Scribbles for my bad memory

Problem

Mouse left swipe to delete notes was not working on desktop platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, Web browsers).

Root Cause Analysis

1. Flutter Dismissible Limitations: Dismissible widget is optimized for touch interactions, not mouse gestures
2. SelectionArea Gesture Conflict: SelectionArea intercepted mouse drag events for text selection, blocking Dismissible swipe gestures

Solution

Initial Approach (Failed)

Attempted platform-specific custom GestureDetector implementation:

• Added desktop platform detection logic
• Implemented custom mouse drag threshold calculations
• Issue: GestureDetector only detects gestures but provides no visual feedback

Final Solution (Working)

Two-part fix for Dismissible widget:

1. Immediate Mouse Response

Dismissible(
  dragStartBehavior: DragStartBehavior.down, // Key fix
  // ... other properties
)

2. Gesture Conflict Resolution

// Before: SelectionArea wrapping entire content
SelectionArea(
  child: GestureDetector(...) // Blocked swipe gestures
)

// After: SelectionArea only around text content
GestureDetector(
  child: Column([
    metadata,
    SelectionArea(child: noteContent), // Limited scope
    footer,
  ])
)

Technical Details

dragStartBehavior Impact

• DragStartBehavior.start (default): Waits for drag distance threshold
• DragStartBehavior.down: Starts drag immediately on mouse down
• Desktop users expect immediate response to mouse actions

SelectionArea Scope Reduction

• Problem: Full-content SelectionArea captured all mouse events
• Solution: Limit SelectionArea to text content only
• Result: Swipe gestures work on margins, text selection works on content

Testing Strategy

Created comprehensive test suite covering:

• Dismissible configuration validation
• Platform-specific behavior
• Gesture conflict scenarios
• Integration with existing callbacks

Key Learnings

1. Flutter's Dismissible supports desktop with proper configuration
2. Widget event hierarchies can cause unexpected gesture conflicts
3. Scope reduction often beats complex custom implementations
4. Platform-specific UX requires careful gesture management

Code Impact

• Files Modified: note_list_item.dart
• Tests Added: note_list_item_test.dart
• Lines Changed: 30 additions, 15 deletions
• Breaking Changes: None

Verification

• All tests pass
• Code analysis clean
• Desktop mouse swipe delete functional
• Text selection preserved