A UI framework that only recalculates when changes, not on every frame.

1. Odin Compiler - Install from https://odin-lang.org
2. Sokol Bindings - Clone as git submodule

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd dawn
git submodule update --init --recursive

# Build Sokol C libraries
cd vendor/sokol/sokol
./build_clibs_linux.sh
cd ../../..

Or manually:

git clone https://github.com/floooh/sokol-odin.git vendor/sokol
cd vendor/sokol/sokol
./build_clibs_linux.sh
cd ../..

odin run main.odin -file -collection:sokol=vendor/sokol/sokol -strict-style

This project includes a comprehensive three-tier testing system that allows you to verify UI behavior without needing a GPU or display.

Test layout logic, spacing calculations, and command generation without any graphics dependencies.

# Run all unit tests
odin test tests/ -collection:sokol=vendor/sokol

# Run with verbose output
odin test tests/ -collection:sokol=vendor/sokol -v

What's Tested:

• Layout spacing calculations (ensures 24px gaps between elements)
• Container nesting behavior
• Draw command generation
• Coordinate math verification

Example Test Output:

✓ Layout test passed: First at Y=0.000, Second at Y=24.000 (spacing: 24.000)
✓ Nested container test: 4 commands generated

Why It's Useful:

• CI/CD friendly - runs on headless servers
• Fast feedback loop (< 1ms per test)
• Catches coordinate math bugs before visual testing
• Validates data-to-command pipeline

Run the UI with real-time command logging to see exactly what's being rendered.

# Run with debug output
./dawn_ui -debug

# Or
./dawn_ui --debug

Output Format:

=== DRAW COMMANDS ===
Total commands: 7
[00] TEXT | X:   0.0 Y:   0.0 | W: 300.0 H:  20.0 | Tournament Standings
[01] TEXT | X:   0.0 Y:   0.0 | W: 300.0 H:  20.0 | Name
[02] TEXT | X:   0.0 Y:  44.0 | W: 300.0 H:  20.0 | HP
...
=== END COMMANDS ===

Why It's Useful:

• See exact X/Y coordinates for every element
• Detect overlaps immediately (two items with same Y)
• Verify rectangle commands are generated
• Debug layout issues without screenshots
• Works with the actual GPU renderer

Capture the rendered output for visual regression testing.

# Save a snapshot
./dawn_ui --snapshot

# Output saved to: dawn_ui_snapshot.png.ppm

How It Works:

• Renders one frame
• Saves pixel data to PPM format (portable pixmap)
• Can be converted to PNG or compared directly
• Useful for catching visual regressions

Why It's Useful:

• Automated visual regression testing
• Compare against "golden" reference images
• Detect rendering artifacts
• CI/CD integration for UI consistency

Simple console-based tests for core logic.

odin run test_slider.odin -file -strict-style
odin run test_soa.odin -file -strict-style

Full rendering tests that require a display.

odin run test_display.odin -file -collection:sokol=vendor/sokol/sokol -strict-style

1. Write Unit Test First - Define expected layout behavior in tests/layout_test.odin
2. Run Headless - odin test tests/ to verify coordinate math
3. Console Mirror - ./dawn_ui -debug to see live command output
4. Visual Verify - Run actual UI to confirm rendering
5. Snapshot - ./dawn_ui --snapshot to save reference image

This approach catches layout bugs at the data level before they become visual glitches.

Data-Native UI uses dirty epoch tracking to skip rendering when data hasn't changed, dramatically reducing CPU/GPU usage.

• tests/layout_test.odin - Unit tests for layout spacing and command generation
• main.odin - Supports -debug and --snapshot flags for testing
• test_*.odin - Traditional test harnesses

# 1. Unit tests (fastest, no GPU)
odin test tests/ -collection:sokol=vendor/sokol

# 2. Console mirror (see live commands)
./dawn_ui -debug

# 3. Snapshot capture (visual regression)
./dawn_ui --snapshot

# 4. Full run (visual verification)
./dawn_ui

When you see "Mamenament Standings" (overlapping text) or missing rectangles:

1. Run with debug flag: ./dawn_ui -debug
2. Check console output: Look for duplicate Y coordinates
3. Verify command types: Should see both TEXT and RECT commands
4. Fix in unit test: Add regression test to tests/layout_test.odin
5. Verify fix: Run unit tests + debug mode again

dawn/
├── main.odin              # Demo application (Tournament Standings UI)
├── odinui/                # Core UI framework package
│   ├── odinui.odin       # Layout system, widgets, data structures
│   └── backend_sokol.odin # Sokol graphics backend (rendering)
├── tests/                 # Unit tests
│   └── layout_test.odin  # Headless layout tests
├── vendor/
│   └── sokol/            # Sokol graphics bindings
└── README.md

• odinui/ - Core UI framework (package with modular backend)
  • odinui.odin - Widgets, layout, command buffer, dirty tracking
  • backend_sokol.odin - Sokol-specific rendering, shaders, text
• main.odin - Demo application showing Tournament Standings
• tests/ - Unit tests for layout logic (headless, no GPU)
• vendor/sokol/ - Sokol graphics library bindings