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The Dex Dashboard is the main entry point for all TUI operations. It provides organized access to entry creation, content management, and infrastructure commands.

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Launching the Dashboard

Start the dashboard with: 
dex
Or from source: 
node scripts/dex.mjs

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Interface Layout

The dashboard consists of three main sections:
  1. Header - Displays the Dex logo, version badge, active workspace, and repository information
  2. Command Menu - Organized list of available commands grouped by category
  3. Footer - Shows available keyboard shortcuts

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Workspace Display

The header shows:
  • Active repository (site or api)
  • Current workspace root path
  • Tip for reconfiguring workspace with dex setup --reset

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Command Groups

Commands are organized into three categories:

Entry Commands

  • Init
  • Update
  • Doctor
  • Entry Audit

Content Commands

  • Catalog
  • Home
  • Notes
  • Polls
  • Calls
  • Newsletter

Infrastructure Commands

  • Links
  • Assets
  • Status
  • Deploy
  • View
KeyActionDanger Level
↑ / ↓Move cursor between commandsSAFE
EnterRun selected commandSAFE
?Open/close command paletteSAFE
Ctrl+QQuit DexSAFE
EscBack/exit current managerSAFE

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Command Palette

Press ? to open the command palette for quick command access:
1

Open Palette

Press ? to toggle the command palette
2

Search Commands

Type to filter available commands (e.g., “init”, “catalog”, “deploy”)
3

Navigate Results

Use ↑ / ↓ to move through filtered results
4

Execute

Press Enter to run the selected command

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Palette Controls

KeyAction
TypeFilter commands by query
↑ / ↓Navigate filtered results
Backspace / DeleteEdit search query
EnterRun selected command
EscClose palette
The command palette provides fuzzy matching for quick command discovery without navigating the full menu.

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Special Commands

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View

Launches a local HTTP server for viewing generated entry HTML files:
  • Opens browser automatically to http://localhost:4173
  • Shows “Viewer running: [url]” status message
  • Server remains active until Dex exits

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Deploy

Shortcut for pushing the current branch to origin:
  1. Runs preflight checks (dex release preflight --env test)
  2. Blocks deployment if preflight fails
  3. Pushes to configured remote (defaults to origin)
  4. Sets upstream tracking if needed
  5. Shows deployment status with branch and remote info
Deploy automatically runs preflight validation. Never skip this step for production deployments.

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Status Messages

The dashboard displays operation results above the command menu:
  • Green text - Successful operations
  • Last result - Preserved between command executions
  • Error details - Includes stderr/stdout for debugging

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Example Status Messages

Last: ✓ Wrote entries/tim-feeney/index.html
Viewer running: http://localhost:4173
Deploy ok: pushed main -> origin
Deploy blocked: preflight failed

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Workspace Configuration

The dashboard respects workspace configuration from: 
~/.config/dexdsl/workspaces.json
Override with environment variables:
  • DEX_WORKSPACE_FILE - Custom config file path
  • DEX_CONFIG_DIR - Alternate config directory
If no valid workspace config exists, Dex falls back to the current working directory and displays setup guidance.

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Visual Features

The dashboard features an animated ASCII logo with:
  • HSV color cycling
  • Smooth intensity waves
  • Configurable via DEX_NO_ANIM=1 environment variable

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Responsive Layout

The interface automatically adjusts to terminal dimensions:
  • Minimum recommended: 80 columns × 24 rows
  • Command palette scales with terminal size
  • Scrollable command lists for smaller terminals

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Non-Interactive Mode

If Dex detects a non-TTY environment:
  • Dashboard exits gracefully
  • Suggests using direct CLI commands instead
  • Returns { action: null }
The dashboard requires an interactive terminal (TTY). Use direct CLI commands for scripting and CI/CD pipelines.

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