {
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id: string;
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name: string;
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color: string;
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}
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interface ChecklistItem {
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id: string;
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text: string;
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checked: boolean;
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}
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interface Attachment {
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id: string;
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name: string;
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path: string; // Absolute (link mode) or relative (copy mode)
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mode: "link" | "copy";
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}
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```
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**Key decisions:**
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- ULIDs instead of UUIDs — sortable by creation time, no collisions
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- Cards stored flat (`cards: Record<string, Card>`) with columns referencing via `cardIds[]` — drag-and-drop reordering is a simple array splice
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- Labels defined at board level, referenced by ID on cards
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---
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## State Management & Persistence
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### Stores
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- `useBoardStore` — active board's full state + all mutation actions
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- `useAppStore` — global app state: theme, recent boards, settings, current view
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### Persistence Flow
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1. Board open: Tauri `fs.readTextFile()` → parse JSON → validate with Zod → hydrate Zustand store
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2. On mutation: store subscribes to itself, debounces writes at 500ms
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3. On board close / app quit: immediate flush via Tauri `window.onCloseRequested`
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### Auto-Backup
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On every successful save, rotate previous version to `board-<ulid>.backup.json` (one backup per board).
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### Undo/Redo
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zundo (Zustand temporal middleware) tracks state history. Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z. Capped at ~50 steps.
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### Search
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Global search reads all board JSON files from disk and searches card titles + descriptions. For personal Kanban (5-20 boards), this is instant. No index needed.
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---
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## UI Design
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### Aesthetic Direction: Industrial Utility with Warmth
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"Pylon" evokes infrastructure and strength. The app should feel like a well-made tool — a carpenter's organized workshop, not an IKEA showroom.
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### Color Palette (OKLCH)
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**Light mode:**
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- Background: `oklch(97% 0.005 80)` — warm off-white
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- Surface/cards: `oklch(99% 0.003 80)` — barely-there warmth
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- Column background: `oklch(95% 0.008 80)` — subtle sand
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- Primary accent: `oklch(55% 0.12 160)` — muted teal-green
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- Text primary: `oklch(25% 0.015 50)` — warm near-black
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- Text secondary: `oklch(55% 0.01 50)` — warm gray
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- Danger/overdue: `oklch(55% 0.18 25)` — terracotta red
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**Dark mode:**
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- Background: `oklch(18% 0.01 50)` — warm dark
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- Surface: `oklch(22% 0.01 50)`
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- Cards: `oklch(25% 0.012 50)`
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### Typography
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- **Headings:** Instrument Serif — heritage serif with personality
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- **Body/cards:** Satoshi — clean geometric sans, readable at small sizes
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- **Metadata (labels, dates, counts):** Geist Mono — reinforces "tool" identity
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**Scale:**
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- Board title: `clamp(1.25rem, 2vw, 1.5rem)`, bold
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- Column headers: `0.8rem` uppercase, `letter-spacing: 0.08em`, weight 600
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- Card titles: `0.875rem`, weight 500
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- Card metadata: `0.75rem` monospace
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### App Shell Layout
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```
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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ ← Boards Sprint Planning ⌘K ⚙ │
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├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ │
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│ TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE │
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│ ───── 4 ─────────── 2 ──── 3 │
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│ │
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│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
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│ │ Card title │ │ Card title │ │ Card title │ │
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│ │ 🟢🔵 Feb28 ▮▮▯│ │ 🟢 ▮▮▮▮│ │ ▮▮▯ │ │
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│ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ │
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│ │
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│ + Add card + Add card + Add card │
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│ │
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└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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**Key layout decisions:**
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- No vertical column dividers — whitespace gaps (24-32px) instead
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- Column headers: uppercase, tracked-out, small — like section dividers
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- Card count as quiet number beside underline, not a badge
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- Command palette (`Ctrl+K`) replaces search icon
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- Theme toggle lives in settings, not top bar
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- Board title is click-to-edit inline, no `[edit]` button
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### Card Design
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- **Label dots:** 8px colored circles in a row, hover for tooltip with name
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- **Due date:** Monospace, right-aligned, no icon. Overdue turns terracotta with subtle tint.
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- **Checklist:** Tiny progress bar (filled/unfilled blocks), not "3/4" text
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- **No card borders.** Subtle shadow (`0 1px 3px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.06)`) for separation.
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- **Hover:** `translateY(-1px)` lift with faint shadow deepening, spring physics, 150ms
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- **Drag ghost:** 5-degree rotation, `scale(1.03)`, `opacity(0.9)`, elevated shadow
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### Column Widths
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Columns support three widths: narrow (titles only), standard, wide (active focus). Double-click header to cycle. Adds spatial meaning.
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### Card Detail Modal (Two-Panel)
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```
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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ Fix auth token refresh ✕ │
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│ │
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│ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ │ │ LABELS │ │
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│ │ Markdown description │ │ 🟢 Bug 🔵 Backend │ │
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│ │ with live preview │ │ │ │
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│ │ │ │ DUE DATE │ │
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│ │ │ │ Feb 28, 2026 │ │
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│ │ │ │ │ │
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│ │ │ │ CHECKLIST 3/4 │ │
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│ │ │ │ ✓ Research APIs │ │
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│ │ │ │ ✓ Write tests │ │
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│ │ │ │ ✓ Implement │ │
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│ │ │ │ ○ Code review │ │
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│ │ │ │ │ │
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│ │ │ │ ATTACHMENTS │ │
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│ │ │ │ spec.pdf │ │
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│ └─────────────────────────┘ └────────────────────┘ │
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└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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- Left panel (60%): Title (inline edit) + markdown description (edit/preview toggle)
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- Right sidebar (40%): Labels, due date, checklist, attachments. Each collapsible.
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- No save button — auto-persist with subtle "Saved" indicator
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- **Card-to-modal morph animation** via Framer Motion `layoutId` — modal grows from card position
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### Command Palette (`Ctrl+K`)
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Using shadcn's `cmdk` component:
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- Search all cards across all boards by title/description
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- Switch between boards
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- Create new cards/boards
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- Toggle theme
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- Open settings
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- Navigate to specific column
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- Filter current board by label/date
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### Board List (Home Screen)
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Grid of board cards with:
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- Color accent stripe at top (user-chosen per board)
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- Title, card count, column count
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- Relative time ("2 min ago", "Yesterday")
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- Right-click context menu: Duplicate, Export, Delete, Change color
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- Empty state: "Create your first board" + single button
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---
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## Keyboard Shortcuts
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### Global
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| Action | Shortcut |
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| Command palette | `Ctrl+K` |
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| New card in focused column | `N` |
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| New board | `Ctrl+N` |
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| Undo | `Ctrl+Z` |
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| Redo | `Ctrl+Shift+Z` |
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| Settings | `Ctrl+,` |
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| Close modal / cancel | `Escape` |
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| Save & close card detail | `Ctrl+Enter` |
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### Board Navigation
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- `Arrow Left/Right` — focus prev/next column
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- `Arrow Up/Down` — focus prev/next card in column
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- `Enter` — open focused card detail
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- `Space` — quick-toggle first unchecked checklist item
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- `D` — set/edit due date on focused card
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- `L` — open label picker on focused card
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### Drag-and-Drop Keyboard
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dnd-kit keyboard sensor: `Space` to pick up, arrows to move, `Space` to drop, `Escape` to cancel. Movements announced via `aria-live` region.
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---
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## Accessibility
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- All interactive elements reachable via Tab
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- Focus indicators: `2px solid` accent color, `2px offset`, visible in both themes
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- Modal focus trapping
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- Column/card counts via `aria-label`
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- `prefers-reduced-motion`: all animations collapse to instant
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- `prefers-contrast`: increased shadow intensity, subtle borders restored
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- Minimum touch target: 44x44px on all buttons
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---
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## Import/Export
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### Export
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- **JSON:** The board file itself is the export. Save As dialog.
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- **CSV:** Flattened — one row per card with all fields.
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- **ZIP:** For boards with copy-mode attachments — board JSON + attachments folder.
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### Import
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- **OpenPylon JSON:** Drop file onto board list or use File > Import. Schema validation + preview before importing.
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- **CSV:** Import wizard — map columns, preview rows, choose target board.
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- **Trello JSON:** Dedicated adapter mapping Trello schema to OpenPylon.
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- **Drag-and-drop import:** Dropping `.json` or `.csv` anywhere triggers import flow.
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---
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## Error Handling
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- **Corrupted board file:** Recovery dialog — inspect in file explorer or restore from `.backup.json`
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- **Data directory inaccessible:** Dialog to choose new directory on startup
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- **Disk full:** Inline toast, changes preserved in memory, retry every 30s
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- **File locked:** Warning dialog
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- **Schema migration:** On load, validate with Zod, add missing fields with defaults, preserve unknown fields
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- **Drag edge cases:** Empty column droppable, drop outside cancels with spring return
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## Micro-Interactions
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| Interaction | Animation | Duration |
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|---|---|---|
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| Card appears (new) | Fade in + slide down | 200ms, spring |
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| Card drag start | Lift + rotate + shadow | 150ms |
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| Card drop | Settle with slight bounce | 250ms, spring |
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| Column add | Slide in from right | 300ms |
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| Card detail open | Morph from card position | 250ms |
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| Card detail close | Reverse morph to card | 200ms |
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| Checklist check | Strikethrough sweep + fill | 200ms |
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| Board switch | Crossfade | 300ms |
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All animations respect `prefers-reduced-motion`.
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---
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## Empty States
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- **No boards:** "Create your first board" + button + minimal illustration
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- **Empty column:** Dashed border area + "Drag cards here or click + to add"
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- **No search results:** "No matches" + suggestion to broaden
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- **No labels:** "Create your first label" + color swatches
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user