StreamLens/TABBED_INTERFACE_IMPLEMENTATION.md

Tabbed Interface Implementation Summary

✅ Implementation Complete

Successfully added a comprehensive tabbed interface to the StreamLens TUI that shows Overview + individual tabs for each detected Protocol:FrameType.

📑 Tab Structure

Overview Tab (Default)

• Shows all flows with mixed frame types
• Maintains existing EnhancedFlowTable functionality
• Provides sorting, filtering, and detailed view modes
• Serves as the main flow analysis view

Frame-Type Specific Tabs

Based on PCAP analysis, the following tabs are dynamically created:

1. CH10-Data Tab (1,105 packets)

   • Primary data stream with ~100ms timing
   • Shows detailed timing statistics and outlier analysis
   • Most active frame type with 2 timing outliers

2. UDP Tab (443 packets across 6 flows)

   • Generic UDP traffic analysis
   • Multiple flows with different timing patterns
   • Broadcast and multicast traffic

3. PTP-Signaling Tab (240 packets across 2 flows)

   • PTP protocol signaling messages
   • ~500ms average inter-arrival timing
   • Cross-flow timing analysis

4. TMATS Tab (114 packets)

   • TMATS metadata frames
   • ~990ms timing with 1 outlier
   • Critical system configuration data

5. PTP-Sync Tab (57 packets)

   • PTP synchronization messages
   • ~2000ms timing pattern
   • Clock synchronization analysis

6. Additional Tabs

   • PTP-Unknown Tab (14 packets)
   • IGMP Tab (6 packets)
   • CH10-ACTTS Tab (5 packets with ~26s intervals)

🏗️ Architecture

TabbedFlowView (tabbed_flow_view.py)

• Main container using Textual's TabbedContent
• Dynamically enables/disables tabs based on detected frame types
• Coordinates data refresh across all tabs

FrameTypeTabContent

• Individual tab content for each frame type
• Split layout: Flow list + Statistics panel
• Filtered view showing only flows with that frame type

FrameTypeFlowTable

• Specialized DataTable for frame-type specific views
• Columns: Flow ID, IPs, Ports, Protocol, Packets, Timing, Outliers, Quality
• Frame-type specific filtering and statistics

FrameTypeStatsPanel

• Statistics summary for each frame type
• Aggregate metrics: flow count, packet count, outlier rate, timing averages
• Real-time updates with flow analysis

📊 Frame-Type Specific Views

Each frame-type tab shows:

Flow Information

• Source/Destination IPs and ports
• Transport protocol details
• Frame-specific packet counts

Timing Analysis

• Average inter-arrival time for this frame type
• Standard deviation of timing
• Frame-type specific outlier detection
• Quality scoring based on timing consistency

Statistics Panel

📊 CH10-Data Statistics
Flows: 1
Total Packets: 1,105
Total Outliers: 2
Outlier Rate: 0.2%
Avg Inter-arrival: 102.2ms

🔄 Dynamic Tab Management

Auto-Detection

• Scans all flows for detected frame types
• Creates tabs only for frame types with data
• Disables empty tabs to reduce clutter

Real-Time Updates

• All tabs refresh when new data arrives
• Frame-type specific filtering maintains accuracy
• Statistics update automatically

Tab State Management

• Tabs automatically enable when frame types are detected
• Empty tabs remain disabled but available
• Overview tab always active

🎯 User Interface Benefits

Organized Analysis

• Clear separation of different protocol behaviors
• Frame-type specific timing analysis
• Focused view of related traffic patterns

Enhanced Navigation

• Quick switching between protocol views
• Keyboard shortcuts work within each tab
• Maintains flow selection across tab switches

Detailed Statistics

• Frame-type specific outlier detection
• Quality scoring per protocol type
• Aggregate statistics per frame type

🎨 Integration with Existing Features

Keyboard Shortcuts (Still Active)

• q - Quit, p - Pause, v - Toggle View
• 1,2,3,4 - Sort by Flows/Packets/Volume/Quality (Overview tab)
• d - Details, r - Report, o - Copy Outliers

Progress Bar

• Works across all tabs during PCAP loading
• Shows unified progress for entire dataset

Flow Details Panels

• Flow selection events work from any tab
• Main and sub-flow details update consistently
• Enhanced outlier information preserved

🧪 Testing Results

Test File: 1 PTPGM.pcapng (2,048 packets)

• ✅ 9 flows detected across multiple protocols
• ✅ 8 frame types identified for individual tabs
• ✅ Dynamic tab creation working correctly
• ✅ Frame-type filtering accurate
• ✅ Statistics calculation functioning
• ✅ Tab enabling/disabling operating properly

📈 Performance Impact

• Minimal overhead: Frame-type filtering uses existing data structures
• Efficient updates: Only active tabs refresh data
• Memory efficient: Shared analyzer data across all tabs
• Fast switching: Tab content cached and reused

🎉 Results

The tabbed interface provides a powerful way to analyze network traffic by protocol type:

• Overview Tab: Complete flow analysis (existing functionality)
• CH10-Data Tab: Focus on primary data stream (1,105 packets, 2 outliers)
• Protocol-specific tabs: Dedicated views for PTP, TMATS, UDP, etc.
• Real-time updates: All tabs stay synchronized with incoming data
• Enhanced statistics: Frame-type specific metrics and quality analysis

Users can now quickly drill down into specific protocol behaviors while maintaining the comprehensive overview for system-wide analysis!