Explorer Tab Right Panel Layout Update

Date: November 21, 2025 Author: Anzal K Shahul Status: Completed

Overview

Updated the ExplorerTab layout to move the Analysis Selection section to the right panel, below the File Explorer, creating a more organized and space-efficient interface.

Changes Made

1. Analysis Selection Group - Moved to Right Panel

Previous Location: Left panel, below File Information group

New Location: Right panel, between File Explorer and Y-axis controls

Implementation Details

# Now in right panel, after File Explorer tree_group
analysis_group = QtWidgets.QGroupBox("Analysis Selection")
analysis_layout = QtWidgets.QVBoxLayout(analysis_group)
analysis_layout.setContentsMargins(5, 5, 5, 5)
analysis_layout.setSpacing(5)

# Contains:
# - Add Recording to Set button
# - Clear Analysis Set button
# - Analysis Set label (shows count)

right_main_layout.addWidget(analysis_group)

2. File Explorer Group - Size Adjustment

Change: Modified stretch factor from stretch=1 to stretch=0

Reason: Allows the File Explorer to be more compact, making room for the Analysis Selection section below it without taking excessive vertical space.

right_main_layout.addWidget(tree_group, stretch=0) # Reduced from stretch=1

3. File Cycling Buttons - Confirmed Present

Location: Top of center panel (above plots)

Components:

<< Prev File button
File index label (e.g., “2/5: filename.abf”)
Next File >> button

Status: Already present and properly configured. Buttons are:

Visible when multiple files are loaded from a folder
Hidden for single-file sessions
Connected to _prev_file_folder() and _next_file_folder() methods
Automatically enabled/disabled based on position in file list

Layout Structure

Before

┌─────────────┬──────────────┬────────────┐
│ Left Panel │ Center Panel │ Right Panel│
│ │ │ │
│ Display │ [Plots] │ File Tree │
│ Options │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ Manual │ │ Y Controls │
│ Limits │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ Channels │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ File Info │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ **Analysis**│ │ │
│ **Selection**│ │ │
└─────────────┴──────────────┴────────────┘

After

┌─────────────┬──────────────┬────────────┐
│ Left Panel │ Center Panel │ Right Panel│
│ │ │ │
│ Display │ << Prev File │ Open File │
│ Options │ [1/5: file] │ File Tree │
│ │ Next File >> │ (compact) │
│ Manual │ │ │
│ Limits │ [Plots] │ **Analysis**│
│ │ │ **Selection**│
│ Channels │ │ │
│ │ │ Y Controls │
│ File Info │ │ │
│ │ │ │
└─────────────┴──────────────┴────────────┘

Benefits

Better Organization: Analysis controls grouped with file management on right side
Logical Flow: File selection → Analysis selection → Y-axis controls
Left Panel Decluttered: More space for display options and channel controls
Consistent Grouping: File-related operations now on the right side
Space Efficiency: File tree more compact, making room for analysis controls

Technical Details

File Modified

src/Synaptipy/application/gui/explorer_tab.py

Key Changes

Removed Analysis Selection group from left panel (line ~420)
Added Analysis Selection group to right panel (line ~552)
Modified File Explorer stretch factor (line ~551)
Maintained all button connections and functionality

UI References Preserved

All UI element references remain intact:

self.add_analysis_button
self.clear_analysis_button
self.analysis_set_label
self.file_tree
self.prev_file_button
self.next_file_button
self.folder_file_index_label

File Cycling Buttons Behavior

The file cycling buttons at the top of the center panel have the following behavior:

Visibility Logic (from `_update_ui_state()`)

is_folder = len(self.file_list) > 1

# Buttons are visible only when multiple files are loaded
prev_file_button.setVisible(is_folder)
next_file_button.setVisible(is_folder)
folder_file_index_label.setVisible(is_folder)

# Enabled based on position
prev_file_button.setEnabled(is_folder and current_file_index > 0)
next_file_button.setEnabled(is_folder and current_file_index < len(file_list) - 1)

# Label shows: "2/5: filename.abf"

When Buttons Appear

When opening a file that has sibling files in the same folder
When multiple files are dropped/loaded
When loading a single file with no siblings
When no file is loaded

Testing

Structural Verification

python -c "from src.Synaptipy.application.gui.explorer_tab import ExplorerTab; ..."

Results:

All UI components created successfully
File cycling buttons present and configured
Analysis section moved to right panel
File Explorer on right panel with proper sizing
No linter errors

Visual Testing Steps

Launch application: python -m Synaptipy
Navigate to Explorer tab
Verify right panel layout:

Open File button at top
File Explorer (tree view) below
Analysis Selection below file tree
Y-axis controls at bottom

Load a file from a folder with multiple files
Verify file cycling buttons appear above plots:

<< Prev File on left
File index in center (e.g., “2/5: test.abf”)
Next File >> on right

Test file cycling functionality
Add recording to analysis set using button in right panel

Compatibility

Backward compatible with existing code
All signals and slots preserved
No breaking changes to public API
Session manager integration intact
File cycling logic unchanged

Future Enhancements

Consider making File Explorer collapsible to save space when not needed
Add keyboard shortcuts for file cycling (e.g., Ctrl+Left/Right)
Consider adding file filtering options to the File Explorer
Add drag-and-drop support for analysis set (already implemented for file tree)

Conclusion

The ExplorerTab right panel has been successfully reorganized to:

Move Analysis Selection controls closer to file management operations
Maintain all existing functionality including file cycling buttons
Improve overall UI organization and user workflow
Create a more logical left-to-right information flow

All changes are production-ready and enhance the user experience without breaking existing functionality.