Default View Mode Configuration

Overview

Ferrite v0.2.2 introduces a configurable default view mode, allowing users to choose which view mode (Raw, Rendered, or Split) new tabs open in. This addresses GitHub Issue #3.

Key Files

File	Purpose
src/config/settings.rs	ViewMode enum enhancements and default_view_mode field in Settings
src/state.rs	Tab constructors modified to accept default view mode
src/ui/settings.rs	Settings UI dropdown for default_view_mode selection

Implementation Details

ViewMode Enum

#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
#[serde(rename_all = "lowercase")]
pub enum ViewMode {
    #[default]
    Raw,      // Plain markdown text editing
    Rendered, // WYSIWYG rendered editing
    Split,    // Raw editor + rendered preview side by side
}

New Helper Methods

• all() - Returns all available view modes
• description() - Returns a description of each mode

Settings Field

pub struct Settings {
    // ...
    /// Default view mode for new tabs.
    /// Controls whether new tabs open in Raw, Rendered, or Split view.
    /// Existing tabs retain their stored view mode.
    pub default_view_mode: ViewMode,
}

Tab Construction Flow

When creating a new tab, the default view mode is applied:

// AppState::new_tab()
pub fn new_tab(&mut self) -> usize {
    let auto_save_default = self.settings.auto_save_enabled_default;
    let default_view_mode = self.settings.default_view_mode;
    let tab = Tab::new_with_settings(self.next_tab_id, auto_save_default, default_view_mode);
    // ...
}

Important Behavior

• New tabs open with the configured default view mode
• Existing tabs retain their saved view mode (from session restore)
• Individual tab changes do NOT affect the global setting

Usage

Settings UI

1. Open Settings (⚙ button or Ctrl+,)
2. Navigate to "Appearance" section
3. Find "Default View Mode" at the bottom
4. Select: Raw, Rendered, or Split

Config File

In config.json:

{
  "default_view_mode": "split"
}

Valid values: raw, rendered, split

Backward Compatibility

• Uses #[serde(default)] so existing config files without default_view_mode default to raw
• Existing tabs with saved view modes are unaffected
• Session restore continues to work as before (tabs restore with their saved view mode)

Tests

Run default view mode tests:

cargo test settings::tests::test_view_mode
cargo test settings::tests::test_settings_default_view_mode

Tests cover:

• Default value (Raw)
• Serialization/deserialization
• All enum variants with ViewMode::all()
• Backward compatibility with old config files
• Description method for all modes

Test Strategy

Scenario	Expected Behavior
Delete config.json, start app	New tabs default to Raw
Set default_view_mode to Split in settings	New tabs open in Split view
Change one tab to Rendered manually	Only that tab changes, global setting unchanged
Session restore	Existing tabs retain their saved view modes

Related

• Settings & Config - Settings system overview
• GitHub Issue #3 - Original feature request