encore/docs/TODO.md

# Roadmap / TODO

Near-term work after the working MVP (connect + auto-connect, now-playing with
transport/volume/options, DataStore-persisted settings). Roughly ordered by
priority; not a commitment.

Status legend: `[ ]` todo · `[~]` in progress · `[x]` done

---

## [x] 1. Proper icons

Done. Replaced the placeholder unicode glyphs in `NowPlayingScreen.kt` with real
Material icons (`Icons.Filled.SkipPrevious/PlayArrow/Pause/SkipNext/VolumeUp`,
plus `Repeat`/`Shuffle` leading icons on the chips) from
`androidx.compose.material:material-icons-extended`.

- That artifact bundles thousands of vectors, so the **debug** APK grew ~7 MB
  (expected — debug can't shrink). Enabled **R8 + resource shrinking** on the
  `release` build type, which strips the unused icons: release APK is ~1.2 MB.
- Considered `material-icons-core` (too small — no media icons) and bundling
  individual vector drawables (leaner but manual); the extended dep + R8 was the
  best effort/quality trade.

## [x] 2. Settings menu

Done. `SettingsScreen` (reached via a gear icon on the now-playing screen) shows
the current server (host/port) with **Change server** (disconnect → connect
form) and **Reset settings** (confirm dialog → clears DataStore + disconnects).

- `SettingsRepository.clear()` wipes DataStore; `MpdConnectionManager.resetSettings()`
  clears + disconnects.
- Navigation is lightweight state (`showSettings` in `MusicRemoteApp`, only over
  the player screen; a `LaunchedEffect` drops it when leaving the player) — no
  Navigation-Compose dependency yet.
- Room to grow: password field, connection timeout, theme, keep-screen-on — and
  if screens multiply, revisit adopting Navigation-Compose.

## [x] 3. Cast-style volume + OS media integration

Done — full MALP-style **OS integration**, not just in-app. Architecture:

- **`MpdConnectionManager`** (app-scoped, held by `MusicRemoteApplication`) now
  owns the single `MpdClient`, so the connection survives Activity recreation and
  runs while the service is up. `PlayerViewModel` is a thin delegate over it.
- **`PlaybackService`** — a `mediaPlayback` foreground service hosting a
  `MediaSessionCompat`:
  - **Cast-style volume**: `setPlaybackToRemote(VolumeProviderCompat)` (absolute,
    0–100). The OS routes hardware volume keys to the *server* volume
    **system-wide, even when the app is backgrounded** (verified: 50→40 via
    injected keys from the launcher), and shows the remote-volume UI. Replaced
    the earlier in-app `onKeyDown` hack. Rapid presses accumulate via
    `pendingVolume`.
  - **Now-playing notification / QS / lock-screen** via a `MediaStyle`
    notification bound to the session, with prev/play-pause/next actions
    (`MediaButtonReceiver`) and metadata/position mirrored from the flows.
  - Needs `POST_NOTIFICATIONS` (requested in `MainActivity`) +
    `FOREGROUND_SERVICE[_MEDIA_PLAYBACK]`.
- In-app **`CastIndicator`** ("Controlling <host>") still shown above the slider.
- **Foreground key handling** (`VolumeKeyDispatcher`, delegated from
  `MainActivity.dispatchKeyEvent`): while focused, volume keys are consumed and
  drive the server silently — no system volume slider (the app's own slider is
  the feedback). Backgrounded, the `VolumeProvider` takes over (system UI is fine
  there). Gated by `MpdConnectionManager.isControllingVolume`; passes through to
  local volume when not connected.

Notes: verified on the FiiO via injected key events (a rotary volume knob may not
emit `VOLUME_UP/DOWN` — hardware-dependent). Album art in the notification/session
is pending item #5.

## [ ] 4. Library browse — albums

A screen to browse all albums on the server (artists can come later).

- MPD commands: `list album group albumartist` (or `list album`), and
  `find album "<name>"` to fetch an album's tracks; add to the queue with
  `add`/`findadd`. Extend `MpdCommands` + `MpdClient`.
- Grid or list of albums → tap to view/queue tracks.

## [ ] 5. Album / artist images

Pull artwork for the now-playing track and for the album browse grid.

- MPD serves art over the protocol via `albumart <uri> <offset>` and
  `readpicture <uri> <offset>` (embedded art). **`MpdConnection` already handles
  binary responses**, so the transport groundwork is done — add the commands,
  loop over offsets to fetch the whole image, and decode.
- Needs an image loader + caching. Coil (`io.coil-kt`) is the standard Compose
  choice; a custom `MpdArtFetcher` could feed it. Dependency → `deps.json` regen.

## [ ] 6. BUG: idle connection drops after a few minutes → kicked to connect page

After a few minutes idling, the app surfaces **"connection closed mid-response"**
and falls back to the connect screen. MALP does not do this.

- Error origin: `MpdConnection.readResponse()` hits EOF and throws
  `MpdConnectionException("connection closed mid-response")`; the idle loop's
  `catch (IOException)` calls `failAndClose()` → `MpdConnectionState.Error` →
  UI shows the connect form.
- Likely causes to investigate:
  - **Android Doze / WiFi power-save** tearing down sockets when the screen is
    off or the app is backgrounded (most likely on a portable DAP/phone).
  - MPD's `connection_timeout` (default 60s) closing a connection it considers
    idle — a parked `idle` should count as active, but the *command* connection
    sits silent; a periodic `ping` keepalive may be needed.
  - NAT/router idle-connection reaping (less likely on LAN).
- Fix direction: don't treat an idle-connection drop as a fatal error — instead
  **auto-reconnect transparently** (re-open connections, re-issue `idle`, resync
  state) and keep showing the player. Consider a keepalive ping and, for
  backgrounded playback control, a foreground service / partial wakelock.
- PARTIALLY ADDRESSED by item #3: the `mediaPlayback` foreground service now
  keeps the process/connection alive in the background, which should stop Doze /
  wifi power-save from tearing the sockets down (the most likely cause). Still
  worth verifying over a long idle, and adding transparent auto-reconnect +
  keepalive ping as defense-in-depth (e.g. against MPD `connection_timeout`).