Files
CodeNavigator/docs/CITY.md
T
Andy Dixon b07095d789 Pull shared-link repositories visibly and handle private ones
Opening a shared link now says what is happening: if the repository
isn't loaded in the tab, a card explains it is being pulled from GitHub
and where you'll be taken, the progress keeps that framing, and once it
is built the camera flies to the linked position (walk and fly views
start from the helicopter's eye) with the file selected. A link to the
repository already open goes straight there, including links pasted
into an open tab (hashchange), without re-cloning.

If the clone needs GitHub access, a warning explains the link points to
a private repository and access has expired or isn't set up on this
device, with Sign in (or Grant access). The pending link survives the
sign-in round trip and continues automatically afterwards. Pending
links are dropped on other failures or when a different repository is
opened by hand. City guide updated.
2026-08-23 12:01:31 +01:00

77 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown

# City guide
Switch to **City** in the toolbar. The city is laid out from the repository's folder tree at human
scale, so a large repository is a large city.
## Reading the city
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| A **district** (big block, name floating above its tallest tower) | A top-level folder |
| A **block** inside it, separated by streets | A nested folder; deeper folders have narrower streets |
| A **building** | A file |
| Building **footprint** | Lines of code |
| Building **height** | Complexity (branching) |
| **Lit windows** | Definitions: more functions and classes, more lights on |
| Building **colour** | Semantic layer (application, tests, vendor, …), switchable palette |
| Name on the **roof** and **wall** | The file name |
| **Green street sign** sticking out at a corner | The folder that block belongs to; each corner of an intersection names its own folder |
| **Smoke** | The file has open medium/low security alerts |
| **Fire and smoke** | The file has an open critical/high security alert |
| **Yellow tape** rising across the walls | Dependabot alert (on the manifest file) |
| **Red tape** falling across the walls | Code scanning alert |
| **Light beam** into the sky | A search result |
| **Cyan chevrons** on the road | Route to a file the selected file imports (**amber** if the import was inferred) |
| **Pulsing magenta dashes** on the road | Route from a file that imports the selected file |
| **Arcs** in the sky | The same import relationships, as the crow flies |
| **Green figures** | Residents. They don't mean anything; they just live there |
| **Wall with posters** | The city limits, with a few facts about the codebase pasted on |
## Getting around
**Helicopter (`1`)**: drag to orbit, Shift+drag (or right-drag) to pan, scroll to zoom.
Double-click a building to fly to it, or double-click a street to drop down and walk.
**Walk (`2`)**: click the map to capture the mouse and look around, `WASD` to move, `Shift` to run,
`Esc` to release the mouse. The crosshair names the building ahead. Press `E` (or click) to open
it in the sidebar. Walk right up to a building and its source code appears on the wall. You can't
walk through buildings or out past the city wall.
**Fly (`3`)**: like walking, but `Space` and `C` climb and descend, and moving follows where you
look.
**Touch**: left thumb is a joystick, right thumb looks around, pinch zooms (or climbs when flying).
**Minimap**: click it to jump there. It shows your heading, the city wall, security alerts and
the selected file's routes.
## Following dependencies
Select a file (click it, search for it, or pick it from the sidebar). Routes appear on the streets
to everything it imports and from everything that imports it. With a file selected, switching to
**Walk** puts you at its door facing along the first route: follow the arrows.
## Tour and links
- **Tour (`T`)**: flies over the six largest districts with captions, and stops as soon as you
touch anything.
- **Copy link**: copies a URL with the repository, view, camera position and selected file.
Links work for GitHub repositories only.
Opening a shared link:
- **Repository already open in this tab:** you fly straight to the spot, and the file is selected.
- **Repository not loaded here:** a card says it's being pulled from GitHub and indexed. Once it's
built, you're flown to the saved camera position and the file is selected.
- **Private repository you can't access** (not signed in on this device, or your GitHub access has
expired): you get a warning with a **Sign in with GitHub** button. After signing in, the link
carries on by itself to the shared spot.
- **Private repository the GitHub App can't see:** the warning offers **Grant repository access**
instead.
## Settings
The gear opens settings: landscape palette, source text on tiles, **city residents** (they keep
the city animating, so switch them off on slow machines) and a frame-rate monitor. The sidebar
folds away with the tab on its left edge, or `[`.