Drag-and-drop pane resizing implementation for two-pane plugin layouts. Covers mouse event handling via the internal/mouse package, hit region registration, drag delta calculation, width clamping, state persistence, and pane layout management. Use when working on pane resizing, drag interactions, layout management, or adding drag-to-resize to a new plugin.
Scanned 5/27/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install marcus/sidecar---
name: drag-pane
description: >
Drag-and-drop pane resizing implementation for two-pane plugin layouts.
Covers mouse event handling via the internal/mouse package, hit region
registration, drag delta calculation, width clamping, state persistence,
and pane layout management. Use when working on pane resizing, drag
interactions, layout management, or adding drag-to-resize to a new plugin.
---
# Drag-to-Resize Pane Implementation
## Overview
Add drag-to-resize support for two-pane plugin layouts (sidebar + main content). Users click and drag the divider between panes to resize them.
## Prerequisites
- Plugin already has a two-pane layout (sidebar + main content)
- State persistence functions exist in `internal/state/state.go` (each plugin has its own getter/setter)
- Familiarity with `internal/mouse` package
## Existing Implementations
| Plugin | State Functions | Mouse File |
|--------|----------------|------------|
| FileBrowser | `GetFileBrowserTreeWidth()` / `SetFileBrowserTreeWidth()` | `internal/plugins/filebrowser/mouse.go` |
| GitStatus | `GetGitStatusSidebarWidth()` / `SetGitStatusSidebarWidth()` | `internal/plugins/gitstatus/mouse.go` |
| Conversations | `GetConversationsSideWidth()` / `SetConversationsSideWidth()` | `internal/plugins/conversations/mouse.go` |
| Workspace | `GetWorkspaceSidebarWidth()` / `SetWorkspaceSidebarWidth()` | `internal/plugins/workspace/view_list.go` |
## Implementation Steps
### Step 1: Add Mouse Handler to Plugin Struct
```go
import "github.com/marcus/sidecar/internal/mouse"
type Plugin struct {
// ... other fields
mouseHandler *mouse.Handler
sidebarWidth int // Current sidebar width (persisted)
}
func New() *Plugin {
return &Plugin{
mouseHandler: mouse.NewHandler(),
}
}
```
### Step 2: Define Hit Region Constants
```go
const (
regionSidebar = "sidebar"
regionMainPane = "main-pane"
regionPaneDivider = "pane-divider"
dividerWidth = 1 // Visual divider width
)
```
### Step 3: Initialize Width on First Render (NOT in Init)
**Important:** Do NOT load width in `Init()` - plugin dimensions (`p.width`) are not available yet. Initialize lazily on first render:
```go
func (p *Plugin) renderTwoPane() string {
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.Clear() // CRITICAL: clear every render
if p.sidebarWidth == 0 {
p.sidebarWidth = state.GetYourPluginSidebarWidth()
if p.sidebarWidth == 0 {
available := p.width - dividerWidth
p.sidebarWidth = available * 30 / 100 // Default 30%
}
}
// ... rest of render
}
```
### Step 4: Handle MouseMsg in Update
```go
func (p *Plugin) Update(msg tea.Msg) (plugin.Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
switch msg := msg.(type) {
case tea.MouseMsg:
return p.handleMouse(msg)
}
}
```
### Step 5: Create mouse.go with Handlers
```go
func (p *Plugin) handleMouse(msg tea.MouseMsg) (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
action := p.mouseHandler.HandleMouse(msg)
switch action.Type {
case mouse.ActionClick:
return p.handleMouseClick(action)
case mouse.ActionDrag:
return p.handleMouseDrag(action)
case mouse.ActionDragEnd:
return p.handleMouseDragEnd()
}
return p, nil
}
func (p *Plugin) handleMouseClick(action mouse.MouseAction) (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
if action.Region == nil {
return p, nil
}
switch action.Region.ID {
case regionSidebar:
p.activePane = PaneSidebar
case regionMainPane:
p.activePane = PaneMain
case regionPaneDivider:
p.mouseHandler.StartDrag(action.X, action.Y, regionPaneDivider, p.sidebarWidth)
}
return p, nil
}
func (p *Plugin) handleMouseDrag(action mouse.MouseAction) (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
if p.mouseHandler.DragRegion() != regionPaneDivider {
return p, nil
}
startValue := p.mouseHandler.DragStartValue()
newWidth := startValue + action.DragDX
// Clamp to bounds
// NOTE: Offset varies by plugin (border styling differences):
// GitStatus: -5, FileBrowser: -6, Conversations: -5, Workspace: just dividerWidth
available := p.width - 5 - dividerWidth
minWidth := 25
maxWidth := available - 40
if newWidth < minWidth {
newWidth = minWidth
} else if newWidth > maxWidth {
newWidth = maxWidth
}
p.sidebarWidth = newWidth
return p, nil
}
func (p *Plugin) handleMouseDragEnd() (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
_ = state.SetYourPluginSidebarWidth(p.sidebarWidth)
return p, nil
}
```
### Step 6: Register Hit Regions in Render
**This is where most bugs occur.** Follow this pattern exactly:
```go
func (p *Plugin) renderTwoPane() string {
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.Clear() // CRITICAL: clear every render
available := p.width - 5 - dividerWidth
sidebarWidth := p.sidebarWidth
if sidebarWidth == 0 {
sidebarWidth = available * 30 / 100
}
if sidebarWidth < 25 {
sidebarWidth = 25
}
if sidebarWidth > available-40 {
sidebarWidth = available - 40
}
mainWidth := available - sidebarWidth
p.sidebarWidth = sidebarWidth
// ... render panes and divider ...
// CRITICAL: Register in priority order (last = highest priority)
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionSidebar, 0, 0, sidebarWidth, p.height, nil)
mainX := sidebarWidth + dividerWidth
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionMainPane, mainX, 0, mainWidth, p.height, nil)
// Divider LAST = highest priority
dividerX := sidebarWidth
dividerHitWidth := 3 // Wider than visual for easier clicking
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionPaneDivider, dividerX, 0, dividerHitWidth, p.height, nil)
return content
}
```
### Step 7: Render Visible Divider
```go
func (p *Plugin) renderDivider(height int) string {
dividerStyle := lipgloss.NewStyle().
Foreground(styles.BorderNormal).
MarginTop(1) // Aligns with pane content (below top border)
var sb strings.Builder
for i := 0; i < height; i++ {
sb.WriteString("|")
if i < height-1 {
sb.WriteString("\n")
}
}
return dividerStyle.Render(sb.String())
}
```
### Step 8: Add State Persistence
Add plugin-specific functions to `internal/state/state.go`:
```go
// In State struct
YourPluginSidebarWidth int `json:"yourPluginSidebarWidth,omitempty"`
// Getter
func GetYourPluginSidebarWidth() int {
mu.RLock()
defer mu.RUnlock()
if current == nil { return 0 }
return current.YourPluginSidebarWidth
}
// Setter
func SetYourPluginSidebarWidth(width int) error {
mu.Lock()
if current == nil { current = &State{} }
current.YourPluginSidebarWidth = width
mu.Unlock()
return Save()
}
```
## Critical Rules
### Rule 1: Never Reset Width in View()
**WRONG:**
```go
func (p *Plugin) View(width, height int) string {
p.sidebarWidth = width * 30 / 100 // BUG: Overwrites drag changes every render!
}
```
**CORRECT:** Width is only set when `sidebarWidth == 0`. All other code paths must not unconditionally overwrite it.
### Rule 2: Hit Region X Coordinates
Divider X position = `sidebarWidth`, NOT `sidebarWidth + borderWidth`.
When lipgloss renders `Width(sidebarWidth)`, the pane occupies columns 0 to sidebarWidth-1. The divider starts at column sidebarWidth.
### Rule 3: Hit Region Priority (Registration Order)
`HitMap.Test()` checks regions in **reverse order** - last added = checked first.
The divider region MUST be registered LAST so it takes priority over overlapping pane regions.
```go
// CORRECT ORDER:
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionSidebar, ...) // Lowest priority
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionMainPane, ...) // Medium priority
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.AddRect(regionPaneDivider, ...) // HIGHEST priority (last)
```
### Rule 4: Divider Hit Width
Use `dividerHitWidth := 3` (wider than the visual 1-character divider) to make clicking easier.
### Rule 5: Height for Hit Regions
Use `p.height` for hit region height, not `paneHeight` or `paneHeight + 2`.
## Performance Optimization: Hit Region Caching
For plugins with many hit regions, use a dirty flag to avoid rebuilding every render:
```go
type Plugin struct {
hitRegionsDirty bool
prevWidth int
prevHeight int
prevScrollOff int
}
func (p *Plugin) renderTwoPane() string {
if p.width != p.prevWidth || p.height != p.prevHeight {
p.hitRegionsDirty = true
p.prevWidth = p.width
p.prevHeight = p.height
}
if p.scrollOffset != p.prevScrollOff {
p.hitRegionsDirty = true
p.prevScrollOff = p.scrollOffset
}
// ... render content ...
if p.hitRegionsDirty {
p.mouseHandler.HitMap.Clear()
// Register all hit regions...
p.hitRegionsDirty = false
}
return content
}
```
Also mark `hitRegionsDirty = true` when:
- View mode changes (toggling list/detail)
- Content changes (items loaded, expanded/collapsed)
- Sidebar visibility toggles
See `internal/plugins/conversations/view_layout.go` and `plugin_input.go` for a complete implementation.
## Debugging
If drag is not working, add temporary logging:
```go
func (p *Plugin) handleMouseClick(action mouse.MouseAction) (*Plugin, tea.Cmd) {
log.Printf("CLICK x=%d y=%d region=%v", action.X, action.Y, action.Region)
}
```
Common issues:
- **Region is nil or wrong pane:** Check X coordinate calculation and registration order
- **Drag starts but width does not change:** Check that `handleMouseDrag` is being called
- **Width resets after drag:** Search for code that sets `sidebarWidth` unconditionally
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