The board places each card in the shortest column, instead of leaving it to CSS columns

CSS multi-column decides placement by balancing column heights, so the same
notes could land differently at the same width: an edit left two cards alone in
the fourth column with the middle two empty, and a refresh left the fourth empty
beside a stack of three in the first.

Cards now go, in board order, into the shortest column, leftmost on a tie, so the
same notes at the same width always land the same way and every column fills
before any stacks. This changes the reading order to match Android: the second
note sits top-right rather than under the first.

useMasonry measures the cards and watches them for height changes. Placement is a
pure function, tested in notes/masonry.test.ts. Cards are absolutely placed, so
TransitionGroup's move animation carries on working unchanged.

Issue #6709.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/inkwell/ui/BoardScreen.kt

@@ -530,7 +530,7 @@ private fun DrawerRow(
  * Staggered rather than a uniform grid because notes are wildly different heights
  * — a one-line thought beside a twelve-item checklist — and forcing them to a
  * common height either clips the long ones or strands whitespace under the short
- * ones. This is the Compose equivalent of the CSS multi-column `NoteGrid.vue` uses.
+ * ones. `NoteGrid.vue` places cards the same way, each into the shortest column.
  */
 @Composable
 private fun NoteBoard(

frontend/src/components/NoteCard.vue

@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ const tagColors = computed<Record<string, string>>(() => {
 <template>
   <div
     ref="root"
-    class="group relative mb-2 break-inside-avoid sm:mb-4 rounded-xl border border-[#b8b8b8] p-3 shadow-sm transition hover:shadow-md dark:border-[#404040]"
+    class="group relative rounded-xl border border-[#b8b8b8] p-3 shadow-sm transition hover:shadow-md dark:border-[#404040]"
     :class="[
       NOTE_CARD_SURFACE,
       dragging ? 'opacity-40' : '',

frontend/src/components/NoteGrid.vue

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import NoteCard from "./NoteCard.vue";
+import { useMasonry } from "../composables/useMasonry";
 import type { Note } from "../stores/notes";
 
 /**
@@ -9,7 +10,7 @@ import type { Note } from "../stores/notes";
  * `activeId` rather than an index, because the board splits its notes across two
  * grids.
  */
-defineProps<{
+const props = defineProps<{
   notes: Note[];
   /** The keyboard-focused note, if any. */
   activeId?: string | null;
@@ -24,22 +25,27 @@ defineEmits<{
   (e: "drop", targetId: string): void;
   (e: "reminder-changed"): void;
 }>();
+
+const { grid, gridStyle, cardStyle } = useMasonry(() => props.notes.map((n) => n.id));
 </script>
 
 <template>
   <!-- `board` is the transition name defined in style.css; `appear` covers first
        paint so a lens arrives eased rather than snapping in.
        Two columns even on a phone, as on Android, with a tighter gap there.
-       NoteCard's bottom margin is the vertical half of this gap. -->
+       useMasonry reads the column count and the gap back from these classes. -->
   <TransitionGroup
+    ref="grid"
     tag="div"
     name="board"
     appear
-    class="columns-2 gap-2 sm:gap-4 lg:columns-3 xl:columns-4"
+    class="relative [--board-columns:2] [--board-gap:0.5rem] [column-gap:var(--board-gap)] sm:[--board-gap:1rem] lg:[--board-columns:3] xl:[--board-columns:4]"
+    :style="gridStyle"
   >
     <NoteCard
       v-for="n in notes"
       :key="n.id"
+      :style="cardStyle(n.id)"
       :note="n"
       :active="activeId === n.id"
       :reorderable="reorderable"

frontend/src/composables/useCardDrag.ts

@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ export function endCardDrag(): void {
 /**
  * The id of the card under this point, ignoring `self`.
  *
- * Reads the DOM rather than tracking geometry: in a CSS masonry (`columns-*`) the
+ * Reads the DOM rather than tracking geometry: in a masonry the visual order isn't
- * visual order isn't derivable from the model order.
+ * derivable from the model order.
  */
 export function cardIdAt(x: number, y: number, self: string): string | null {
   const el = document.elementFromPoint(x, y)?.closest<HTMLElement>("[data-note-id]");

frontend/src/composables/useMasonry.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { computed, onBeforeUnmount, onMounted, ref, shallowRef, watch } from "vue";
+import type { ComponentPublicInstance } from "vue";
+import { placeCards } from "../notes/masonry";
+import type { CardSlot } from "../notes/masonry";
+
+/** A slot as inline style. The column count and gap stay in CSS, on the grid's own
+ *  classes, so a card has the right width before anything has been measured. */
+function slotStyle(slot: CardSlot | undefined): Record<string, string> {
+  return {
+    position: "absolute",
+    top: `${slot?.top ?? 0}px`,
+    left: `calc(${slot?.column ?? 0} * (100% + var(--board-gap)) / var(--board-columns))`,
+    width: "calc((100% - (var(--board-columns) - 1) * var(--board-gap)) / var(--board-columns))",
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Lays out a NoteGrid: measures its cards and places each one with `placeCards`.
+ *
+ * `grid` is the template ref for the TransitionGroup. Its cards are found by
+ * `data-note-id`, which NoteCard sets on its root.
+ */
+export function useMasonry(ids: () => string[]) {
+  const grid = ref<ComponentPublicInstance | null>(null);
+  const heights = shallowRef<ReadonlyMap<string, number>>(new Map());
+  const columns = ref(1);
+  const gap = ref(0);
+
+  const layout = computed(() => placeCards(ids(), heights.value, columns.value, gap.value));
+  const gridStyle = computed(() => ({ height: `${layout.value.height}px` }));
+  const cardStyle = (id: string) => slotStyle(layout.value.slots.get(id));
+
+  const gridEl = () => (grid.value?.$el ?? null) as HTMLElement | null;
+  const cardEls = () => [...(gridEl()?.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>(":scope > [data-note-id]") ?? [])];
+
+  function readTracks(): void {
+    const el = gridEl();
+    if (!el) return;
+    const style = getComputedStyle(el);
+    columns.value = parseInt(style.getPropertyValue("--board-columns"), 10) || 1;
+    gap.value = parseFloat(style.columnGap) || 0;
+  }
+
+  function measure(): void {
+    const cards = cardEls();
+    const wanted = new Set(ids());
+    const next = new Map<string, number>();
+    for (const card of cards) {
+      const id = card.dataset.noteId as string;
+      // A card on its way out is still in the DOM, and no longer takes up room.
+      if (wanted.has(id)) next.set(id, card.offsetHeight);
+    }
+    const same = next.size === heights.value.size && [...next].every(([id, h]) => heights.value.get(id) === h);
+    if (same) return;
+
+    // A card seen for the first time goes straight to its place. Left to the next
+    // render, TransitionGroup would see it move there from the top of the board and
+    // fly it across.
+    const { slots } = placeCards(ids(), next, columns.value, gap.value);
+    for (const card of cards) {
+      const id = card.dataset.noteId as string;
+      if (wanted.has(id) && !heights.value.has(id)) Object.assign(card.style, slotStyle(slots.get(id)));
+    }
+    heights.value = next;
+  }
+
+  // Height follows content that has no event of its own: an edit, an image loading,
+  // a width change rewrapping the text.
+  const cardObserver = new ResizeObserver(measure);
+  const gridObserver = new ResizeObserver(readTracks);
+
+  function observeCards(): void {
+    cardObserver.disconnect();
+    for (const card of cardEls()) cardObserver.observe(card);
+    measure();
+  }
+
+  onMounted(() => {
+    const el = gridEl();
+    if (el) gridObserver.observe(el);
+    readTracks();
+    observeCards();
+  });
+  watch(() => ids().join("\n"), observeCards, { flush: "post" });
+  onBeforeUnmount(() => {
+    cardObserver.disconnect();
+    gridObserver.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  return { grid, gridStyle, cardStyle };
+}

frontend/src/notes/masonry.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { placeCards } from "./masonry";
+
+const heights = (entries: Record<string, number>) => new Map(Object.entries(entries));
+
+describe("placing cards on the board", () => {
+  it("uses every column before stacking", () => {
+    const { slots } = placeCards(["a", "b", "c", "d"], heights({ a: 100, b: 100, c: 100, d: 100 }), 4, 16);
+    expect([...slots.values()].map((s) => s.column)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3]);
+  });
+
+  it("puts the next card under the shortest column, with the gap above it", () => {
+    const { slots } = placeCards(["a", "b", "c"], heights({ a: 300, b: 50, c: 80 }), 2, 16);
+    expect(slots.get("c")).toEqual({ column: 1, top: 66 });
+  });
+
+  it("takes the leftmost column on a tie", () => {
+    const { slots } = placeCards(["a", "b", "c"], heights({ a: 100, b: 100, c: 10 }), 2, 16);
+    expect(slots.get("c")).toEqual({ column: 0, top: 116 });
+  });
+
+  it("reports the tallest column as the board's height", () => {
+    const { height } = placeCards(["a", "b", "c"], heights({ a: 300, b: 50, c: 80 }), 2, 16);
+    expect(height).toBe(316);
+  });
+
+  it("counts an unmeasured card as zero tall", () => {
+    const { slots } = placeCards(["a", "b"], heights({ b: 100 }), 1, 16);
+    expect(slots.get("b")).toEqual({ column: 0, top: 16 });
+  });
+
+  it("is an empty board with no cards", () => {
+    const { slots, height } = placeCards([], new Map(), 4, 16);
+    expect(slots.size).toBe(0);
+    expect(height).toBe(0);
+  });
+});

frontend/src/notes/masonry.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/** Where one card sits on the board. */
+export interface CardSlot {
+  column: number;
+  top: number;
+}
+
+export interface BoardLayout {
+  slots: Map<string, CardSlot>;
+  /** The tallest column, so the board can reserve its own height. */
+  height: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Places cards in board order, each into the column that is currently shortest and
+ * the leftmost of any tie. The same notes at the same width always land the same way.
+ *
+ * A card with no measured height yet counts as zero.
+ */
+export function placeCards(
+  ids: string[],
+  heights: ReadonlyMap<string, number>,
+  columns: number,
+  gap: number,
+): BoardLayout {
+  const bottoms = new Array<number>(Math.max(columns, 1)).fill(0);
+  const slots = new Map<string, CardSlot>();
+  for (const id of ids) {
+    const column = bottoms.indexOf(Math.min(...bottoms));
+    slots.set(id, { column, top: bottoms[column] });
+    bottoms[column] += (heights.get(id) ?? 0) + gap;
+  }
+  return { slots, height: Math.max(...bottoms) };
+}

frontend/src/style.css

@@ -131,10 +131,8 @@ body {
  * Vue's TransitionGroup does the FLIP itself; this supplies only the curve, fast and
  * small, so a card reads as having MOVED rather than performed.
  *
- * Leavers are NOT taken out of flow with `position: absolute`, the usual trick: this
+ * Cards are absolutely placed (useMasonry), so a leaver fades where it stands while
- * masonry is CSS multi-column, and an absolutely positioned child escapes its column
+ * the others move up. The leave is the shortest of the three.
- * to the container's origin. Staying in flow costs a small settle on removal, so the
- * leave is the shortest of the three.
  *
  * Reduced motion needs no case here: the global guard above collapses every duration. */
 .board-move {