working prototype

PROJECT.md

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+# Rogue Agenda project ledger
+
+Last updated: 2026-08-16
+
+## Product direction
+
+Rogue Agenda is a Rust, Ratatui, and SQLite reimagining of Lotus Agenda 2.0.
+The goal is functional fidelity to its information-management ideas and visual
+rhythm, not binary or document compatibility. Documents use `.agnd`; each is a
+self-contained SQLite database. Every product string uses **Rogue Agenda**.
+
+The central principle is “capture first, organize later.” An item is stored once
+and may participate in many category relationships and saved views. The TUI keeps
+the original's high-information gray workspace, blue title bands, red selection,
+columnar item view, and function-key strip, while adding dynamic layout, mouse
+interaction, conventional shortcuts, UTF-8, and modern durability.
+
+## Research basis
+
+- Lotus Development Corporation, *Lotus Agenda User's Guide 2.0* (1989), scanned
+  at Internet Archive. The contents identify items, notes, hierarchical and
+  mutually exclusive categories, explicit/conditional assignments, sections,
+  live views, datebook views, alarms, numeric calculations, filters, dependencies,
+  bulk marking, sorting, automatic conditions/actions, import/export, printing,
+  backups, managers, macros, and accessories.
+- Lotus Development Corporation, *Starter Applications 2.0* (1990), scanned at
+  Internet Archive. It documents Activities Planner, Account Manager, People
+  Manager, priorities, contacts, expenses, weekly tracking, and status reports.
+- Tavis Ormandy's hands-on “Lotus Agenda” article and animations. These establish
+  the actual screen grammar: two-line blue file/view header, gray unboxed canvas,
+  section and column headings, dot-prefixed category values, red selection,
+  blue F1–F10 command tiles, and examples of natural-language extraction.
+- Bob Newell's Agenda FAQ and James Fallows' contemporary account. These clarify
+  the distinctive behavior: single-copy items, category inheritance, negative
+  assignment, aliases/abbreviations, incremental structure, and named live views.
+- Period reviews from the Los Angeles Times and HUMANIST archives corroborate
+  long notes, free-form entry, priorities, Boolean reports, and automatic filing.
+
+Research URLs:
+
+- https://archive.org/details/lotus-agenda-users-guide
+- https://lock.cmpxchg8b.com/lotusagenda.html
+- https://www.bobnewell.net/agenda/agfaq.txt.html
+- https://www.bobnewell.net/agenda/atlantic.txt.html
+- https://dhhumanist.org/archives/Virginia/v02/0410.html
+- https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-28-fi-9745-story.html
+
+## Implemented in this prototype
+
+- [x] `.agnd` SQLite documents, schema migration metadata, foreign keys, WAL,
+  transactions, integrity-friendly soft deletion, and automatic checkpoints.
+- [x] Items with free text, note, priority, When, Done, alarm, numeric value,
+  recurring schedule, creation/update timestamps, manual order, and prerequisite
+  links. Completion advances recurring work and carries alarms and filing forward.
+- [x] Categories with hierarchy, inheritance in queries, kinds (standard, date,
+  numeric), match phrases, mutually exclusive siblings, and many-to-many links.
+- [x] Explicit assignment and automatic text-based assignment.
+- [x] Explicit negative category assignments that override automatic filing.
+- [x] Natural-language date extraction for common relative, weekday, and ISO forms.
+- [x] Live saved views, datebook presentation, category/done/date/priority filters,
+  search filtering, configurable sort, and responsive columns.
+- [x] Interactive creation, editing, and deletion of saved live views and category
+  definitions, including hierarchy, match phrases, kinds, and exclusivity.
+- [x] Persistent per-view fields, headings, widths, order, numeric aggregates,
+  filtered multi-section layouts, collapsed sections, and view reordering.
+- [x] Parsed Boolean expressions with `and`/`or`/`not`, parentheses, text/note/
+  category matching, numeric comparisons, state predicates, and relative due dates.
+- [x] User-authored category conditions with live match preview and deterministic
+  assign, exclude, priority, numeric value, When, alarm, recurrence, and Done
+  actions. Rules apply iteratively, respect explicit overrides, and detect
+  non-convergence.
+- [x] Default All Items, Tasks, Upcoming, Recently Done, and Datebook views.
+- [x] Agenda-style item workspace, View Manager, Category Manager, command menu,
+  item editor, property editor, notes, category chooser, help, and status messages.
+- [x] Marking and bulk completion; Trash view, soft discard, and recovery.
+- [x] Responsive wide/compact rendering and mouse row/command/view interaction.
+- [x] Text and iCalendar import; view-scoped CSV, JSON, Markdown, styled HTML,
+  and iCalendar export with notes, categories, dates, priority, completion, and
+  recurring `RRULE` schedules.
+- [x] Demo data, CLI help, README, MIT license, and unit/integration tests.
+
+## Supported with a modern interpretation
+
+- [x] Numeric calculations: per-item numeric values and view total/average are
+  supported; arbitrary category formula programs are intentionally represented
+  by the safer aggregate model.
+- [x] Conditions/actions: category match phrases and date parsing run on item
+  changes; assignments are immediately re-evaluated. Shell-executing actions are
+  omitted by design, while deterministic filing actions are supported.
+- [x] Printing: view-aware Markdown and styled HTML reports are the portable
+  print/preview path, alongside CSV and JSON data exports.
+- [x] Backups: SQLite durability plus explicit checkpoint replaces proprietary
+  backup-file rotation. Ordinary filesystem backup tools work on `.agnd` files.
+- [x] Clipboard/accessory capture: terminal paste into the new-item form replaces
+  the DOS resident accessory.
+- [x] Macros: conventional keys and direct commands replace keystroke-replay macros.
+
+## Delayed / unsupported
+
+These are the few features that either depend on obsolete DOS integration or need
+a larger follow-on implementation:
+
+- [ ] Arbitrary formula columns that reference several numeric categories. Current
+  view columns support `sum`, `avg`, `count`, `min`, and `max` aggregates.
+- [ ] Rich-text/font markers, printer control sequences, page-layout preview, and
+  named printer configurations.
+- [ ] Lotus Metro/List Manager/STF compatibility, DOS accessories, and Agenda macro
+  compatibility (explicitly outside the project's format-compatibility goal).
+- [ ] Password encryption. A description field is supported by schema metadata;
+  weak historic password protection will not be imitated without real encryption.
+- [ ] Desktop notifications while the application is closed. Due alarms are shown
+  prominently while Rogue Agenda is running.
+
+## Near-term plan
+
+1. Add desktop alarm integration and in-application snooze controls.
+2. Add encrypted documents and secure unlock handling.
+3. Add property-based tests for complex hierarchy and rule combinations.
+4. Add a structured text definition-file importer for unusual legacy datasets.