Storming Engine: Java Editor Documentation

This document provides an overview of the Java-based Editor for the Storming Engine, detailing its core systems, UI components, and current development status.

Core Application Lifecycle

• EditorApp: The entry point for the Java application. It manages global themes (using FlatLaf), configures UI refinements, and handles the initial startup sequence (Splash Screen -> Project Selector -> Main Window).
• EngineLauncher: Responsible for the lifecycle of the C++ Storming Engine process. It handles launching with shared memory arguments, capturing engine logs, and graceful termination. Supports multiple log and telemetry listeners for real-time data broadcasting.
• ProjectManager: Manages project history and discovery. It maintains a persistent "recent projects" list and automatically scans default directories (like ~/StormingProjects) to find Storming projects created by the user.

Window Management

• MainWindow: The central orchestrator of the editor's layout. It manages complex nested split panes, JetBrains-style sidebars, and the main workspace tabs. It handles project and scene loading from disk.
• ProjectSelectorWindow: The initial launcher for the engine. Features a modern, animated interface for project management, including "New Project" and "Open Project" actions. It displays a list of recent and discovered projects.
• NewProjectDialog: A comprehensive modal dialog for creating new Storming projects. It handles:
  • Template selection (Empty 2D, 2D Demo).
  • Directory scaffolding (assets/, scenes/).
  • Initial .storm and main.storm_scene file generation.
  • Real-time path validation and preview.
• SimulationWindow: A dedicated debugging window for running engine simulations. Includes:
  • Godot-inspired UI with integrated header and footer.
  • Pulsating "LIVE" indicator.
  • Collapsible Mini-Console linked to the engine output.
  • Performance Monitor with real-time area-graphs (FPS, CPU, GPU, Memory) and hardware detection.
  • Utility controls for Always-on-Top, Screenshots, and Resolution Scaling.
• SettingsWindow: A centralized configuration dialog with a searchable sidebar. Supports dynamic theme switching and categorized panels for Engine and Editor preferences.
• SplashWindow: A simple, stylized startup window displayed during initialization.

UI Components & Utilities

• ToolWindow: A standardized container used for various editor panels (e.g., Inspector, Hierarchy), featuring a unified header and action buttons.
• SideBar: A specialized JetBrains-style sidebar for hosting tool window toggles and action shortcuts.
• StormingMenuBar: A custom menu bar supporting alpha-fade animations, integrated playback controls, and a "hamburger" mode for space efficiency.
• UIAnimator: A comprehensive animation utility providing cubic ease-out transitions for split panes and alpha properties.
• Icons: A centralized resource manager for SVG and PNG icons. Features theme-aware SVG filtering (automatic light/dark mode tinting).

Editor Panels & Systems

Project Management & .storm Format

The engine uses a JSON-based project descriptor with the .storm extension.
When creating a new project via the NewProjectDialog, the following structure is generated:

• ProjectName/
  • ProjectName.storm (Project settings and main scene entry point)
  • assets/ (Directory for textures, scripts, and other resources)
  • scenes/
    • main.storm_scene (Initial scene data containing default entities like "Main Camera")

Development Note (WIP Features)

As outlined in the Roadmap, several high-level editor systems (Git, PR, Inspector, and Analyzer) are currently in an early Work-in-Progress (WIP) state. These components serve as visual placeholders and utilize mock data to illustrate the final intended user experience. They will be incrementally integrated with the C++ engine and external providers in upcoming development phases.

Telemetry data shown in the Simulation Window (FPS, CPU Load, etc.) is currently simulated or best-effort based on the JVM environment and will be fully linked to the engine's telemetry bridge in the future.