What is the 'Neural Link'?

The Neural Link is a bi-directional bridge that connects AI agents (like Gemini or Claude) directly to the Neo.mjs runtime. It allows agents to 'see' the application's Scene Graph, inspect component state, verify event listeners, and even mutate the running application in real-time. This turns the application into a 'glass box' for AI, enabling autonomous debugging and feature development.

Why is Neo.mjs called an 'Application Engine' instead of a framework?

Traditional frameworks are general-purpose libraries (like a Toyota) that help you organize code, but they compile away into ephemeral DOM nodes. Neo.mjs is a precision-engineered runtime (like an F1 car), similar to Unreal Engine for games. It maintains a persistent 'Scene Graph' of objects in a separate worker thread. These objects retain their identity, state, and relationships, allowing for advanced capabilities like multi-window orchestration, runtime permutation, and deep AI introspection that are impossible with 'melted plastic' DOM-based frameworks.

What is 'Context Engineering'?

Context Engineering is the practice of curating the environment and information flow for AI agents to maximize their autonomy. In Neo.mjs, this is implemented via three Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers: a Knowledge Base for semantic code understanding, a Memory Core for learning from past sessions, and a GitHub Workflow server for project management. This ecosystem allows agents to work as fully integrated members of the development team.

What is 'Object Permanence' in the context of Neo.mjs?

In Neo.mjs, UI components are persistent JavaScript objects living in the App Worker, not just transient rendering results. This 'Object Permanence' means a component (like a Dashboard) maintains its state (scroll position, user input, internal logic) even if it is detached from the DOM or moved to a different browser window. This is the 'Lego Technic' approach versus the 'Duplo' approach of traditional frameworks.

What is an 'Agent Operating System'?

Neo.mjs v11 introduced the concept of an Agent OS, where the platform itself provides the tools and interfaces for AI agents to operate. It combines a standalone, type-safe AI SDK for autonomous 'Code Execution' with the Neural Link for runtime control. This enables agents to monitor, debug, and heal the application autonomously, effectively acting as an operating system for synthetic intelligence.

How does Neo.mjs handle multi-window applications?

Neo.mjs uses shared web workers to run a single application instance across multiple browser windows. All windows share the same application state and data in real-time. Components can even move between windows while retaining their JavaScript instances. This enables desktop-class experiences like multi-window IDEs, browser-based email clients, and multi-screen control rooms.

What makes Neo.mjs different from React, Angular, or Vue?

Neo.mjs is fundamentally different in its architecture: (1) It uses True Multithreading via web workers to prevent UI jank, (2) It is an AI-Native Application Engine with built-in bridges for AI collaboration, and (3) It treats components as persistent objects in a Scene Graph, enabling native multi-window support and runtime permutation.

Frontmatter

id	9428
title	TreeStore: Implement hierarchical sorting for doSort override
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaiarchitecturegrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM
updatedAt	Mar 10, 2026, 2:58 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9428
author	tobiu
commentsCount	2
parentIssue	9404
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 10, 2026, 2:58 PM

TreeStore: Implement hierarchical sorting for doSort override

Name: Neo.mjs Application Engine
Author: Neo.mjs

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaiarchitecturegrid

tobiu commented on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

Goal

Implement a custom doSort() override in Neo.data.TreeStore that sorts sibling nodes while preserving the parent-child tree hierarchy.

Context

TreeStore currently inherits doSort() from Collection.Base, which simply sorts the flat _items array globally. If you apply a sorter (e.g., alphabetical by name), it will mix parents and children, completely destroying the visual tree structure.

Acceptance Criteria

Override doSort() in TreeStore.
The sorting algorithm must iterate through #childrenMap and sort each parent's array of children individually.
After structurally sorting the tree, it must perform a top-down recursive projection to completely recalculate the flattened _items array, ensuring parents always immediately precede their children in the flat view.
Ensure "Turbo Mode" (lazy instantiation) remains supported during this process.
Add a test case verifying the hierarchical sort order.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the architecture label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added parent issue #9404 on Mar 10, 2026, 2:16 PM

tobiu Mar 10, 2026, 2:36 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ Implementation Guidance for Future Sessions:

We have established a robust Playwright unit testing environment for the data layer in test/playwright/unit/data/TreeStore.spec.mjs.

When implementing the hierarchical doSort override, please add a new test.describe block to this file.

Testing Requirements:

Initialize a TreeStore with a known nested hierarchy.

Apply a Sorter (e.g., descending alphabetically by name).

Assert that the resulting flat _items array correctly orders siblings while strictly maintaining the parent -> child contiguous sequences. Parents must not be mixed globally with children.

Ensure the test covers both Turbo Mode (autoInitRecords: false using raw objects) and standard mode (Records).

tobiu referenced in commit 5eaf2d6 - "feat: TreeStore hierarchical sorting override (#9428)" on Mar 10, 2026, 2:54 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 10, 2026, 2:57 PM

tobiu Mar 10, 2026, 2:58 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have successfully implemented the hierarchical sorting logic for the TreeStore data layer:

Turbo Mode support: TreeStore correctly soft-hydrates the entire allRecordsMap before sorting, ensuring the complex fields (like resolving 'name' from references if needed) are evaluated on raw nodes without instantiating them into Neo.data.Record objects unless strictly necessary.

Hierarchical Sorting: Adapted the versatile sortArray logic from Neo.collection.Base to act locally on each array inside TreeStore.#childrenMap. This correctly sorts all siblings under a shared parent.

Flat Tree Projection Re-calculation: After mapping the internal hierarchies, it utilizes collectVisibleDescendants starting from the root elements to generate a new correctly ordered contiguous _items array for the GridBody virtual scroller.

Tested in Playwright: 2 test cases were added to test/playwright/unit/data/TreeStore.spec.mjs, covering deep hierarchical sorting for both ASC and DESC orders, and enforcing that the hierarchy handles Turbo Mode seamlessly.

Closing the ticket!

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 10, 2026, 2:58 PM