trx-rs/docs/scheduler_improvements.md

Scheduler UI Improvement Plan

Current State

The scheduler UI lives in Settings → Scheduler and provides three operational modes:

• Grayline — auto-switches bookmarks based on solar dawn/day/dusk/night
• Time Span — UTC time windows with interleaved cycling
• Satellite Pass — priority overlay that retunes for satellite passes

Main-view controls include a release button, prev/next step buttons, and a progress ring showing the active interleave entry and countdown.

Key files:

File	Purpose
assets/web/plugins/scheduler.js	UI logic, rendering, API calls (~1,060 LOC)
assets/web/plugins/sat-scheduler.js	Satellite config overlay (~310 LOC)
assets/web/index.html (L1109–1289)	Scheduler settings HTML
assets/web/style.css (.sch-*)	Scheduler styling
src/scheduler.rs	Backend task, API handlers (~1,435 LOC)

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P0 — Usability Fixes

1. Highlight active entry in time-span table

Problem: The entry table under "Entry details" has no indication of which entry the scheduler is currently operating on. Users must cross-reference the interleave ring label with the table manually.

Fix: In renderScheduler(), after receiving status, add/remove an sch-active class on the <tr> whose entry id matches currentSchedulerStatus.last_entry_id. Style with a left border accent (border-left: 3px solid var(--accent)).

2. Bookmark existence validation on save

Problem: If a bookmark is deleted after being assigned to a scheduler entry, the scheduler fails silently at runtime — it tries to apply a non-existent bookmark and does nothing.

Fix: In saveScheduler(), cross-check every bookmark_id / bookmark_ids[] against bookmarkList. Show a toast error listing the broken entries and refuse to save until corrected.

3. Dirty-state indicator for satellite section

Problem: Changes in the satellite section (add/edit/remove satellites, toggle enable) don't reliably set schedulerDirty, so the Save button may not appear.

Fix: Audit all satellite mutation paths in sat-scheduler.js and ensure they call window.schedulerBridge.markDirty().

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P1 — Information Density & Clarity

4. Show local time alongside UTC

Problem: All times are UTC-only. Operators in non-UTC timezones must mentally convert, especially when editing time-span entries.

Fix: Add a (local) annotation next to each UTC time display:

• In the entry table, append a dimmed local-time column
• In the timeline SVG, add a secondary tick row with local hours
• Use Intl.DateTimeFormat to derive the offset; no config needed

5. Expand entry details by default

Problem: The entry list is hidden behind a <details> collapse. New users don't discover it, and experienced users click it open every time.

Fix: Default the <details> element to open. Persist the open/collapsed preference in localStorage.

6. Richer "Now Playing" status card

Problem: The status card shows only "Last applied: {name} at {time}" — no frequency, mode, or decoder info.

Fix: Extend SchedulerStatus (backend) to include freq_hz, mode, and active_decoders[]. Render them in the status card as "14.074 MHz · FT8 · FT8 decoder active". Adds immediate visibility without opening the bookmark manager.

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P2 — Interaction Improvements

7. Inline entry editing

Problem: Editing an entry requires clicking Edit, which opens an overlay form that obscures the table. Users lose context of adjacent entries.

Fix: Replace the overlay with inline editing directly in the table row. Clicking Edit on a row transforms its cells into input fields (time pickers, selects) in-place. Save/Cancel buttons appear in the last column. This keeps sibling entries visible and reduces clicks.

8. Drag-to-reorder entries

Problem: Entry order matters for interleave cycling, but there is no way to reorder entries. Users must delete and re-add.

Fix: Add drag handles (⠿) to each table row. Implement HTML5 drag-and-drop on the <tbody>. On drop, splice the currentConfig.entries array and re-render. Mark dirty.

9. Timeline click-to-add

Problem: Adding an entry requires clicking "+ Add Entry" and manually typing start/end times, even though the timeline is a visual 24-hour bar.

Fix: Make the timeline SVG interactive. Clicking on an empty region opens the entry form pre-filled with the clicked hour as start and start+1h as end. Dragging across a region sets start/end from the drag span. Use pointer-events and getBoundingClientRect() to map pixel → minute.

10. Improved extra-channels management

Problem: Virtual channels use tiny +/− buttons with no indication of which bookmarks are already added. Removing a channel requires clicking − on the right one in a compact list.

Fix: Replace with a multi-select chip list: each added channel is a removable chip (× 40m FT8). The + button opens the select dropdown. Already-added bookmarks are disabled in the dropdown to prevent duplicates.

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P3 — Feature Enhancements

11. Grayline location lookup by grid square

Problem: Users must manually enter latitude/longitude. Ham operators typically know their Maidenhead grid square (e.g. JO94) but not their coordinates to three decimals.

Fix: Add a text input for grid square next to the lat/lon fields. On input, convert the grid square to lat/lon using the standard Maidenhead algorithm (simple arithmetic, no external API). Populate lat/lon fields automatically. Also support reverse: when lat/lon changes, show the derived grid square.

12. Expanded satellite preset library

Problem: Only two satellite presets (Meteor-M2 3 and M2-4). Adding NOAA, ISS, or amateur satellites requires looking up NORAD IDs externally.

Fix: Expand the preset <option> list to include common amateur / weather satellites:

ISS (145.825 MHz APRS)     — 25544
SO-50 (436.795 MHz FM)     — 27607

Low-effort, high-value change — just HTML <option> additions plus corresponding default bookmark templates.

13. Scheduler activity log

Problem: No way to see what the scheduler did historically — when it switched, which bookmark it applied, whether any entry was skipped.

Fix:

• Backend: Add a ring buffer (last 100 events) to SchedulerState. Each event: { utc, action: "applied"|"skipped"|"satellite_aos"|"satellite_los", entry_label, bookmark_name }.
• API: GET /scheduler/{rig_id}/log returns the buffer.
• UI: Add a collapsible "Activity Log" section below the status card. Render as a reverse-chronological compact list with timestamps.

14. Timeline interleave visualization

Problem: When multiple entries overlap, the timeline shows overlapping colored bars but gives no indication of how interleaving splits time between them.

Fix: When interleave is enabled and entries overlap, render alternating color stripes within the overlap region (e.g., 5-minute tick marks colored per-entry). Add a legend showing entry label → color mapping.

15. Keyboard shortcuts for scheduler control

Problem: Release/step controls require mouse clicks on the main view. During operation, keyboard shortcuts would be faster.

Fix: Register global keybindings (configurable in settings):

• Shift+R — toggle release to scheduler
• Shift+N / Shift+P — step to next/previous entry

Guard with !isInputFocused() to avoid conflicts with text fields.

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Implementation Order

gantt
    title Scheduler UI Improvements
    dateFormat X
    axisFormat %s

    section P0
    Active entry highlight         :1, 2
    Bookmark validation            :1, 2
    Satellite dirty-state fix      :1, 2

    section P1
    Local time display             :3, 5
    Expand details by default      :3, 4
    Richer status card             :3, 5

    section P2
    Inline entry editing           :6, 9
    Drag-to-reorder                :6, 8
    Timeline click-to-add          :6, 9
    Extra-channels chips           :6, 8

    section P3
    Grid square lookup             :10, 11
    Satellite presets              :10, 11
    Activity log                   :10, 13
    Interleave visualization       :10, 13
    Keyboard shortcuts             :10, 11

P0 items are small, targeted fixes (< 1 hour each). P1 items improve daily usability. P2 items modernize interactions. P3 items add new capabilities. Each item is independently shippable.