Development

Development Guide

oPenEfficiency is built on the .NET Framework 4.8 using Microsoft's VSTO (Visual Studio Tools for Office).

Project Structure

oPenEfficiency/
├── Features/           # Core feature logic (Alignment, Tables, Visuals, etc.)
├── Models/             # Data structures and configuration models
├── Services/           # Business logic and PowerPoint interaction layer
├── UI/                 # WPF dialogs, sidebar panels, and custom controls
└── Utils/              # Helper classes and Win32 hooks

Architectural Guidelines (from GEMINI.md)

When contributing or developing new features, strictly adhere to the following mandates:

Technical Integrity & VSTO Stability

1. NO GLOBBING in .csproj: NEVER use wildcards like **\*.cs or **\*.xaml for UI, Models, Services, or Utils folders. Every file MUST be explicitly listed with its correct DependentUpon mapping. Wildcards break VSTO code-behind linking. The ONLY exception permitted is the Features folder.
2. XAML connectionId Safety: Define all complex ContextMenu and Resources as StaticResources at the top of the XAML file. NEVER nest anonymous context menus inside ListBox templates.
3. Constructor-First Initialization: Perform all primary UI population and child control instantiation in the Constructor, not the Loaded event. The Loaded event is suppressed in VSTO's ElementHost.
4. Scrolling Constraints: Gallery views (ListBox, WrapPanel) MUST have HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Disabled" to force grid wrapping in the PowerPoint TaskPane.
5. Office Namespace Precision: Always use fully qualified names for Office COM types (e.g., Microsoft.Office.Core.SmartArtNode).
6. Strict XAML Setter Syntax: ALWAYS use the explicit <Setter Property="X" Value="Y" /> syntax. NEVER use shorthand attributes like <Setter X="Y" />.

Agenda Engine Compatibility Strategy

• Efficient Elements (EE4P) Integration: Use the AgendaGenerationService adapter pattern to serialize data for EE4P schemas and inject EE4P_AGENDAWIZARD tags.
• ThinkCellGuard: The AgendaService actively scans for THINKCELLPRESENTATIONDONOTDELETE and THINKCELLSHAPEDONOTDELETE tags. Slides containing these must be skipped to prevent corruption.

UI/UX & Theming Guidelines

• Theme Cohesion: Never use TextMutedBrush or TextSecondaryBrush for standalone icon buttons or close ("X") buttons in floating windows in Light Theme. Use TextPrimaryBrush.
• Tooltip Inheritance: WPF ToolTips natively inherit Foreground properties. Always ensure ToolTip styles explicitly set their own Background and Foreground decoupled from the button hover states.