OpenNest/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-15-nest-progress-redesign.md

NestProgressForm Redesign

Problem

The current NestProgressForm is a flat list of label/value pairs with no visual hierarchy, no progress indicator, and default WinForms styling. It's functional but looks basic and gives no sense of where the engine is in its process.

Solution

Redesign the form with three changes:

1. A custom-drawn phase stepper control showing which nesting phase is active
2. Grouped sections separating results from status information
3. Modern styling — Segoe UI fonts, subtle background contrast, better spacing

Phase Stepper Control

New file: OpenNest/Controls/PhaseStepperControl.cs

A custom UserControl that draws 4 connected circles with labels beneath:

  ●━━━━━━━●━━━━━━━○━━━━━━━○
Linear   BestFit   Pairs   Remainder

Visual States

• Completed: Filled circle with accent color, bold label
• Active: Filled circle with accent color and slightly larger radius, bold label
• Pending: Hollow circle with border only, dimmed label text
• All complete: All 4 circles filled (used when ShowCompleted() is called)

Implementation

• Single OnPaint override. Circles evenly spaced across control width. Connecting lines drawn between circle centers — completed segments use accent color, pending segments use a light gray.
• Colors defined as static readonly Color fields at the top of the class for easy tweaking.
• Exposes a CurrentPhase property (type NestPhase?). Setting it calls Invalidate(). A null value means no phase is active yet. An additional bool IsComplete property marks all phases as done.
• DoubleBuffered = true to prevent flicker on repaint.
• Fixed height (~60px), docks to fill width.

Form Layout

Three vertical zones using DockStyle.Top stacking:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ●━━━━━━━●━━━━━━━○━━━━━━━○          │  Phase stepper
│ Linear  BestFit  Pairs  Remainder   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Results                            │  Results group
│  Parts:    156                      │
│  Density:  68.3%                    │
│  Nested:   24.1 x 36.0 (867.6 sq in)│
│  Unused:   43.2 sq in              │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Status                            │  Status group
│  Plate:    2                        │
│  Elapsed:  1:24                     │
│  Detail:   Trying 45° rotation...   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│                           [ Stop ]  │  Button bar
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Group Panels

Each group is a Panel containing:

• A header label (Segoe UI 9pt bold) at the top
• A TableLayoutPanel with label/value rows beneath

Group panels use Color.White (or very light gray) BackColor against the form's SystemColors.Control background to create visual separation without borders. Small padding/margins between groups.

Typography

• All fonts: Segoe UI (replaces MS Sans Serif)
• Group headers: 9pt bold
• Row labels: 8.25pt bold
• Row values: 8.25pt regular
• Value labels use ForeColor = SystemColors.ControlText

Sizing

• Width: ~450px (slightly wider than current 425px for breathing room)
• Height: auto-sizes to content via AutoSize = true on the table panels
• FormBorderStyle.FixedToolWindow, StartPosition.CenterParent, ShowInTaskbar = false

Plate Row Visibility

The Plate row in the Status group is hidden when showPlateRow: false is passed to the constructor (same as current behavior).

Public API

No signature changes. The form remains a drop-in replacement.

Constructor

NestProgressForm(CancellationTokenSource cts, bool showPlateRow = true) — unchanged.

UpdateProgress(NestProgress progress)

Same as today, plus sets phaseStepperControl.CurrentPhase = progress.Phase to advance the stepper visual.

ShowCompleted()

Same as today (stops timer, changes button to "Close"), plus sets phaseStepperControl.IsComplete = true to fill all circles.

No External Changes

• NestProgress and NestPhase are unchanged.
• All callers (MainForm, PlateView.FillWithProgress) continue calling UpdateProgress and ShowCompleted with no code changes.
• The form file paths remain the same — this is a modification, not a new form.

Files Touched

File	Change
OpenNest/Controls/PhaseStepperControl.cs	New — custom-drawn phase stepper control
OpenNest/Forms/NestProgressForm.cs	Rewritten — grouped layout, stepper integration
OpenNest/Forms/NestProgressForm.Designer.cs	Rewritten — new control layout