astrolabe-nvc/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

All notable changes to Astrolabe will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog.

Note: Astrolabe is currently in alpha (pre-1.0) development. Version numbers below 1.0.0 indicate active development status. A stable 1.0 release will occur after public launch and thorough testing.

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[Unreleased]

Added

• (New features currently in development)

Fixed

• (Bugfixes will be listed here)

Changed

• (Improvements and refinements will be listed here)

Removed

• (Removed features will be listed here)

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[0.4.0] - 2025-11-26

Changed

• Alpine.js Integration: Migrated interactive UI components to Alpine.js framework for improved reactivity and maintainability
  • Chart Builder controls now use Alpine.js reactive data binding
  • Preview Panel fit mode controls migrated to Alpine stores
  • Toast notification system backed by Alpine store with declarative rendering
  • Simplified state management with reactive Alpine stores
  • No user-facing behavior changes (internal architecture refactor)
  • Improved code organization and reduced DOM manipulation complexity

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[0.2.0] - 2025-11-17

Added

• Visual Chart Builder: Create Vega-Lite visualizations without writing JSON
  • Access via "Build Chart" button in dataset details panel
  • Support for 5 mark types: Bar, Line, Point, Area, Circle
  • Map dataset columns to encoding channels: X, Y, Color, Size
  • 4 data type options per encoding: Quantitative, Ordinal, Nominal, Temporal
  • Smart defaults based on column type detection
  • Live preview with debounced rendering
  • Width/Height dimension controls
  • Validation with helpful error messages
  • URL state support (#datasets/dataset-123/build)
  • Browser back/forward navigation integrated
  • Creates snippets with auto-generated names and dataset references
• Progressive Web App (PWA) Support: Install Astrolabe as standalone app with offline functionality
  • Service worker caches all application files and CDN dependencies
  • Full offline access after initial load
  • Install button in browser for desktop/mobile installation
  • Runs in standalone window without browser chrome
  • "Add to Home Screen" support on iOS/Android
  • Automatic cache updates when app version changes
  • Works seamlessly with existing IndexedDB and localStorage

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[0.1.0] - 2025-10-15

Added

Initial alpha release with complete feature set for lightweight Vega-Lite snippet management.

Core Features

• Three-panel resizable layout with drag handles and panel memory
• Monaco Editor v0.47.0 with Vega-Lite v5 schema validation and autocomplete
• Live Vega-Lite preview with debounced rendering
• Draft/published workflow for safe experimentation
• Auto-save system with 1-second debounce
• Multi-field sorting (Modified/Created/Name) with direction toggle
• Real-time search across snippet name, comment, and spec content
• Snippet size display for large snippets (≥1KB)

Storage & Data Management

• localStorage-based snippet storage with 5MB monitoring
• IndexedDB-based dataset library (unlimited size)
• Multi-format dataset support: JSON, CSV, TSV, TopoJSON
• Multi-source dataset support: inline data and URL references
• Automatic dataset reference resolution in Vega-Lite specs
• Intelligent format auto-detection with confidence scoring
• Storage usage monitor with visual warnings (90% and 95% thresholds)

Dataset Features

• Full CRUD operations for datasets
• Automatic metadata calculation (rows, columns, size, types)
• URL dataset fetching with CORS error handling
• Metadata refresh for URL datasets
• Bidirectional snippet ↔ dataset linking with usage tracking
• Extract inline data from specs to dataset library
• Table preview with type detection (number 🔢, date 📅, boolean ✓, text 🔤)
• On-demand URL preview loading with session cache
• Create new snippet from dataset with auto-generated spec

Import/Export

• Export all snippets to JSON with auto-generated filename
• Import snippets with format auto-detection and field mapping
• Export/import datasets with format-specific file extensions
• URL dataset export fetches and downloads live content
• Additive import (no overwrites) with ID conflict resolution
• Automatic "imported" tag for external snippets

User Experience

• Cross-platform keyboard shortcuts (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N, Cmd/Ctrl+K, Cmd/Ctrl+S, Escape)
• Toast notification system (error, success, warning, info)
• Comprehensive tooltips with keyboard hints
• Enhanced Help modal with 6 sections (About, Features, Getting Started, Shortcuts, Storage, Privacy)
• Retro Windows 2000 aesthetic throughout UI

Settings & Customization

• Configurable editor options (font size 10-18px, tab size, minimap, word wrap, line numbers)
• Performance tuning (render debounce delay 300-3000ms)
• Date formatting options (smart/relative, locale, ISO, custom with tokens)
• Theme selection (Light, Dark Experimental)
• Automatic editor theme synchronization with UI theme
• Settings persistence in localStorage

URL State Management

• Hash-based routing for snippets and datasets
• Browser back/forward navigation support
• Page reload preserves selected snippet or dataset
• Shareable URLs for specific snippets or datasets
• Modal state persistence in URL

Technical Implementation

• Vanilla JavaScript (no frameworks, no build tools)
• AMD loader conflict resolution between Monaco and Vega
• Recursive dataset reference extraction
• Format-aware data injection for rendering
• Blob API for accurate storage size calculation
• Component-based CSS architecture with theming support

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Release Notes

Alpha Development Status

Astrolabe is currently in alpha (pre-1.0) development. The application is feature-complete and functional, but has not been publicly released or extensively tested across all browsers and platforms.

Development Timeline: October 2024 - November 2025

Key Accomplishments:

• Zero external dependencies (beyond CDN libraries)
• No build tools required
• 100% local-first architecture
• Comprehensive dataset management system
• Professional UX with keyboard shortcuts and notifications

Known Limitations:

• Experimental dark theme has minor visibility issues
• No cross-device synchronization (future feature)
• Storage limited to browser (no cloud backup)
• Primarily tested in Chrome/Chromium browsers

Browser Compatibility:

• Chrome/Chromium: Fully tested and supported
• Firefox: Likely compatible, not exhaustively tested
• Safari: Likely compatible, not exhaustively tested
• IE11: Not supported (requires modern ES6+ features)

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Data Compatibility

All alpha versions maintain backward compatibility. Snippets (localStorage), datasets (IndexedDB), and settings persist across updates with no migration required.

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Future Roadmap

Planned features based on user feedback and enhancement proposals:

Short-term (Maintenance)

• Cross-browser compatibility testing and fixes
• Dark theme visibility improvements
• Performance optimization for large datasets
• Additional keyboard shortcuts

Medium-term (Enhancements)

• Advanced tagging system with tag filtering
• Snippet templates and starter library
• Bulk operations (delete multiple, export selected)
• Drag-and-drop import for snippets and datasets
• Snippet duplication with customizable naming

Long-term (Major Features)

• Authentication and user accounts
• Cloud synchronization
• Snippet sharing via URL
• Public snippet gallery (optional)
• Collaborative editing

See GitHub Issues for active feature requests and bug reports.