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kicad-ipc-rs/docs/SELECTION_LOSSINESS_PLAN.md

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Selection API Lossiness Audit + Execution Plan

Goal: close data-loss gaps between KiCad protobuf payloads and public kicad-ipc-rs selection APIs.

Scope

  • GetSelection family:
    • get_selection_raw
    • get_selection
    • get_selection_details
    • get_selection_summary
    • add/remove/clear_selection typed wrappers
    • get_selection_as_string

Source Anchors (do not re-discover)

Current State: What Is Lossy vs Not

Not lossy

  • get_selection_raw returns SelectionResponse.items directly (Vec<Any>). No internal field drop.
  • *_selection_raw variants for add/remove/clear preserve raw payload when server returns SelectionResponse.

Lossy API layers

  • get_selection_summary: compresses all item payloads into counts by type_url.
  • get_selection_details: flattens into human/debug string + byte length; no structured fields.
  • get_selection: decodes into reduced PcbItem models with many fields omitted.
  • add_to_selection / remove_from_selection / clear_selection: typed wrappers return summary only.
  • get_selection_as_string: drops SavedSelectionResponse.ids; returns contents only.
  • GetSelection.types filter exists in proto, but no public method exposes it (always empty in current code).

Loss Inventory by Item Type (proto -> public typed)

  • Track: drops locked.
  • Arc: drops locked.
  • Via: drops locked; keeps only shallow pad_stack info (layer span + drill start/end), drops drill geometry and advanced padstack settings.
  • Pad: drops locked, full pad_stack, clearance override, die length/delay, symbol pin metadata.
  • FootprintInstance: keeps id/ref/pos/orientation/layer/pad_count; drops definition internals, fields (value, datasheet, description), attributes/overrides, symbol linkage metadata.
  • BoardGraphicShape: keeps geometry kind as string only; drops structured geometry + graphic attributes.
  • BoardText / BoardTextBox: keep body text only; drop position/box, style attributes, hyperlink, lock/knockout.
  • Zone: keeps coarse stats (type/counts/filled); drops outline, settings, border, layer properties, priority.
  • Dimension: keeps text/layer/style string only; drops detailed unit/precision/style geometry and overrides.
  • Group: keeps item_count; drops actual item id list.

Extra Coverage Gaps

  • decode_pcb_item supports 12 board item payload types only. Other PCB object types can appear as Unknown in typed API.
  • proto module is crate-private. Consumers get Any bytes, not generated proto structs from this crate.

Implementation Plan (follow in order)

Phase 1: additive APIs, zero breakage

  1. Add richer selection-return models in src/model/common.rs:
    • SelectionStringDump { ids: Vec<String>, contents: String }
    • SelectionMutationResult { items: Vec<Any>, summary: SelectionSummary } or equivalent typed struct without reducing to summary-only.
  2. Add new KiCadClient methods in src/client/selection.rs:
    • get_selection_with_types(type_codes: Vec<i32>) -> Vec<PcbItem> and raw/details variants.
    • get_selection_string_dump() -> SelectionStringDump (keep existing get_selection_as_string as convenience).
    • Rich mutation variants for add/remove/clear that expose returned items, not summary only.
  3. Export new models via src/lib.rs.
  4. Add blocking mirror methods in src/blocking.rs.

Phase 2: reduce typed-model loss

  1. Expand Pcb* structs in src/model/board.rs with additive optional fields (no removals).
  2. Update decode_pcb_item mapping in src/client/decode.rs to fill new fields.
  3. Prefer structured enums over stringified debug fields where possible:
    • graphic geometry
    • dimension style
  4. Preserve backward compatibility:
    • existing fields remain
    • new fields optional/defaultable

Phase 3: unhandled item kinds

  1. Add typed support for additional PCB object payload types if proto types exist in generated files.
  2. If unavailable in proto snapshot, keep Unknown fallback; include type_url + raw_len.

Phase 4: docs/tests/regression

  1. Unit tests in src/client/tests.rs:
    • new selection filter path
    • new response models keep previously dropped fields
    • backward compatibility on old methods
  2. Update docs:
    • README.md API table
    • docs/PCB_SELECTION_DEEP_DUMP.md sequence updates
  3. Validation commands:
    • cargo fmt --all
    • cargo test
    • cargo test --features blocking

Decision Log Needed Before Coding

  • Whether to expose proto-level structs publicly (pub mod proto) vs keep custom models only.
  • Whether get_selection should stay “compact model” and new methods be “full model” (recommended).
  • Naming:
    • keep existing methods untouched
    • add explicit *_full/*_rich APIs for clarity.

Acceptance Criteria

  • No breaking changes in existing method signatures.
  • New selection APIs expose:
    • selection type filtering
    • SavedSelectionResponse.ids
    • non-summary mutation payload access
    • materially more per-item structured data than current PcbItem.
  • Existing examples still compile; add one new example showcasing rich selection extraction.