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	9460
title	Grid: Column Drag & Drop Integration & State Transitions
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaigrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM
updatedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 1:27 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9460
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9456
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 1:27 PM

Grid: Column Drag & Drop Integration & State Transitions

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaigrid

tobiu commented on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

This is a sub-task of Epic #9456 (Buffered Grid - High-Performance Locked Columns).

Context: The Drag & Drop interface (SortZone) acts as an implicit state mutator for a column's locked property. If a user drags an unlocked column and drops it between two locked columns, it should adopt their locked state. Furthermore, changing a column's locked state at runtime fundamentally alters the layout of every row.

Task:

DD State Inference: Update src/draggable/grid/header/toolbar/SortZone.mjs (switchItems / moveTo). When a column is dropped, infer its new locked state based on its immediate neighbors at the toIndex. Set the new locked state on the column.
Runtime Updates: Implement afterSetLocked in src/grid/column/Base.mjs.
- When the state changes, the column physically moves between the "Pooled" array and the "Permanent" array across all Row VDOMs.
- Trigger a deep Grid body refresh (gridContainer.body.createViewData(false, true)) to cleanly rebuild the DOM architecture for the new state, leveraging the existing optimized recycling logic with force=true.
Ensure the HeaderToolbar also updates to correctly reflect the .neo-locked-* classes on the header buttons.

tobiu added parent issue #9456 on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 13, 2026, 11:28 AM

tobiu referenced in commit 3880d23 - "Grid: Column Drag & Drop Integration & State Transitions (#9460)" on Mar 16, 2026, 1:22 PM

tobiu Mar 16, 2026, 1:22 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have completed the implementation for this sub-task (#9460).

Changes Implemented (SortZone.mjs):

Updated onDragEnd to infer the new locked state based on the surrounding columns.

The heuristic defaults to "unlocked" on boundaries, only assigning a lock state if the column is dropped squarely inside a locked zone or at the extreme outer edges.

Setting column.locked = newLocked inherently triggers grid.Container#onColumnLockChange, seamlessly triggering the deep architectural recalculation we built in #9483 without duplicating logic in SortZone.

This successfully wraps up the architectural phase of the Locked Columns Epic! I agree that testing and building examples should be handled in a fresh session to maintain clear context.

tobiu cross-referenced by #9456 on Mar 16, 2026, 1:25 PM

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 16, 2026, 1:27 PM