Drive Previews, Tag Chips, and Faster List↔Grid
Previews that land sooner, tags that filter smarter, and a list/grid toggle that stops jumping.
1) Drive previews: sooner, safer
- Parallel fetch with short deadline. We request preview URLs and content metadata in parallel; if a preview misses the deadline, a crisp type glyph renders instantly and the preview swaps in later.
- Cache keys that make sense.
fileId:modified:size prevents stale thumbs and avoids over-fetch.
- Fail gracefully. If a preview URL expires or fails, we retry once with backoff; otherwise we stay on the glyph—no flicker.
Tech: Google Drive v3 via REST + URLSession (no GTLR), tokens in Keychain, MIME + modified date for cache busting.
2) Tag chips: clearer states, fewer clicks
- Tap = add/remove, Option/Alt-tap (or long-press) = isolate.
- Three visual states (default / active ● / isolated ◎), not color-only—icons + contrast.
- Keyboard: press
t to focus chips; use arrow keys; Space toggles; Enter isolates.
Why it’s calmer: you see exactly what’s filtering, and you can isolate a single tag without hunting in a sidebar.
3) List ↔ Grid: faster and steady
- Per-section persistence. Projects can default to List; Resources can default to Grid; your picks stick via
UserDefaults.
- No layout jump. We normalize row heights and thumbnail placeholders so the header and chip row don’t jitter during toggles.
- Scroll position remembered across toggles within the same section.
Tiny wins that matter
- Progressive disclosure. Modified date and type inline; size/path appear on hover/focus.
- Focus rings you can see. Keyboard navigation is obvious and consistent.
- Touch targets. Chips and toggles are 44pt minimum.
Try it
- Toggle list↔grid in Resources; notice no header jump.
- Tap a couple of tags, then isolate one with Option/Alt.
- Open a large image folder—the first row should render fast with clean fallbacks.
What’s next
- Recents ranking v2 (boost multi-touch files over 48 hours).
- PDF inline preview (first page, cached).
- Session stacks (auto-bundle your last 60–90 minutes of files).
Internal & External Links
Update / Version Box
LifeOS — Dev Log #3
- Build:
0.1.0-dev (Swift 6, Xcode 16)
- Shipped: faster Drive previews, clearer tag chips, steadier list↔grid
- Known limits: giant PDFs still skip preview on slow networks
- Next: Recents ranking v2 + first-page PDF preview
Signature
— Rev. Brian Scott O’Keefe
“Less friction, more flow.”
Recents, Favorites, and Tag Filters That Don’t Fight Your Brain
A calmer file view for LifeOS—PARA-ish structure, faster list/grid toggles, and Drive metadata that actually helps you decide.
Why this sketch (and promise)
My Second Brain is two things:
- a part of an application I’m building (LifeOS), and
- a simple system for organizing anything, anywhere.
Since my strokes, I make better decisions with fewer choices on screen. This view is designed to remove friction: Recents, Favorites, and straightforward tag filters—sitting on top of a PARA-ish structure—so I can pick a file and move.
You’ll get: a visual model you can copy today, and a peek at how it lands in LifeOS.
The model (PARA + overlays)
PARA tiers
- Projects — time-boxed outcomes (draft a post, ship a feature)
- Areas — ongoing responsibilities (Finances, Health, Client A)
- Resources — reference you reuse (Design patterns, Prompts, Research)
- Archives — past work, completed, cold storage
Global overlays
- Recents — last 30 touched. Fast path to “what I was doing.”
- Favorites — manually starred items for the week’s focus.
- Tags — compact chips (topic, status, app). Use 3–7 core tags; more is friction.
Why overlays? Because Recents and Favorites are how I think in motion, not locations. And tags cut across PARA without breaking it.
The view (don’t fight your brain)
List ↔ Grid toggle
- List for density (modified date, size, type inline).
- Grid for visual scan (thumbnails, shorter labels).
- Toggle persists per section (e.g., Projects default list; Resources default grid).
Metadata that matters
- Modified (primary), Type, Size (secondary).
- Progressive disclosure: show more on hover/tap or when the row is focused.
Quick filters
- One row of chips:
#writing #design #needs-review #clientA #pdf
- One “More…” popover for the long tail—never force a sidebar jungle.
How it lands in LifeOS (v0 sketch)
- Sections: PARA panes in the left rail; Recents and Favorites above them.
- List/Grid: segmented control in the header; persists by section via
UserDefaults.
- Drive metadata: size, modified, MIME type pulled via token-based REST (no GTLR).
- Thumbnails: lightweight preview for common types (images, PDFs, key docs).
- Tags: local + cloud; filter chips at top of content pane.
Tech note: LifeOS 0.1.0-dev (Swift 6, Xcode 16). Google Drive/Calendar v3 via REST + URLSession. Tokens in Keychain. No GTLR.
See also: /lifeos-scribraria-dev-log-1
A simple system you can use today (even without LifeOS)
- Create four top folders: Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives.
- Add a Recents smart view (or sort by modified desc).
- Add a Favorites star/flag.
- Pick 5 core tags (topic or status). Keep it small.
- Decide your defaults: Projects=List, Resources=Grid.
- Review weekly: unstar old items, archive done projects.
Accessibility & calm design choices
- Minimum 14–16pt labels; 44pt hit targets.
- One line of tags visible by default; scroll inside the chip row if needed.
- No color-only signals: use icons + text (★ Favorite, ● Modified).
- Keyboard first:
/ to search, g l list, g g grid, t to toggle tag focus.
What I’m testing next
- Thumbnail performance on large folders
- Tag suggestions from content (lightweight, on-device)
- “Session stacks”: an automatic bundle of files from the last 90 minutes
Call to action
What’s your must-have: thumbnails, tags, or modified dates?
Comment below (pick one), and I’ll tune the next build around it.
Internal & External Links
Update / Version Box (for version-sensitive posts)
LifeOS File View — v0.1 Sketch
- Build: 0.1.0-dev (Swift 6 / Xcode 16)
- Status: prototyping list/grid persistence, Drive metadata rows
- Next planned update: thumbnails performance sweep + tag UX polish
Signature
— randomblink
“Calm the screen, speed the decision.”
Drive Tokens, File Previews, and a Cleaner List/Grid Toggle
Ship notes on token-based Drive calls, practical metadata (size, modified, MIME), and the new toggle that stops fighting your brain.
“Build small, ship quiet, iterate fast.”
— Rev. Brian Scott O’keefe
What shipped
- Token-based Google Drive calls (REST, no GTLR) with cleaner refresh logic.
- Metadata rows in list view: file size (human-readable), last modified (relative + absolute), MIME type (trimmed).
- List/Grid toggle that preserves mode across sessions and stops jarring reflow.
- Preview pipeline tuned for snappier thumbnails and graceful fallbacks.
If you missed the first installment, start with Dev Log #1 for context on tokens and layout goals: /blog/lifeos-scribraria-dev-log-1.
Token-based Drive calls (quick, durable, boring)
- Access/refresh split: Access tokens power requests; refresh tokens are keyed in the system keychain. Expiration is tracked; refresh happens just-in-time, not constantly.
- URLSession + typed requests: Each Drive endpoint sits behind a tiny request type with robust error mapping (auth, quota, network).
- Backoff & retry: Transient 5xx errors back off with jitter; auth failures short-circuit to a guided re-auth path.
- Privacy guardrails: Scopes are minimal; logs strip tokens; request IDs help me trace without leaking details.
Why it matters: stable tokens mean previews and lists feel instantaneous instead of “sometimes-fast-sometimes-broken.”
File metadata that’s actually useful
- Size: Shown as KB/MB/GB with one decimal (e.g., 12.4 MB).
- Modified: Relative (“2h ago”), with tooltips/secondary text for the full timestamp.
- MIME: Trimmed to a friendly label (e.g., “PDF” instead of
application/pdf).
- Secondary line pattern:
Owner • Size • Modified. Responsive rules collapse gracefully on smaller widths.
Planned options: Toggle MIME on/off per user, and a compact “developer mode” to surface raw MIME + Drive IDs for debugging.
A calmer List/Grid toggle
- State that sticks: Your choice persists between launches (UserDefaults for now).
- Zero-jitter switch: The container reserves space, so toggling doesn’t cause big jumps.
- Grid polish: Square thumbs with consistent gutters; long names wrap to two lines and then truncate.
Previews that don’t lie
- Progressive load: Low-res thumb first, then swap in high-res when ready.
- Fallback chain: If a preview fails, we show a deterministic icon (by MIME family) and keep the metadata intact.
- No spinner storm: One spinner per cell if needed; batch prefetch avoids flicker in fast scrolls.
Known issues (and what I did about them)
- Occasional 401 after sleep: Added a wake-resume check that validates tokens before resuming queued requests.
- Over-eager reloads on tab switch: Debounced; navigation now respects cache freshness windows.
- Grid thumbnails on slow networks: Introduced a tiny placeholder palette so the grid doesn’t look empty while loading.
Next sprint (what I’m building immediately)
- Per-view sort & filter memory: Size/Modified/Name, ascending/descending, remembered per folder.
- Inline quick actions: Tap-hold for copy link, rename, and “open in Drive” without losing place.
- Preview extensions: Text, Markdown, and PDF inline readers with smooth paging.
- Diagnostics panel (developer mode): Surface request timing, cache hits, and Drive file IDs.
How you can help (CTA)
Which metadata matters most—size, modified, or MIME?
Tell me in a comment or DM. I’ll tune the default layout and the order of the secondary line based on your answer.
Changelog
2025-09-20
- Implemented token refresh guard & exponential backoff
- Added size/modified/MIME to list cells
- Persisted list/grid toggle; stabilized transitions
- Preview fallback logic + progressive thumbnails
Version / Tooling
- Languages/SDKs: Swift 6, SwiftUI, URLSession (REST), Keychain access
- Tooling: Xcode 16
- APIs: Google Sign-In (token exchange), Google Drive REST v3
- Platforms: iOS + macOS targets
- Data: Local caching for previews and metadata snapshots
— Rev. Brian Scott O’keefe
randomblink
“I build in public so I remember in private.”
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