core, ui: terminal chat layout for LLM and service bot chats (#7811)

* plan: UI improvements to improve LLM usage via SimpleX

* core, ui: types for chat layout

* core, ui: settings for alternative terminal-like chat layout for managing LLMs or other service bots

* plan: message priority

* fixes

* query plan

* update plans

* remove silent messages plan

* rename migrations

* implement layout

* amend

* fix

* fix

* fix

* improve

* time on the right, sender name in blue

* no avatar in direct chats

* better previews

* update, fixes

* update

* time gap

* changes

* ui: terminal layout line heights, gaps and time placement

* ui: simplify terminal meta layout, correct its docs and tests

* ui: right-to-left emoji edge in terminal rows, time placement tests

* android, desktop: raise Kotlin compiler memory to 4 GB

* ui: terminal captions as follow-up text, classic event separators

* ui: terminal media edge and overlay time, plan decisions

* ui: simplify terminal row separation, correct doc line references

* ui: keep the media time inside terminal rows, restore caption conditions

* ui: terminal heading capitals at large font scales, idle live message time

* ui: rename the classic voice-with-text flag, correct the meta copy docs

* ui: smaller terminal layout diff, sender gap and meta names

* ui: terminal row as tall as the media time

* docs: remove the chat layout section from the bots readme

* docs: shorten the terminal layout section of the chat view

* core: address settings API as on master, /auto_accept reads the stored layout

* ui: smaller terminal headings

* ui: classic sender rows and avatar rule as on master

* ui: classic reply quote text colour as on master

* ios: keep the chat layout setting with other UI settings

* ui: go-to button at the end of terminal rows, no gutter in direct chats

* ui: forwarded arrow on the header line of terminal rows, above the time

* ui: forwarded arrow centred above the time line of terminal rows

---------

Co-authored-by: Evgeny Poberezkin <evgeny@poberezkin.com>

packages/simplex-chat-python/src/simplex_chat/bot.py

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ class Bot(Client):
         update_profile: bool = True,
         auto_accept: bool = True,
         business_address: bool = False,
+        chat_layout: T.ChatLayout | None = None,
         allow_files: bool = False,
         log_contacts: bool = True,
         log_network: bool = False,
@@ -115,6 +116,7 @@ class Bot(Client):
         self._update_address = update_address
         self._auto_accept = auto_accept
         self._business_address = business_address
+        self._chat_layout = chat_layout
         self._allow_files = allow_files
 
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
@@ -153,6 +155,8 @@ class Bot(Client):
             desired: T.AddressSettings = {"businessAddress": self._business_address}
             if self._auto_accept:
                 desired["autoAccept"] = {"acceptIncognito": False}
+            if self._chat_layout is not None:
+                desired["chatLayout"] = self._chat_layout
             if self._welcome is not None:
                 desired["autoReply"] = (
                     {"type": "text", "text": self._welcome}

packages/simplex-chat-python/src/simplex_chat/types/_types.py

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ class AddRelayResult(TypedDict):
 class AddressSettings(TypedDict):
     businessAddress: bool
     autoAccept: NotRequired["AutoAccept"]
+    chatLayout: NotRequired["ChatLayout"]
     autoReply: NotRequired["MsgContent"]
 
 class AgentCryptoError_DECRYPT_AES(TypedDict):
@@ -1307,6 +1308,8 @@ class ChatItemDeletion(TypedDict):
     deletedChatItem: "AChatItem"
     toChatItem: NotRequired["AChatItem"]
 
+ChatLayout = Literal["classic", "terminal"]
+
 class ChatListQuery_filters(TypedDict):
     type: Literal["filters"]
     favorite: bool
@@ -1598,6 +1601,7 @@ class Contact(TypedDict):
     chatTags: list[int]  # int64
     chatItemTTL: NotRequired[int]  # int64
     uiThemes: NotRequired["UIThemeEntityOverrides"]
+    chatLayout: NotRequired["ChatLayout"]
     chatDeleted: bool
     customData: NotRequired[dict[str, object]]
 
@@ -1639,6 +1643,7 @@ class ContactShortLinkData(TypedDict):
     profile: "Profile"
     message: NotRequired["MsgContent"]
     business: bool
+    chatLayout: NotRequired["ChatLayout"]
     localBadge: NotRequired["LocalBadge"]
 
 ContactStatus = Literal["active", "deleted", "deletedByUser", "rejected"]
@@ -2171,6 +2176,7 @@ class GroupProfile(TypedDict):
     publicGroup: NotRequired["PublicGroupProfile"]
     groupPreferences: NotRequired["GroupPreferences"]
     memberAdmission: NotRequired["GroupMemberAdmission"]
+    chatLayout: NotRequired["ChatLayout"]
 
 class GroupRelay(TypedDict):
     groupRelayId: int  # int64
@@ -3776,6 +3782,7 @@ class UIThemeEntityOverride(TypedDict):
 class UIThemeEntityOverrides(TypedDict):
     light: NotRequired["UIThemeEntityOverride"]
     dark: NotRequired["UIThemeEntityOverride"]
+    chatLayout: NotRequired["ChatLayout"]
 
 class UpdatedMessage(TypedDict):
     msgContent: "MsgContent"

packages/simplex-chat-python/tests/test_client_and_waiters.py

@@ -729,6 +729,7 @@ class _StubApi:
 
     def __init__(self) -> None:
         self.profiles: list[dict] = []
+        self.address_settings: list[dict] = []
         self.user: dict = {"userId": 1, "profile": {"displayName": "x", "fullName": ""}}
         self.address: dict | None = None
 
@@ -758,8 +759,8 @@ class _StubApi:
     async def api_get_user_address(self, _user_id):
         return self.address
 
-    async def api_set_address_settings(self, _user_id, _settings):
-        pass
+    async def api_set_address_settings(self, _user_id, settings):
+        self.address_settings.append(settings)
 
     async def send_chat_cmd(self, _cmd):
         return {"type": "cmdOk"}
@@ -942,6 +943,55 @@ def test_sync_profile_keeps_the_bot_address_in_the_profile(monkeypatch):
     assert api.profiles[0]["contactLink"] == "https://l"
 
 
+def test_bot_address_settings_include_the_chat_layout(monkeypatch):
+    import simplex_chat.client as client_mod
+
+    api = _StubApi()
+    api.address = {
+        "connLinkContact": {"connFullLink": "https://l"},
+        "addressSettings": {"businessAddress": False, "autoAccept": {"acceptIncognito": False}},
+    }
+    monkeypatch.setattr(client_mod, "ChatApi", _init_returning(api))
+    bot = Bot(
+        profile=BotProfile(display_name="x"),
+        db=SqliteDb(file_prefix="/tmp/test"),
+        update_profile=False,
+        chat_layout="terminal",
+    )
+
+    async def go():
+        async with bot:
+            pass
+
+    asyncio.run(go())
+    assert api.address_settings == [
+        {"businessAddress": False, "autoAccept": {"acceptIncognito": False}, "chatLayout": "terminal"}
+    ]
+
+
+def test_bot_address_settings_remove_the_chat_layout_not_in_bot_settings(monkeypatch):
+    import simplex_chat.client as client_mod
+
+    api = _StubApi()
+    api.address = {
+        "connLinkContact": {"connFullLink": "https://l"},
+        "addressSettings": {"businessAddress": False, "chatLayout": "terminal"},
+    }
+    monkeypatch.setattr(client_mod, "ChatApi", _init_returning(api))
+    bot = Bot(
+        profile=BotProfile(display_name="x"),
+        db=SqliteDb(file_prefix="/tmp/test"),
+        update_profile=False,
+    )
+
+    async def go():
+        async with bot:
+            pass
+
+    asyncio.run(go())
+    assert api.address_settings == [{"businessAddress": False, "autoAccept": {"acceptIncognito": False}}]
+
+
 def test_profile_can_be_replaced(monkeypatch):
     c, _ = _client_with_stub_api(monkeypatch)
     c.profile = Profile(display_name="other", full_name="Other")