[ENG-928] Shift click to open file on the right split

[trangdoan982]

https://www.loom.com/share/0865fab1de364937a0df36a0d07dbcd4

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features
  • SHIFT+Click a Discourse Node on canvas to open its linked Obsidian file.
  • Opens in the right or vertical split for side-by-side viewing.
  • Prevents accidental double-opens with built-in debounce.
  • Provides clear toast messages for missing block references, read errors, or failed openings.
  • Clears selection after opening to streamline navigation.

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[trangdoan982]

• [ENG-928] Shift click to open file on the right split #485 👈 (View in Graphite)
• tldraw-obsidian

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[linear]

ENG-928 Shift + Click to open discourse node

[trangdoan982]

@coderabbitai full review

[coderabbitai]

✅ Actions performed

Full review triggered.

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Adds SHIFT+click handling in TldrawViewComponent to open a linked Obsidian file from a Discourse Node. Implements debounce, detects single selected discourse-node under pointer, extracts block ref, resolves linked file, opens it in a split, clears selection, and shows toasts on missing refs/errors.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary of Changes
Canvas shift-click open Linked File apps/obsidian/src/components/canvas/TldrawViewComponent.tsx	Added SHIFT+click handler with debounce; detects discourse-node under pointer and validates single selection; extracts block ref; resolves linked file via resolveLinkedTFileByBlockRef; opens file in right/vertical split; clears selection; integrates toast-based feedback and error handling; added related imports/types/constants.

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  autonumber
  actor U as User
  participant C as TldrawViewComponent
  participant E as Tldraw Editor
  participant X as BlockRef Extractor
  participant R as Linked File Resolver
  participant O as Obsidian App
  participant T as Toast

  U->>C: SHIFT+Click on canvas
  C->>C: Debounce guard (skip if recent)
  alt Debounced
    C->>T: showToast("Please wait")
  else Proceed
    C->>E: get shape under pointer
    E-->>C: discourse-node?
    alt Not a discourse-node or multiple selection
      C->>C: Exit (no action)
    else Single discourse-node
      C->>X: extract block ref
      alt No block ref
        C->>T: showToast("Missing block reference")
      else Has block ref
        C->>R: resolveLinkedTFileByBlockRef(ref)
        alt Resolve error or not found
          C->>T: showToast("Unable to resolve/open")
        else Resolved TFile
          C->>O: open file in right/vertical split
          alt Open failed
            C->>T: showToast("Open failed")
          else Opened
            C->>E: clear selection
          end
        end
      end
    end
  end

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Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

Possibly related PRs

• ENG-861 - Update canvas node click behavior #449 — Also modifies shift-click handling on canvas nodes, adds single-selection guard, and clears selection after opening linked content.

Pre-merge checks

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title Check	✅ Passed	The title succinctly describes the core feature change by indicating that a shift-click action will open a file in the right split, directly reflecting the main functionality added in the code. It is concise, clear, and fully related to the implementation of shift-click handling for opening linked files.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changes. Docstring coverage check skipped.

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

apps/obsidian/src/components/canvas/TldrawViewComponent.tsx (1)

226-226: Remove redundant null coalescing.

shape.props.src ?? undefined is redundant since the nullish coalescing operator already returns undefined when the left operand is null or undefined.

-        const blockRefId = extractBlockRefId(shape.props.src ?? undefined);
+        const blockRefId = extractBlockRefId(shape.props.src);

📜 Review details

Configuration used: CodeRabbit UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between b1d15d0 and c649cf4.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• apps/obsidian/src/components/canvas/TldrawViewComponent.tsx (4 hunks)

🔇 Additional comments (7)

apps/obsidian/src/components/canvas/TldrawViewComponent.tsx (7)

33-41: LGTM! Clean imports for the new functionality.

The new imports are well-organized and all are utilized in the shift-click handler implementation.

Also applies to: 53-53

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71-72: LGTM! Good debounce implementation.

The 300ms debounce window is reasonable for preventing accidental double-clicks while remaining responsive.

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203-210: LGTM! Effective debounce logic.

The timestamp-based debounce correctly prevents rapid successive shift-clicks within 300ms.

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277-277: LGTM! Good UX touch.

Clearing the editor selection after opening the file prevents confusion and keeps the UI clean.

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228-286: LGTM! Comprehensive error handling with user feedback.

The implementation provides clear user feedback through toast notifications for all error cases (missing block ref, file read error, file not found, failed open) and includes proper error logging.

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217-224: Verify shift-click requires selected node
Current guard only checks selectedShapes.length, so if Node A is selected and you shift-click unselected Node B, it still opens B. Should the clicked node be required to be in selectedShapes?

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246-286: Confirm workspace.rightSplit is a valid API
I couldn’t find rightSplit in the Obsidian type definitions—verify it’s exposed in your target Obsidian version or replace with splitActiveLeaf/alternative split APIs.

[mdroidian]

I believe I misunderstood our last conversation where you mentioned this. I assumed the behavior was going to be opening the file in the workspace in another vertical tab beside the existing tab.

Seems like an odd behavior, to open a file in the sidebar. This goes against the plugins default behavior (shift click opens in current tab). This will also lead to some odd UX like if the canvas is in it's own window, for example. And closing a sidebar leaf isn't as clear as it is in the main window.

But, if you are sure this is what was requested, I won't block on it. I just couldn't find the original request in the ticket. I'd like to investigate the discussion and bring this up.

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EDIT - I tested shift click on a property, shift click on a regular link does nothing

As long as we are matching Obsidian in the future:

• Ctrl - open in new tab in current leaf
• Alt+Ctrl - open in new leaf

and creating some affordance to open the node in the current tab, I'm happy.

[trangdoan982]

I'll note this behavior down in this ticket: https://linear.app/discourse-graphs/issue/ENG-874/open-dn-file