StreamLens/WIDE_GRID_IMPROVEMENTS.md

# Wide Grid Layout Improvements

## Enhanced Column Specifications

The grid view has been significantly widened to ensure proper column alignment and readability:

### Column Width Changes

| Column | Old Width | New Width | Alignment | Description |
|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
| # | 2 chars | 3 chars | Right | Flow number |
| Source | 20 chars | 24 chars | Left | IP:port source endpoint |
| Proto | 6 chars | 8 chars | Left | Transport protocol (UDP, TCP, etc.) |
| Destination | 20 chars | 24 chars | Left | IP:port destination endpoint |
| Extended | 10 chars | 12 chars | Left | Extended protocol (CH10, PTP, etc.) |
| Frame Type | 12 chars | 15 chars | Left | Specific frame type |
| Pkts | 6 chars | 8 chars | Right | Packet count |
| Volume | 8 chars | 10 chars | Right | Data volume with units |
| Timing | 8 chars | 10 chars | Right | Inter-arrival timing |
| Quality | 8 chars | 10 chars | Right | Quality percentage/status |

### Total Width Calculation

- **Previous total**: ~93 characters
- **New total**: ~124 characters 
- **Width increase**: ~33% wider for better readability

## Alignment Improvements

### Source and Destination Fields
- Increased from 20 to 24 characters
- Supports longer IP addresses and port numbers
- Truncation threshold increased from 18 to 22 characters
- Better accommodation for IPv4 addresses with high port numbers

### Right-Aligned Numeric Columns
- All numeric columns now have 2 extra characters of width
- Ensures proper right-edge alignment for:
  - Packet counts (up to 99,999,999)
  - Volume with units (up to 999.9MB)
  - Timing values (up to 99.9s)
  - Quality percentages (up to 100.0%)

### Visual Hierarchy
- Sub-rows now use 4-character indent to match wider flow number column
- Perfect alignment maintained between main flows and sub-rows
- All columns line up precisely regardless of data content

## Layout Example

```
  #   Source                   Proto    Destination              Extended     Frame Type        Pkts    Volume      Timing     Quality
  1   192.168.4.89:1024       UDP      239.1.2.10:8080         3 types      Mixed             1452      1.9MB      77.8ms     Enhanced
                                                                CH10         CH10-Data         1110     1.44MB       102ms       76.4%
                                                                CH10         TMATS              114      148KB       990ms        7.8%
                                                                             UDP                228      296KB       493ms       15.7%
```

## Technical Changes

### Formatting Functions Updated
1. **`_format_flow_summary_line()`**: Updated to use new column widths
2. **`_format_protocol_frame_line()`**: Updated to match main flow alignment
3. **Header formatting**: Expanded to accommodate wider columns
4. **Truncation logic**: Removed `[:width-8]` constraints that were cutting off data

### IP Address Handling
- Source/Destination truncation increased from 10 to 14 characters before ellipsis
- Better support for longer IP addresses and port combinations
- Maintains readability while showing more endpoint information

## Benefits

1. **Perfect Column Alignment**: All numeric columns now line up properly on their right edges
2. **No Data Truncation**: Removed width constraints that were cutting off information
3. **Better Readability**: Increased spacing makes complex flow data easier to scan
4. **Professional Appearance**: Wider grid looks more polished and organized
5. **Future-Proof**: Accommodates longer protocol names and extended data

The wide grid layout ensures that complex telemetry flow analysis is presented in a clear, professional format that makes the hierarchical protocol breakdown easy to understand at a glance.