Directory MapView
Map-style directory navigator with zoom and pan - a reimagined file picker dialog.
+Vision
+Traditional file dialogs show directories as indented trees or hierarchical lists. You see your current location and maybe what's above you, but you never really see:
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- What's beside you (sibling directories) +
- The broader context of where you are in the filesystem +
- How your current path relates to other areas +
Directory MapView displays the entire filesystem like a road map:
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- Directories appear as connected pathways/roads with labels +
- The current path is highlighted like a route +
- A prominent "you are here" marker shows your location +
- Zoom out to see the big picture, zoom in for details +
- Pan around to explore, just like a map application +
Interaction Model
+| Action | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Mouse wheel | Zoom in/out |
| Left-click + drag | Pan the view |
| Click on directory | Navigate there |
| Hover | Show directory info/preview |
Use Cases
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- File picker dialog - Replace or augment standard open/save dialogs +
- Directory overview - Understand project structure at a glance +
- Navigation widget - Embed in file managers or IDEs +
- Disk usage visualization - Show directory sizes as road widths +
Technical Approach
+Likely implementation:
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- PyQt6/PySide6 for the widget (integrates with existing tools) +
- QGraphicsScene for the zoomable/pannable canvas +
- Graph layout algorithm for positioning directories (tree layout or force-directed) +
- Lazy loading for large filesystems +
- Caching for performance +
Inspiration
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- Google Maps / OpenStreetMap navigation +
- Code visualization tools (CodeCity, Gource) +
- Treemap visualizations +
- Metro/subway maps +
Related Projects
+This project is part of the development ecosystem:
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- Artifact Editor - Could embed MapView for navigating to save locations +
- CmdForge - Could use MapView for tool configuration paths +