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	9521
title	Tree Grid: Optional Helper Lines for Tree Structures
state	Closed
labels	aifeaturegrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 19, 2026, 6:59 PM
updatedAt	Mar 19, 2026, 7:01 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9521
author	tobiu
commentsCount	2
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 19, 2026, 7:01 PM

Tree Grid: Optional Helper Lines for Tree Structures

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

Closed v12.1.0 aifeaturegrid

tobiu commented on Mar 19, 2026, 6:59 PM

This ticket introduces a new, optional feature for the Neo.grid.column.Tree to display helper lines (similar to classic Windows File Explorer).

These lines help visualize the hierarchy and parent-child relationships, especially in deeply nested structures.

Key Changes:

Neo.grid.column.Tree: Added a new reactive config showHelperLines_ (default: false).
Neo.grid.column.component.Tree: Added isLastChild_ and showHelperLines_ configs.
SCSS Styling:
- Created resources/scss/src/grid/column/Tree.scss containing the complex CSS gradients to draw the lines without requiring extra DOM nodes. The gradients are designed to gracefully "break" around the Font Awesome caret icons using transparent gaps, avoiding messy intersections.
- Added a 4px gap between the horizontal lines and the text content.
- Handled .is-last-child state to properly terminate vertical lines.
Theming: Created corresponding theme files for all 5 themes (light, dark, neo-light, neo-dark, cyberpunk) defining the --tree-helper-line-color. Dark themes use subtle colors (e.g., #777 for dark, var(--purple-600) for neo-dark, rgba(0, 210, 255, 0.4) for cyberpunk).
Example: Added a Helper Lines CheckBox to examples/grid/treeBigData/ControlsContainer.mjs to toggle the feature dynamically.

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 19, 2026, 6:59 PM

tobiu added the feature label on Mar 19, 2026, 6:59 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 19, 2026, 6:59 PM

tobiu referenced in commit b71e4e3 - "Tree Grid: Optional Helper Lines for Tree Structures (#9521)" on Mar 19, 2026, 7:00 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 19, 2026, 7:00 PM

tobiu Mar 19, 2026, 7:00 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have implemented the tree helper lines feature.

Implementation Details:

Added showHelperLines config to Neo.grid.column.Tree and its underlying component.Tree.

Implemented a pure CSS solution using CSS Gradients in resources/scss/src/grid/column/Tree.scss to draw the tree lines without adding any new DOM nodes.

Intersection Avoidance: The lines are drawn using background gradients with transparent gaps that sit perfectly behind the Font Awesome carets. This creates the illusion of a solid background behind the icon without needing an actual background circle that would look messy over striped or hovered rows.

Added a subtle 4px gap before the horizontal lines meet the text.

Increased the CSS specificity to ensure that the .neo-grid-tree-column-cell correctly nullifies padding-top and padding-bottom, allowing the cell to stretch to 100% height and avoid visual gaps between rows.

Configured subtle theme variables for dark, neo-dark, and cyberpunk themes.

Added a toggle checkbox to the treeBigData grid example.

The changes have been committed and pushed.

tobiu Mar 19, 2026, 7:00 PM

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 19, 2026, 7:01 PM