RFC: Add view layout compiler

docs/api-reference/widgets/overview.md

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ This module contains the following widgets:
 
 - [FullscreenWidget](./fullscreen-widget.md)
 - [SplitterWidget](./splitter-widget.md)
+- [View Layout](./view-layout.md)
 
 ### Information Widgets
 

docs/api-reference/widgets/splitter-widget.md

@@ -140,7 +140,10 @@ function App() {
 ## Constructor
 
 ```ts
-import {_SplitterWidget as SplitterWidget, type SplitterWidgetProps} from '@deck.gl/widgets';
+import {
+  _SplitterWidget as SplitterWidget,
+  type SplitterWidgetProps
+} from '@deck.gl/widgets';
 new SplitterWidget<ViewType[]>({} satisfies SplitterWidgetProps);
 ```
 
@@ -150,7 +153,7 @@ new SplitterWidget<ViewType[]>({} satisfies SplitterWidgetProps);
 
 The `SplitterWidget` accepts the generic [`WidgetProps`](../core/widget.md#widgetprops) and:
 
-#### `viewLayout` (ViewLayout, required) {#viewlayout}
+#### `viewLayout` (SplitterWidgetViewLayout, required) {#viewlayout}
 
 Layout descriptor of how views are arranged on the canvas. Contains the following fields:
 
@@ -161,7 +164,7 @@ Layout descriptor of how views are arranged on the canvas. Contains the followin
 - `minSplit` (number, optional) - Min value of the split. The user cannot make the first view smaller than this ratio. Default `0.05`.
 - `maxSplit` (number, optional) - Max value of the split. The user cannot make the first view larger than this ratio. Default `0.95`.
 
-You may also replace one or both item in `views` with a `ViewLayout` object, composing more than two views into a complex layout.
+You may also replace one or both items in `views` with a nested `SplitterWidgetViewLayout` object, composing more than two views into a complex layout.
 
 
 #### `onChange` (Function, optional) {#onchange}

docs/api-reference/widgets/view-layout.md

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# View Layout
+
+The view layout helpers build stable deck.gl view arrays from a declarative layout tree. They are generic utilities for applications that need multiple coordinated views without hand-computing every view rectangle in render code.
+
+```js
+import {buildViewsFromViewLayout} from '@deck.gl/widgets';
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+Start by defining the deck.gl `View` instances that your application needs. Then place them in a plain layout object tree and compile that tree for the current deck canvas size.
+
+```tsx
+import React from 'react';
+import {DeckGL} from '@deck.gl/react';
+import {OrthographicView} from '@deck.gl/core';
+import {buildViewsFromViewLayout} from '@deck.gl/widgets';
+import type {ViewLayout} from '@deck.gl/widgets';
+
+const VIEW_LAYOUT = {
+  type: 'column',
+  children: [
+    new OrthographicView({id: 'header', height: 48, controller: false}),
+    {
+      type: 'row',
+      children: [
+        new OrthographicView({id: 'sidebar', controller: false}),
+        {
+          type: 'overlay',
+          children: [
+            new OrthographicView({id: 'main', controller: true}),
+            new OrthographicView({
+              id: 'minimap',
+              x: 'calc(100% - 180px)',
+              y: 16,
+              width: 164,
+              height: 120,
+              controller: false,
+              clear: true
+            })
+          ]
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+} satisfies ViewLayout;
+
+export function App({width, height, layers}) {
+  const compiled = buildViewsFromViewLayout({layout: VIEW_LAYOUT, width, height});
+  return <DeckGL views={compiled.views} layers={layers} />;
+}
+```
+
+The returned `compiled.rectsById` map contains the same resolved rectangles keyed by view id. Use it when you need to position DOM overlays next to deck views, debug the generated layout, or scope non-layer UI to a view rectangle.
+
+The returned `compiled.splittersById` map contains splitter metadata for rows and columns that declare a `splitId`. For two-child splits, the splitter id is exactly `splitId`. For three or more children, the compiler creates one splitter between each adjacent pair using generated ids such as `splitId-0`, `splitId-1`, and so on. Applications that store split values can pass them back into `buildViewsFromViewLayout` via `splitValues`.
+
+Layout items may also define `minPixels` and `maxPixels` to constrain their size in the parent stack axis. The compiler combines those pixel constraints with percentage-based `width` or `height` values, and with `minSplit` and `maxSplit` when returning splitter metadata.
+
+Use `viewPropsById` when an application needs to control layout-only bounds for a view without rebuilding the static layout tree. Override values use the same length syntax as authored view props.
+
+The layout tree is a discriminated union of plain objects:
+
+- `row`: lays out children left to right.
+- `column`: lays out children top to bottom.
+- `overlay`: gives each child the same parent rectangle.
+- `spacer`: reserves empty fixed or flexible space.
+
+Raw deck.gl `View` instances are leaf nodes in `children`. Put layout-only `width`, `height`, `x`, and `y` props directly on the `View` when a leaf needs fixed sizing or overlay positioning.
+
+For split layouts, `ViewLayout` also accepts the `SplitterWidgetViewLayout`-style aliases `orientation: 'horizontal' | 'vertical'` and `views`. A horizontal orientation is equivalent to `type: 'row'`; a vertical orientation is equivalent to `type: 'column'`.
+
+`buildViewsFromViewLayout` compiles a layout tree into:
+
+- `views`: concrete deck.gl views with numeric `x`, `y`, `width`, and `height`.
+- `rectsById`: resolved rectangles keyed by deck view id.
+- `splittersById`: resolved splitter metadata keyed by split id.
+
+## Layout Sizing
+
+`width`, `height`, `x`, and `y` accept numbers or CSS-like length strings such as percentages and simple `calc(...)` expressions. The compiler resolves those values against the current parent rectangle before passing numeric bounds to deck.gl.
+
+```ts
+new OrthographicView({
+  id: 'overlay',
+  x: '50%',
+  width: 'calc(50% - 12px)',
+  height: 80
+});
+```
+
+## View Reuse
+
+Pass the previous `CompiledDeckViews` result back to `buildViewsFromViewLayout` when a caller needs structural view reuse across renders. A previous view is reused when its id, constructor, and resolved props match the next compilation.
+
+```ts
+let compiled = buildViewsFromViewLayout({layout, width, height});
+
+compiled = buildViewsFromViewLayout({
+  layout,
+  width,
+  height,
+  previous: compiled
+});
+```
+
+## Types
+
+### `ViewLayout`
+
+Plain discriminated layout object. Children may be nested layout objects, raw deck.gl `View` instances, or falsey optional children.
+
+### `buildViewsFromViewLayout`
+
+Compiles a layout tree for the current deck canvas size.
+
+Parameters:
+
+- `layout` (`ViewLayout`) - Root layout tree to compile.
+- `width` (`number`) - Current deck width in pixels.
+- `height` (`number`) - Current deck height in pixels.
+- `previous` (`CompiledDeckViews`, optional) - Previous compilation for view reuse.
+- `splitValues` (`Record<string, number>`, optional) - Controlled split ratios keyed by layout `splitId`.
+- `viewPropsById` (`Record<string, {x?, y?, width?, height?}>`, optional) - Controlled layout-only view prop overrides keyed by deck view id.
+
+Returns:
+
+- `views` (`View[]`) - Concrete deck.gl views.
+- `rectsById` (`Record<string, {x, y, width, height}>`) - Resolved rectangles keyed by view id.
+
+## Source
+
+[modules/widgets/src/view-layout/build-views-from-view-layout.ts](https://github.com/visgl/deck.gl/tree/master/modules/widgets/src/view-layout/build-views-from-view-layout.ts)

docs/table-of-contents.json

@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@
         "type": "category",
         "label": "@deck.gl/react",
         "items": [
-          "api-reference/react/overview",    
+          "api-reference/react/overview",
           "api-reference/react/deckgl",
           "api-reference/react/use-widget"
         ]
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@
           "api-reference/widgets/theme-widget",
           "api-reference/widgets/timeline-widget",
           "api-reference/widgets/toggle-widget",
+          "api-reference/widgets/view-layout",
           "api-reference/widgets/zoom-widget"
         ]
       }

modules/main/src/index.ts

@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ export {
   // View widgets
   FullscreenWidget,
   _SplitterWidget,
+  buildViewsFromViewLayout,
   // Information widgets
   InfoWidget,
   PopupWidget,
@@ -244,6 +245,9 @@ export type {
   StatsWidgetProps,
   ContextMenuWidgetProps,
   SplitterWidgetProps,
+  SplitterWidgetViewLayout,
+  CompiledDeckViews,
+  ViewLayout,
   TimelineWidgetProps,
   SelectorWidgetProps,
   GimbalWidgetProps,

modules/widgets/src/index.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ export {GeocoderWidget as _GeocoderWidget} from './geocoder-widget';
 // View widgets
 export {FullscreenWidget} from './fullscreen-widget';
 export {SplitterWidget as _SplitterWidget} from './splitter-widget';
+export {
+  buildViewsFromViewLayout,
+  type CompiledDeckViews
+} from './view-layout/build-views-from-view-layout';
+export type {ViewLayout} from './view-layout/view-layout';
 
 // Information widgets
 export {InfoWidget} from './info-widget';
@@ -49,7 +54,7 @@ export type {InfoWidgetProps} from './info-widget';
 export type {PopupWidgetProps} from './popup-widget';
 export type {StatsWidgetProps} from './stats-widget';
 export type {ContextMenuWidgetProps} from './context-menu-widget';
-export type {SplitterWidgetProps} from './splitter-widget';
+export type {SplitterWidgetProps, SplitterWidgetViewLayout} from './splitter-widget';
 export type {TimelineWidgetProps} from './timeline-widget';
 export type {SelectorWidgetProps} from './selector-widget';
 export type {GimbalWidgetProps} from './gimbal-widget';