feat: Add projectFolder to user preferences

[paulohenriquesg]

Description

Adds projectFolder as a key to user preferences, stores the location of the most recently opened project, and prefills it in the next File → Open action.

Direct mirror of the pattern introduced by #512 for the export dialog. Reuses the existing parentDirectoryOf helper (which already handles POSIX and Windows roots after the codex-bot / coderabbit feedback on #512) and the same localStorage-backed preferences module.

Type of Change

• New Feature

Related Issue(s)

Closes #668. Inspired by #503 / #512.

What changed

• src/lib/userPreferences.ts — added projectFolder: string \| null to UserPreferences and DEFAULT_PREFS, hydrate in loadUserPreferences, added getProjectFolder() helper.
• src/lib/userPreferences.test.ts — round-trip tests for the new field, default / invalid / empty hydration, independence from exportFolder. Tests use an in-memory localStorage stub since the jsdom global isn't exposed in this vitest setup.
• electron/ipc/handlers.ts — loadProjectFile now accepts projectFolder?: string, stats it, falls back to RECORDINGS_DIR with a warn log if it's gone or unreadable. Mirrors the save-exported-video path validation pattern from feat: Add exportFolder to user preferences #512.
• electron/preload.ts + electron/electron-env.d.ts — thread projectFolder?: string through the bridge.
• electron/ipc/nativeBridge.ts + electron/native-bridge/services/projectService.ts — extend the bridge dispatch + service signature to forward the param.
• src/native/contracts.ts + src/native/client.ts — payload on the loadProjectFile action carries projectFolder?: string.
• src/components/video-editor/VideoEditor.tsx and src/components/launch/LaunchWindow.tsx — both open-project entry points read getProjectFolder() before calling the bridge, and on success persist parentDirectoryOf(result.path) back to preferences.

Testing

1. Build and launch the app.
2. File → Open; navigate to a folder other than the default (RECORDINGS_DIR) and open an .openscreen project.
3. File → Open again — the open dialog should default to the folder chosen in step 2.
4. Quit and relaunch the app, then File → Open — the dialog should still open in that folder (preference is persisted via localStorage).
5. Rename or delete that folder on disk, then File → Open again — the dialog should fall back to RECORDINGS_DIR without erroring (warning logged to the main-process console).
6. Repeat steps 2–3 starting from the launch window's "Open" action — both entry points share the same preference.

Unit tests (src/lib/userPreferences.test.ts) cover the load/save round-trip, default fallback, invalid-type rejection, empty-string rejection, and independence from exportFolder.

Checklist

• I have performed a self-review of my code.
• I have linked related issue(s).
• npm test, npx tsc --noEmit, and npx biome check . all pass locally.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • App remembers the last opened project folder and pre-fills the Open dialog, streamlining project loading from Launch and Editor screens.
  • Opening or importing a project updates and persists the remembered project folder for future use.

• Tests

  • Added tests validating project-folder preference storage, defaults, fallback behavior, and edge-case handling.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Organization UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 4db525b7-5ea4-47f3-bcb5-528d4d441812

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between c01c88b and f5ad566.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• src/components/video-editor/EditorEmptyState.tsx

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Threads an optional projectFolder from UI through preload, IPC, native bridge, and ProjectService; validates it for dialog prefill, and persists the parent folder in user preferences for future dialog defaults.

Changes

Remember Last Project Folder

Layer / File(s)	Summary
User preferences contract and tests src/lib/userPreferences.ts, src/lib/userPreferences.test.ts	UserPreferences gains projectFolder: string | null (DEFAULT_PREFS.projectFolder = null). loadUserPreferences() validates persisted projectFolder (non-empty string only). getProjectFolder() helper added. Tests cover defaults, round-trip persistence, validation, and independence from other prefs.
Native bridge request contract & client src/native/contracts.ts, src/native/client.ts	project/loadProjectFile payload changes from EmptyPayload to { projectFolder?: string }. nativeBridgeClient.project.loadProjectFile(projectFolder?) forwards { projectFolder }.
Preload API and type definitions electron/preload.ts, electron/electron-env.d.ts	electronAPI.loadProjectFile(projectFolder?: string) added and forwards to the load-project-file IPC channel; type declaration updated.
Electron IPC handler (dialog prefill) electron/ipc/handlers.ts	ipcMain.handle("load-project-file") accepts optional projectFolder, validates it via fs.stat, sets the open-dialog defaultPath to the remembered folder when it's a directory, and falls back to RECORDINGS_DIR on error.
NativeBridge wiring and ProjectService electron/ipc/nativeBridge.ts, electron/native-bridge/services/projectService.ts	NativeBridgeContext and the "project"/"loadProjectFile" action forward request.payload?.projectFolder to projectService.loadProjectFile(projectFolder?). ProjectService API updated to accept and forward the optional param.
UI components with project folder memory src/components/launch/LaunchWindow.tsx, src/components/video-editor/VideoEditor.tsx, src/components/video-editor/EditorEmptyState.tsx	Components call loadProjectFile(getProjectFolder()) to prefill the dialog; on successful load they compute the parent directory and persist it via saveUserPreferences({ projectFolder }).

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~25 minutes

Possibly related issues

• [Feature]: Remember last opened project folder #668: implements the "remember last opened project folder" feature by persisting and plumbing projectFolder through preload, IPC, and services.

Possibly related PRs

• siddharthvaddem/openscreen#324: touches loadUserPreferences/saveUserPreferences and editor integration; related user-preferences plumbing.

Suggested reviewers

• siddharthvaddem
• FabLrc

"lowkey humble little patch"
threads a folder like a breadcrumb trail 🥖
remembers where you left off, even after sleep
prefs whisper "next time" in the background
tiny plumbing, big QoL win — nice and not cursed

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 33.33% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	Title clearly summarizes the main change: adding projectFolder to user preferences to remember and prefill the last opened project directory.
Description check	✅ Passed	Description covers all required sections: clear purpose, motivation addressing issue #668, type of change marked, related issues linked, detailed testing instructions, and completion checklist.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

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