Configuration

By the end of this guide, you will:

• TODO: Write learning objectives

⚠️ This page is a stub. Help us write it! See the Documentation Plan and Style Guide.

User Stories

Story 27: Configuration Management

As a power user
I want to save my preferences
So that my settings persist between sessions

Acceptance Criteria

• Config file in ~/.config/file_browser/config.yml

• Configurable preferences:

• Default sort order

• Hidden files visibility default

• Color scheme/theme

• Default editor (overrides $EDITOR)

• Pane width ratios

• Mouse support enabled/disabled

• Config file created on first run with defaults

• Invalid config handled gracefully with warnings

• Command-line flags override config file

• --config-path flag to use alternate config location

Notes

• Addresses specification section 5.3 (Configuration)

• Introduces YAML parsing

• May be deferred to 1.1 release

• Should have schema validation

Future Enhancements (Deferred)

As a product owner
I want to track future enhancement ideas
So that we have a roadmap for post-1.0 releases

Deferred Features

The following features are explicitly deferred to future versions:

• Bookmarks/Favorites: Quick access to frequently used directories

• Multi-file Selection: Select multiple files with Space, operate on batch

• File Content Search: Integrate grep for searching within files

• Git Integration: Show file status (modified, untracked, etc.)

• Trash/Recycle Bin: Soft delete instead of permanent deletion

• Dual-Pane Mode: Side-by-side panes for easier copying

• Archive Preview: View contents of zip, tar, etc.

• Image Preview: ASCII art representation of images

• Custom File Type Icons: User-defined icons for extensions

• External Tool Integration: Diff, merge, etc.

• Plugins/Extensions: Allow third-party extensions

• Remote Filesystem Support: SFTP, S3, etc.

Notes

• These align with specification section 9 (Future Enhancements)

• Not stories yet - just ideas for future planning

• May become stories in 1.1, 1.2, etc.

• Community feedback will help prioritize

Implementation Notes

Story Sequencing

Stories are ordered to: 1. Start with tutorial foundation (Stories -4 to 0) - teaches Rooibos concepts incrementally 2. Build walking skeleton (Story 1) - proves end-to-end integration with real files 3. Build core navigation (Stories 2-3) - essential functionality 4. Add UI structure (Stories 4-6) - professional appearance 5. Enable exploration (Stories 7-8) - power user features 6. Add organization (Stories 9-11) - finding and filtering 7. Enable modification (Stories 12-17) - file operations 8. Improve usability (Stories 18-19) - help and errors 9. Add enhancements (Stories 20-21) - mouse and resize 10. Optimize and polish (Stories 22-24) - performance and aesthetics 11. Ensure quality (Story 25) - testing and documentation 12. Advanced features (Stories 26-27) - color schemes and configuration 13. Future planning - deferred enhancements

Story Sizing

• Stories -4 to -1: Extra Small (tutorial foundation)

• Story 0: Small (critical transition)

• Stories 1-3: Small

• Stories 4-8: Medium

• Stories 9-17: Small-Medium

• Stories 18-21: Medium

• Stories 22-24: Large

• Story 25: Ongoing (parallel with all stories)

• Story 26: Medium

• Story 27: Small-Medium

Dependencies

• Story -3 depends on Story -4 (need project setup)

• Story -2 depends on Story -3 (need runnable app)

• Story -1 depends on Story -2 (need model and state)

• Story 0 depends on Story -1 (need navigation working with fake data)

• Story 1 depends on Story 0 (Story 0 completes Story 1)

• Story 4 depends on Stories 1-3 (need basic functionality before layout)

• Story 6 depends on Story 4 (need preview pane)

• Story 8 depends on Story 4 (need multiple panes)

• Stories 12-17 can be done in any order after Story 11

• Story 21 depends on Story 4 (need layout to resize)

• Story 24 should be done after most features complete

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