robius-event-action – Writing & Content skill for AI agents

Supporting material availability

This catalog copy contains the inline guidance below, but does not include the following supporting paths. They are external prerequisites, not bundled files:

• <support-root>/references/action-patterns.md
• <support-root>/references/event-handling.md
• <support-root>/references/moly-action-patterns.md

Ask for the original supporting material or an existing installation before using a step that depends on these paths; this catalog does not identify a verified download source for them. Resolve each path relative to that installation, inspect its contents, and verify any applicable license and execution prerequisites. Do not run a command or claim a referenced procedure was followed until its required file exists. Do not fabricate the missing scripts or treat an unrelated file with the same name as equivalent. Independent steps fully documented here can proceed within the user’s authorized scope; report any dependent step as unavailable.

Robius Event and Action Patterns Skill

Best practices for event handling and action patterns in Makepad applications based on Robrix and Moly codebases.

Source codebases:

• Robrix: Matrix chat client - MessageAction, RoomsListAction, AppStateAction
• Moly: AI chat application - StoreAction, ChatAction, NavigationAction, Timer patterns

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Implementing custom actions in Makepad
• Handling events in widgets
• Centralizing action handling in App
• Widget-to-widget communication
• Keywords: makepad action, makepad event, widget action, handle_actions, cx.widget_action

Custom Action Pattern

Defining Domain-Specific Actions

use makepad_widgets::*;

/// Actions emitted by the Message widget
#[derive(Clone, DefaultNone, Debug)]
pub enum MessageAction {
    /// User wants to react to a message
    React { details: MessageDetails, reaction: String },
    /// User wants to reply to a message
    Reply(MessageDetails),
    /// User wants to edit a message
    Edit(MessageDetails),
    /// User wants to delete a message
    Delete(MessageDetails),
    /// User requested to open context menu
    OpenContextMenu { details: MessageDetails, abs_pos: DVec2 },
    /// Required default variant
    None,
}

/// Data associated with a message action
#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
pub struct MessageDetails {
    pub room_id: OwnedRoomId,
    pub event_id: OwnedEventId,
    pub content: String,
    pub sender_id: OwnedUserId,
}

Emitting Actions from Widgets

impl Widget for Message {
    fn handle_event(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx, event: &Event, scope: &mut Scope) {
        self.view.handle_event(cx, event, scope);

        let area = self.view.area();
        match event.hits(cx, area) {
            Hit::FingerDown(_fe) => {
                cx.set_key_focus(area);
            }
            Hit::FingerUp(fe) => {
                if fe.is_over && fe.is_primary_hit() && fe.was_tap() {
                    // Emit widget action
                    cx.widget_action(
                        self.widget_uid(),
                        &scope.path,
                        MessageAction::Reply(self.get_details()),
                    );
                }
            }
            Hit::FingerLongPress(lpe) => {
                cx.widget_action(
                    self.widget_uid(),
                    &scope.path,
                    MessageAction::OpenContextMenu {
                        details: self.get_details(),
                        abs_pos: lpe.abs,
                    },
                );
            }
            _ => {}
        }
    }
}

Centralized Action Handling in App

Using MatchEvent Trait

impl MatchEvent for App {
    fn handle_startup(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx) {
        // Called once on app startup
        self.initialize(cx);
    }

    fn handle_actions(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx, actions: &Actions) {
        for action in actions {
            // Pattern 1: Direct downcast for non-widget actions
            if let Some(action) = action.downcast_ref::<LoginAction>() {
                match action {
                    LoginAction::LoginSuccess => {
                        self.app_state.logged_in = true;
                        self.update_ui_visibility(cx);
                    }
                    LoginAction::LoginFailure(error) => {
                        self.show_error(cx, error);
                    }
                }
                continue;  // Action handled
            }

            // Pattern 2: Widget action cast
            if let MessageAction::OpenContextMenu { details, abs_pos } =
                action.as_widget_action().cast()
            {
                self.show_context_menu(cx, details, abs_pos);
                continue;
            }

            // Pattern 3: Match on downcast_ref for enum variants
            match action.downcast_ref() {
                Some(AppStateAction::RoomFocused(room)) => {
                    self.app_state.selected_room = Some(room.clone());
                    continue;
                }
                Some(AppStateAction::NavigateToRoom { destination }) => {
                    self.navigate_to_room(cx, destination);
                    continue;
                }
                _ => {}
            }

            // Pattern 4: Modal actions
            match action.downcast_ref() {
                Some(ModalAction::Open { kind }) => {
                    self.ui.modal(ids!(my_modal)).open(cx);
                    continue;
                }
                Some(ModalAction::Close { was_internal }) => {
                    if *was_internal {
                        self.ui.modal(ids!(my_modal)).close(cx);
                    }
                    continue;
                }
                _ => {}
            }
        }
    }
}

impl AppMain for App {
    fn handle_event(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx, event: &Event) {
        // Forward to MatchEvent
        self.match_event(cx, event);

        // Pass events to widget tree
        let scope = &mut Scope::with_data(&mut self.app_state);
        self.ui.handle_event(cx, event, scope);
    }
}

Action Types

Widget Actions (UI Thread)

Emitted by widgets, handled in the same frame:

// Emitting
cx.widget_action(
    self.widget_uid(),
    &scope.path,
    MyAction::Something,
);

// Handling (two patterns)
// Pattern A: Direct cast for widget actions
if let MyAction::Something = action.as_widget_action().cast() {
    // handle...
}

// Pattern B: With widget UID matching
if let Some(uid) = action.as_widget_action().widget_uid() {
    if uid == my_expected_uid {
        if let MyAction::Something = action.as_widget_action().cast() {
            // handle...
        }
    }
}

Posted Actions (From Async)

Posted from async tasks, received in next event cycle:

// In async task
Cx::post_action(DataFetchedAction { data });
SignalToUI::set_ui_signal();  // Wake UI thread

// Handling in App (NOT widget actions)
if let Some(action) = action.downcast_ref::<DataFetchedAction>() {
    self.process_data(&action.data);
}

Global Actions

For app-wide state changes:

// Using cx.action() for global actions
cx.action(NavigationAction::GoBack);

// Handling
if let Some(NavigationAction::GoBack) = action.downcast_ref() {
    self.navigate_back(cx);
}

Event Handling Patterns

Hit Testing

impl Widget for MyWidget {
    fn handle_event(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx, event: &Event, scope: &mut Scope) {
        let area = self.view.area();
        match event.hits(cx, area) {
            Hit::FingerDown(fe) => {
                cx.set_key_focus(area);
                // Start drag, capture, etc.
            }
            Hit::FingerUp(fe) => {
                if fe.is_over && fe.is_primary_hit() {
                    if fe.was_tap() {
                        // Single tap
                    }
                    if fe.was_long_press() {
                        // Long press
                    }
                }
            }
            Hit::FingerMove(fe) => {
                // Drag handling
            }
            Hit::FingerHoverIn(_) => {
                self.animator_play(cx, id!(hover.on));
            }
            Hit::FingerHoverOut(_) => {
                self.animator_play(cx, id!(hover.off));
            }
            Hit::FingerScroll(se) => {
                // Scroll handling
            }
            _ => {}
        }
    }
}

Keyboard Events

fn handle_event(&mut self, cx: &mut Cx, event: &Event, scope: &mut Scope) {
    if let Event::KeyDown(ke) = event {
        match ke.key_code {
            KeyCode::Return if !ke.modifiers.shift => {
                self.submit(cx);
            }
            KeyCode::Escape => {
                self.cancel(cx);
            }
            KeyCode::KeyC if ke.modifiers.control || ke.modifiers.logo => {
                self.copy_to_clipboard(cx);
    

… (full content is in the download package)