# 3.4 Browse Existing Equipment, Projects, and Runs

## Capability summary

The main window is a three-region file explorer over the
equipment-first hierarchy rooted at the configured `local_root` (or NAS
mount). The left pane holds a search box, filter chips, and the
equipment / project / run tree; the centre pane shows the live file
list for the selected node; the right pane carries a Metadata / Problems
tab pair. A header toolbar opens the creation wizards and Settings, a
breadcrumb tracks the selected node, and a footer status bar reports
Sync / Validator / LIMS / Staging health. For each discovered run the
application consults `.exlab-wizard/creation.json` for `run_kind`,
template, and provenance; test runs are distinguishable from
experimental runs by a data attribute. The browse view is the
operator's home base -- every creation wizard and the Settings dialog
is launched from it. See section 02 §3.4 for the authoritative
contract.

## Walkthrough

1. **Land on the main window.** After setup the application opens the
   file explorer. The header toolbar carries *New Project*
   (`data-testid="toolbar-new-project"`), *New Run*
   (`data-testid="toolbar-new-run"`), *New Test Run*
   (`data-testid="toolbar-new-test-run"`), *Add Equipment*
   (`data-testid="toolbar-add-equipment"`), *Refresh*, and *Settings*.
2. **Find a node in the left pane.** The left pane holds a search box
   (`data-testid="main-search"`), the Active / Archived / Test-runs
   filter chips, and the tree (`data-testid="main-tree"`). Each
   equipment node holds projects; each project holds experimental runs
   and test runs.
3. **Inspect the selection.** Selecting a node fills the centre pane
   with the folder's live file list and the right pane's Metadata tab
   (`data-testid="tab-metadata"`) with the node's metadata; the
   Problems tab (`data-testid="tab-problems"`) lists validation
   findings for the selection. The breadcrumb
   (`data-testid="breadcrumb"`) above the panes tracks the path, and
   each segment is clickable. The right pane can be collapsed with the
   toggle (`data-testid="toggle-right-pane"`) to widen the file list.
4. **Act on a row.** Right-click a tree node for context actions --
   owned-equipment rows offer *Edit equipment* and *Remove* (both
   deep-link into Settings), run rows offer *Force sync*, *Clear
   verified*, and *View log*. Right-click a file-list row for *Open in
   OS* or *Copy path*.
5. **Watch the footer.** The footer status bar reports the Sync,
   Validator, LIMS, and Staging segments; the *Clear verified runs*
   button (`data-testid="footer-clear-verified"`) bulk-clears runs the
   orchestrator has verified on the NAS.

## Screenshots

```{image} ../_static/screenshots/02_browse/01_initial.png
:alt: File-explorer main window, no node selected
:align: center
```

```{image} ../_static/screenshots/02_browse/02_selected.png
:alt: File explorer with a project selected -- tree, file list, and metadata pane
:align: center
```

## Related material

- {doc}`01_settings` -- the Add-Equipment wizard and the Equipment List
  editor the tree context menus deep-link into.
- {doc}`08_problems` -- the Problems tab is mounted in the right pane.
- Design spec section 03 (Directory Structure) -- the on-disk layout
  the tree mirrors.
- Design spec section 11 (Cache Folders) -- the `.exlab-wizard/`
  subtree the browse view consults for `run_kind` etc.