@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin

Framework-agnostic toolbar and layer manager UI for @mlightcad/cad-simple-viewer.

This plugin provides ready-to-use CAD viewer chrome without Vue, React, or Element Plus. All UI uses plain DOM and respects the cad-simple-viewer --ml-ui-* theme tokens.

Features

Configurable toolbar with predefined CAD commands, separators, and preset references
Nested toolbar menus with submenu arrows
Toolbar placement: top, bottom, left, right
Default toolbar includes view/review tools, export submenu, toolbar placement, theme and locale toggles
UI theme follows COLORTHEME sysvar and --ml-ui-* tokens on host automatically
Locale follows AcApI18n.currentLocale automatically
Layer list in a dock panel tab (name, visibility, color), opened from the toolbar layer button
Chrome DevTools-style dock panel with tabs, open/close, dock side (bottom/left/right), and resize handle
ACI color picker for layer colors
Layer UI opens from the toolbar button or the layer command (opens dock when closed, switches to layers tab when open)
Dock panel closes via the close button or close-layer-manager event
Optional collapsible toolbar (like HTML export viewer): hide tool buttons and show only a chevron toggle

Install

pnpm add @mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin @mlightcad/cad-simple-viewer @mlightcad/data-model

Quick start

Load the plugin after creating the document manager. Apply the initial UI theme on host first so theme/locale/placement buttons work even before a drawing is opened:

import { AcApDocManager, applyUiTheme } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-viewer'
import { createSimpleUiPlugin } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin'

const host = document.getElementById('viewer-host')!

applyUiTheme('dark', host)

AcApDocManager.createInstance({ container: host })

await AcApDocManager.instance.pluginManager.loadPlugin(
  createSimpleUiPlugin({
    host,
    toolbar: {
      placement: 'right',
      items: 'default'
    }
  })
)

Lazy registration (smaller initial bundle)

Import from @mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin/register so the main plugin bundle is loaded only when you register it:

import { registerSimpleUiPlugin } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin/register'

await registerSimpleUiPlugin(AcApDocManager.instance.pluginManager, {
  host,
  toolbar: { placement: 'right', items: 'default' }
})

Example app pattern (`cad-simple-viewer-example`)

The vanilla example defers viewer and plugin initialization until the user opens a file (local upload or predefined sample). That keeps the first paint lightweight:

Page load — only file picker UI; no AcApDocManager yet.
First open — applyUiTheme, AcApDocManager.createInstance, lazy export plugins, then registerSimpleUiPlugin.
Subsequent opens — reuse the same viewer instance.

You can adopt the same pattern or load the plugin at startup (see Quick start above). Both are supported.

The default toolbar does not include every command the old inline demo had (for example pickbox and line-weight toggles). Add them with appendItems when needed:

toolbar: {
  items: 'default',
  appendItems: [
    {
      id: 'pickbox',
      label: 'Set Pickbox',
      requiresDocument: true,
      action: () => {
        const valueText = window.prompt('Set pick box size (integer):', '10')
        if (valueText == null) return
        const pickboxValue = Number.parseInt(valueText, 10)
        if (!Number.isFinite(pickboxValue) || pickboxValue <= 0) return
        AcApDocManager.instance.sendStringToExecute(`PICKBOX\n${pickboxValue}`)
      }
    }
  ]
}

By default appendItems are added at the end of the toolbar. Use appendItemsAfter or appendItemsBefore to insert next to an existing root item id (for example after layer). When both are set, appendItemsBefore takes precedence.

toolbar: {
  items: 'default',
  appendItems: [{ id: 'agent', label: 'Agent', command: 'agent' }],
  appendItemsAfter: 'layer'
}

The built-in theme toggle button updates COLORTHEME when a document is open, or applies applyUiTheme on host when no document is loaded.

Layer manager (dock panel)

The layer list is enabled automatically when the resolved toolbar includes a layer button (id: 'layer' or { preset: 'layer' }). Layers always render as a tab in the dock panel.

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  host,
  dockPanel: {
    defaultSide: 'left', // 'top' | 'bottom' | 'left' | 'right' (default: 'left')
    defaultOpen: false,
    defaultHeight: 240,
    defaultWidth: 280
  }
})

Dock panel behavior:

Click the layer toolbar button (runs the layer command) to open the dock panel when it is closed, or switch to the layers tab when it is already open
Open or focus layers via the layer command or AcApDocManager.sendStringToExecute('layer')
Close via the panel close button or setDockPanelOpen(false)
setDockPanelOpen(true) opens the dock without changing the active tab
Default dock side is left; override with dockPanel.defaultSide
By default the dock mounts on the viewer canvas parent (inside host), so sibling header toolbars are not stretched
Override mount element with dockPanel.mountTarget when needed
Drag the resize handle on the panel edge to adjust height or width
Multiple tabs supported (layers tab registered automatically)
Canvas area shrinks when the panel is open (flex layout on host)

Runtime dock panel controls:

const plugin = docManager.pluginManager.getPlugin(
  SIMPLE_UI_PLUGIN_NAME
) as AcApSimpleUiPlugin

plugin.isDockPanelOpen()
plugin.setDockPanelOpen(true)
plugin.getDockPanelSide() // 'left' | 'right' | 'top' | 'bottom'
plugin.getDockPanelSize()
plugin.setDockPanelSize(320)

You can enable an empty dock panel for future tabs without a layer button:

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  host,
  dockPanel: { enabled: true }
})

The built-in layerclose command emits close-layer-manager, which the plugin listens for.

Collapsible toolbar

Set toolbar.collapsible: true to append a chevron toggle at the end of the toolbar (same behavior as the HTML export viewer). When collapsed, only the toggle button is shown; the dock panel is closed automatically.

toolbar: {
  placement: 'right',
  items: 'default',
  collapsible: true,
  defaultCollapsed: false // optional, default false
}

Custom toolbar

Toolbar buttons are configured through toolbar.items. You can start from the built-in set, extend it, or replace it entirely.

Replace the full toolbar at runtime

Use appendItems only when you want to keep the built-in default and add a few buttons. To replace the entire toolbar, call setToolbarItems on the loaded plugin:

import {
  SIMPLE_UI_PLUGIN_NAME,
  type AcApSimpleUiPlugin,
  createToolbarLayoutSwitcher,
  toolbarPreset
} from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin'

const plugin = docManager.pluginManager.getPlugin(
  SIMPLE_UI_PLUGIN_NAME
) as AcApSimpleUiPlugin

plugin.setToolbarItems([
  toolbarPreset('select'),
  toolbarPreset('pan'),
  toolbarPreset('layer')
])

// Optional: prepend a submenu button that switches between full layouts
plugin.setToolbarItems(
  [
    toolbarPreset('select'),
    { id: 'line', label: 'Line', command: 'line', requiresDocument: true }
  ],
  createToolbarLayoutSwitcher({
    presets: [
      { id: 'view', label: 'View tools' },
      { id: 'draw', label: 'Draw tools' }
    ],
    currentId: 'draw',
    onSelect: presetId => applyLayout(presetId)
  })
)

See cad-simple-viewer-example (demoToolbarPresets.ts) for a working layout switcher prepended to the viewer toolbar (via createToolbarLayoutSwitcher + setToolbarItems). The example dev toolbar also includes a layout dropdown that calls the same preset helpers.

`AcExToolbarItem` fields

Field	Description
`id`	Unique button id
`label`	Tooltip / aria-label (i18n key or plain text if using custom items only)
`icon`	Inline SVG string, DOM element, or factory `() => HTMLElement`
`command`	Passed to `AcApDocManager.sendStringToExecute` (supports `\n`, e.g. `'zoom\nall'`)
`action`	Custom click handler (e.g. open a dialog). Used when no `command` is set
`anchorAction`	Popover-style handler that receives the anchor button element. Takes precedence over `command` and `action`
`requiresDocument`	When `false`, button stays enabled before a drawing is opened
`minOpenMode`	Hide below Review/Write (`AcEdOpenMode.Review`)
`children`	Submenu items (parent shows a flyout arrow)
`childIcon`	`'fixed'` (default): parent keeps its own icon; `'selected'`: parent icon follows the active submenu item
`selectedChildId`	Initial submenu selection when `childIcon` is `'selected'`
`toggle`	Two-state button with `getValue`, `on`, and `off` branches
`type`	`'separator'` renders a divider; omit for buttons
`preset`	Reference a built-in button by id (custom layouts only; use `{ preset: 'pan' }`)
`disabled`	`boolean` or `() => boolean`

Built-in preset ids include: select, pan, zoom-extent, layer, measure, export, toolbar-placement, switch-bg, theme, locale, and nested ids such as placement-top, measure-distance, export-html, etc.

1. Default toolbar + extra buttons

Keep all predefined buttons and append your own at the end:

import { AcEdOpenMode } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-viewer'
import { createSimpleUiPlugin } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin'

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  toolbar: {
    placement: 'right',
    items: 'default',
    appendItems: [
      {
        id: 'my-redline',
        label: 'Redline',
        command: 'sketch',
        minOpenMode: AcEdOpenMode.Review
      }
    ]
  }
})

2. Custom layout with built-in presets and separators

Pick built-in buttons by id and group them with separators — no need to duplicate icons, labels, or submenu definitions:

import {
  createSimpleUiPlugin,
  createToolbarSeparator,
  toolbarPreset
} from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin'

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  toolbar: {
    placement: 'right',
    items: [
      toolbarPreset('select'),
      toolbarPreset('pan'),
      toolbarPreset('zoom-extent'),
      createToolbarSeparator('sep-tools'),
      toolbarPreset('layer'),
      toolbarPreset('measure'),
      createToolbarSeparator('sep-settings'),
      toolbarPreset('switch-bg'),
      toolbarPreset('theme'),
      toolbarPreset('locale')
    ]
  }
})

Equivalent object form:

items: [
  { preset: 'select' },
  { preset: 'pan' },
  { type: 'separator', id: 'sep-tools' },
  { preset: 'measure' }
]

3. Fully custom toolbar

Replace the default set with your own list:

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  toolbar: {
    placement: 'top',
    items: [
      {
        id: 'select',
        label: 'Select',
        icon: '<svg ...>...</svg>',
        command: 'select'
      },
      {
        id: 'pan',
        label: 'Pan',
        command: 'pan'
      },
      {
        id: 'zoom',
        label: 'Zoom',
        children: [
          { id: 'zoom-all', label: 'Zoom Extents', command: 'zoom\nall' },
          { id: 'zoom-window', label: 'Zoom Window', command: 'zoom\nwindow' }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
})

4. Button with icon and command

{
  id: 'line',
  label: 'Draw Line',
  icon: '<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1em" height="1em" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path fill="currentColor" d="M4 16 L16 4"/></svg>',
  command: 'line'
}

currentColor in SVG inherits the toolbar text color and follows light/dark theme.

5. Text-only button (no icon)

{
  id: 'save',
  label: 'Save',
  command: 'qsave'
}

6. Submenu (nested commands)

{
  id: 'draw',
  label: 'Draw',
  icon: drawIconSvg,
  childIcon: 'fixed', // default — parent icon stays the same
  children: [
    { id: 'line', label: 'Line', command: 'line' },
    { id: 'circle', label: 'Circle', command: 'circle' }
  ]
}

When the parent icon should reflect the active submenu item:

{
  id: 'my-export',
  label: 'Export',
  icon: exportIconSvg,
  childIcon: 'selected',
  selectedChildId: 'export-pdf',
  children: [
    { id: 'export-html', label: 'HTML', icon: htmlIcon, command: 'chtml' }, // dialog in cad-viewer; command-line in cad-simple-viewer-only hosts
    { id: 'export-pdf', label: 'PDF', icon: pdfIcon, command: 'cpdf' }
  ]
}

Built-in buttons using childIcon: 'selected': toolbar-placement only. export, annotation, and measure use fixed parent icons.

Submenu flyout direction follows toolbar placement (e.g. arrow points left when the toolbar is on the right).

7. Custom action (no CAD command)

{
  id: 'help',
  label: 'Help',
  requiresDocument: false,
  action: () => window.open('/help', '_blank')
}

8. Toggle button

{
  id: 'grid',
  toggle: {
    getValue: () => gridVisible,
    on: { label: 'Hide Grid', icon: gridOnIcon, action: () => setGridVisible(false) },
    off: { label: 'Show Grid', icon: gridOffIcon, action: () => setGridVisible(true) }
  }
}

9. Disable toolbar

createSimpleUiPlugin({
  toolbar: { enabled: false }
})

Disabling the toolbar also disables the layer dock UI, because the layer list is tied to the layer toolbar button.

Complete example

import { AcApDocManager, AcEdOpenMode, applyUiTheme } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-viewer'
import { createSimpleUiPlugin } from '@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin'

const viewerPane = document.getElementById('viewerPane')!

applyUiTheme('dark', viewerPane)

AcApDocManager.createInstance({ container: document.getElementById('cad-container')! })

await AcApDocManager.instance.pluginManager.loadPlugin(
  createSimpleUiPlugin({
    host: viewerPane,
    toolbar: {
      placement: 'right',
      items: 'default',
      appendItems: [
        {
          id: 'open-url',
          label: 'Open URL',
          requiresDocument: false,
          action: () => {
            const url = window.prompt('Drawing URL:')
            if (url) void AcApDocManager.instance.openUrl(url)
          }
        },
        {
          id: 'draw-tools',
          label: 'Draw',
          children: [
            { id: 'line', label: 'Line', command: 'line' },
            { id: 'circle', label: 'Circle', command: 'circle' }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  })
)

Layer manager

When the toolbar includes a layer button, the plugin registers a layer command. The button opens the dock when closed, or activates the layers tab when the dock is already open.

Supported columns in v1:

Name (current layer marked with *)
On (visibility checkbox)
Color (ACI picker)

Double-click a layer row to zoom to that layer.

To use the layer UI in a custom toolbar, include the built-in preset or a button with id: 'layer':

items: [
  toolbarPreset('select'),
  toolbarPreset('layer')
]

Omit the layer button from items if you do not want the layer dock UI or layer command.

API

Export	Description
`createSimpleUiPlugin(options)`	Returns an `AcApPlugin` instance
`registerSimpleUiPlugin(pluginManager, options)`	Eager-load helper
`AcApLayerStore`	Document-scoped layer observer and UI mutations
`AcExSimpleUiPluginOptions`	Plugin configuration type
`AcExToolbarItem`	Single toolbar button definition
`AcExToolbarItemConfig`	Button, separator, or preset reference in toolbar config
`createToolbarSeparator(id?)`	Helper that creates a separator entry
`toolbarPreset(id)`	Helper that references a built-in button
`createDefaultToolbarPresetMap()`	Built-in items keyed by id (advanced use)
`AcExToolbarPlacement`	`'top' \| 'bottom' \| 'left' \| 'right'`

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@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin

Features

Install

Quick start

Lazy registration (smaller initial bundle)

Example app pattern (`cad-simple-viewer-example`)

Layer manager (dock panel)

Collapsible toolbar

Custom toolbar

Replace the full toolbar at runtime

`AcExToolbarItem` fields

1. Default toolbar + extra buttons

2. Custom layout with built-in presets and separators

3. Fully custom toolbar

4. Button with icon and command

5. Text-only button (no icon)

6. Submenu (nested commands)

7. Custom action (no CAD command)

8. Toggle button

9. Disable toolbar

Complete example

Layer manager

API

See also

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@mlightcad/cad-simple-ui-plugin

Features

Install

Quick start

Lazy registration (smaller initial bundle)

Example app pattern (cad-simple-viewer-example)

Layer manager (dock panel)

Collapsible toolbar

Custom toolbar

Replace the full toolbar at runtime

AcExToolbarItem fields

1. Default toolbar + extra buttons

2. Custom layout with built-in presets and separators

3. Fully custom toolbar

4. Button with icon and command

5. Text-only button (no icon)

6. Submenu (nested commands)

7. Custom action (no CAD command)

8. Toggle button

9. Disable toolbar

Complete example

Layer manager

API

See also

Example app pattern (`cad-simple-viewer-example`)

`AcExToolbarItem` fields