microsoft/Terminal

Use a binary tree/heap to represent panes

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#13,762 opened on Aug 16, 2022

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Area-CodeHealthArea-TerminalControlHelp WantedIssue-TaskProduct-Terminal

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Description

Problem

The Pane class acts simultaneously as the data model to represent actual panes and as splits which contain nothing but exactly 2 child panes and a split ratio / direction. In a sense Pane represents both a leaf and internal nodes in a binary tree simultaneously. Member functions of Pane iterating through that tree are complex and make changes difficult (#13306), as iteration happens almost exclusively via recursion, making retaining state cumbersome.

Proposal

Let's implement a binary heap class that works independently of Pane. This would allow us to use regular text-book algorithms for its implementation. Internal nodes of the heap would retain split ratios and directions and leaf nodes of the heap contain shared_ptr<Pane> references. Traversal/iteration would also be simplified. This separate heap would be cheap to clone, allowing us to implement things like UI state persistence (#13306) more easily.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Design a binary heap class for pane management. Study the current Pane class structure and identify how to separate internal nodes (splits) from leaf nodes (actual panes). Implement the heap with standard algorithms for insertion, deletion, and traversal.
Tech stack
None
Domain
backend
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
C++Git
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30